Nocturia does more than just make you sleepy

Nocturia is waking up more than once a night to urinate. It can negatively affect productivity, mental attitude and overall health. It can also be an indication of an underlying health concern. If you have ongoing nighttime urination, our North Austin urology doctors encourage you to speak with us to learn about ways to eliminate this disruptive and often frustrating urinary symptom.

This problem affects both men and women, but is more common in men, with incidence increasing as people age. After the age of 50, it affects more than 50% of people.

Why am I waking up so much with nocturia?

There are several common reasons that people experience nocturia.

• Drinking too much within three hours before bedtime, especially beverages with caffeine or alcohol
• Timing of medications, such as diuretics that increase urination
• An established habit of using the restroom at night, regardless of whether you need to urinate
• Reduced bladder capacity due to obstruction, swelling or infection
• Health conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure or sleep apnea

Unique to men, an enlarged prostate is a common cause of nighttime urination. For women, pregnancy, menopause or vaginal prolapse can be causes.

Speaking with our North Austin urology doctors about this urinary concern is important because the symptoms can indicate an underlying health problem. Also, negative impacts of frequent waking to urinate include reduced daytime productivity, risk of falling at night, decreased mood, and health concerns.

Getting to the cause of nighttime urination

One of the first tools for getting to the root cause of nocturia is keeping a urination diary. The doctor will ask you to record for two weeks how much you drink, when you take your medication, how often you urinate, and the volume of urine you produce. Your urologist will review the information in your diary, perform a physical exam, and take your medical history.

Lifestyle changes are a beneficial course of action to reduce the number of times you wake to urinate. Your physician may recommend restricting fluids in the evening, taking diuretic medications earlier in the day, using compression socks to reduce fluid buildup in the legs, and pelvic floor exercises to strengthen pelvic floor muscles.

While you make these lifestyle changes, your urologist will work with you to identify and treat any underlying causes. Tests your doctor may order include urinalysis and urine culture to check for infection or proteins in the urine. Blood tests may also be ordered to evaluate kidney and thyroid function, cholesterol levels, or diabetes. Additionally, the urologist may recommend a bladder scan, urodynamic testing or cystoscopy to look inside the bladder.

Medications such as diuretics, or those used for overactive bladder, may also be a consideration.

Our North Austin urologists assure patients that addressing nocturia can benefit you in many ways. By treating it, you don’t just get a better night’s sleep; you may identify an underlying health concern, improve your bladder health, and improve your quality of life.

If you are experiencing nighttime urination and want to find the underlying cause, contact our North Austin urology doctors for an appointment.