How to Keep Your Bladder From Interrupting Your Sleep

Frequent urination usually signifies adequate hydration, but when frequent urination keeps waking you up during the night and taking you to the bathroom, it’s extremely annoying.

Frequent nightly urination usually becomes more common for women who are pregnant and as we get older, but there’s good news: There are small and effective changes that you can make to free yourself from your needy nighttime bladder!

Ways to Deal With Nighttime Urination

Before we start our list, it’s important to note that talking to your doctor or urologist is one of the best ways to get a better understanding of your urological health. Oftentimes, nighttime urination can be harmless, but it can also be a sign of an underlying medical condition.

  • Limit your fluid intake at least two hours before bedtime. Drinking too close to bedtime can lead to urinating at night. Also, limit alcohol and caffeine during the day, as these drinks are bladder stimulants. If you’re struggling with nighttime urination, cut back to just one alcoholic beverage, or none at all, and decrease your current caffeine intake.

  • Keep track of your bathroom breaks. Keeping a diary of sorts and writing down how much water you’re drinking and how often you’re visiting the bathroom can be a great help. If you are frequently urinating during the night, it could be the case that you’re just well hydrated. But if you’re between 65 and 70 and going more than twice a night, you should make an appointment with your doctor or urologist.

  • Check for sleep apnea.During deep sleep, your body produces antidiuretic hormones, which allow you to retain more fluid overnight. Since those with sleep apnea don’t get into the deep stages of sleep, their bodies don’t make enough of this hormone. Also, the drops in oxygen levels during apnea episodes trigger the kidneys to excrete more water. In this case, treating sleep apnea should take care of the problem.

  • Try elevating your legs. In the late afternoon and evening, if you prop up your legs for an hour at chest level, this can help you urinate during the day rather than during the middle of the night.

The doctors at Tennessee Valley Urology Center have years of education and experience treating all kinds of urological conditions, so don’t hesitate to reach out today to get relief from your frequent nighttime urination or any other urological condition!