There’s a name for waking up in the middle of the night to empty the bladder: nocturia. About half of all seniors wake up at least once a night, and a third of people over 30 wake up more than twice. While for most this is a simple annoyance, the condition can also be a sign of acute or chronic illness.
Aging takes a toll; hormonal shifts and declining kidney function force the body to produce more urine at night than during the day. That can tax a more rigid bladder, enlarged prostate, or weak pelvic-floor muscles.
A urinary infection or overactive bladder can cause these nightly interruptions; the condition may also be a byproduct of type 1 or type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or sleep apnea — each of which triggers the body to produce more urine at night.
“Nocturia doesn’t lend itself to a single magic bullet,” Alison Huang, MD, a primary-care physician at University of California San Francisco Health, tells The New York Times.
Still, a few lifestyle changes can reduce the likelihood of developing the condition and even help nocturia sufferers stop those nighttime trips to the bathroom, increasing the chances of a good night’s sleep.
- Avoid fluids two to four hours before bedtime — especially tea, coffee, or alcohol. These beverages not only disrupt sleep patterns but cause the body to produce more urine.
- Minimize produce with high water content before bedtime. That includes grapes, watermelon, asparagus, and celery.
- Limit your sodium intake to avoid fluid retention, which can lead to increased urination.
- Reduce acidic foods because they can increase the acidity of your urine, which may irritate your bladder and make you feel as though you need to pee more frequently. Such foods include citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, onions, vinegar, and soy sauce.
- Practice pelvic-floor exercises to strengthen the muscle and control bladder contractions. (For pelvic-floor exercises, go to “6 Exercises to Support Your Pelvic Floor.”)
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