Nocturia, also called nocturnal diuresis, is the urge to urinate frequently during the night and makes the person need to interrupt their sleep several times to go to the bathroom. In that sense, see now why do we get up at night to urinate.
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Getting up at night to pee frequently – What could it be?
This condition is more common in the elderly, however, it can also happen to younger people. Nocturnal diuresis may indicate a health problem and, moreover, it also considerably compromises the quality of sleep due to interruptions. Therefore, check out the possible causes of this inconvenience:
1. Drinking too much fluid before bed
If you consume a lot of fluids at night, especially before going to bed, chances are you're more likely to wake up at dawn to pee. In addition, beverages containing caffeine and alcohol can further increase diuresis, as they make the urine more dilute and less concentrated.
2. Diabetes
One of the characteristic signs of diabetes is polyuria, i.e. excessive urination. This is due to a mechanism in the body to get excess glucose out. In this way, the body "expels" the sugar from the blood through the urine after filtration in the kidneys.
3. prostate enlargement
Some men have benign prostate enlargement as they age. In this way, the enlarged gland makes it difficult to pass urine, which ends up being incomplete. For this reason, elderly men may feel the need to urinate more often.
4. overactive bladder
In cases of overactive bladder there is greater activity of this organ, that is, it works by contracting more, regardless of the volume of urine. For this reason, the person usually urinates more often and in small amounts.
5. Gestation
Pregnant women also tend to urinate more. This happens because, during this period, the uterus increases a lot in size and ends up compressing the bladder. Thus, the need to go to the bathroom is greater.
6. neurological problems
Neurological injuries, such as Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA), can lead to bladder dysfunction. Consequently, this organ can become flaccid and act involuntarily, causing urinary incontinence.
7. urinary tract infections
Urinary tract infections can occur because of viruses, fungi and bacteria. This type of situation is relatively common and, as a result, an infection in the bladder occurs that makes the need to urinate more often.