What is nocturia

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Updated July 31, Written by Eric Suni. Medically Reviewed by Dr. Abhinav Singh. What Are the Impacts of Nocturia? What Causes Nocturia? Reducing Nocturia and Getting Better Sleep. What Is Nocturia? How Common is Nocturia? Sign up below for your free gift. Your privacy is important to us. Was this article helpful? Yes No. The standardisation of terminology in nocturia: report from the Standardisation Sub-committee of the International Continence Society.

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Shah, A. Medical Encyclopedia [Internet]. Atlanta GA : A. Foot, leg, and ankle swelling; [updated Jun 2; reviewed Apr 26; retrieved Jun 26]; [about 4 p. Torimoto, K. The relationship between nocturnal polyuria and the distribution of body fluid: assessment by bioelectric impedance analysis.

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By Danielle Pacheco October 8, By Danielle Pacheco October 1, By Jay Summer October 1, By Jay Summer September 30, It affects both men and women fairly evenly, but severity of nocturia can be exasperated by different reasons. Surprisingly, nocturia is fairly common. Nocturia during pregnancy tends to go away about three weeks after delivery, as your body returns to normal.

Chronic cases of nocturia that represent the statistics we discussed above are a bit different. There are three primary types of nocturia, each with their own underlying cause : polyuria, nocturnal polyuria, and nocturnal urinary frequency.

Polyuria is a condition where someone urinates more than 3,mL in 24 hours—it is not restricted to nighttime. In cases of polyuria, your body makes too much urine throughout the day. Polyuria can be caused by:.

Nocturnal polyuria is when your body makes too much urine, but only at night. You urinate regularly during the day or even experience a reduced urine output. This may be related to fluid retention, which is then reversed when you lay down.

Some causes of nocturnal polyuria include:. Nocturnal urinary frequency is the third most common type of nocturia that describes someone who urinates in small amounts or urinates more frequently. Urinating in smaller amounts makes it difficult to fully empty the bladder, thus causing a person to wake up multiple times throughout the night. Urinating more frequently occurs when someone is unable to fill their bladder completely prior to feeling the urge to urinate.

If you have difficulty emptying your bladder completely , your nocturnal urinary frequency can be caused by:. If you decide to make an appointment to consult your urologist regarding nocturia, the doctor will likely have multiple questions for you in order to properly diagnose. Having the answers to the following questions ready will help you and your doctor quickly develop the right treatment plan:.

The more detail you have, the more helpful it is for the physician in making a diagnosis and finding the root cause of the issue.

Bottom Line : Nocturia should be investigated to determine its cause, which may often be related to conditions other than urinary tract issues.

Nighttime urination is not only bothersome, but may also pose real health risks. Chronically disturbed sleep can lead to a host of collateral wellness issues. If you are routinely waking up at night to urinate, especially if it is happening more than once per night, we recommend setting up an appointment with your urologist. To set up an appointment with one of our physicians or to see a list of our locations , please contact us. Written by Dr. Andrew Siegel.

How many times is normal to urinate at night? What causes nocturia? It often comes down to one of three factors: Nighttime urine production by the kidneys Urinary bladder capacity Sleep status.

Nocturia can be classified into 5 categories: Global polyuria making too much urine, day and night Nocturnal polyuria making too much urine at night Sleep disorders Reduced bladder capacity Overactive bladder Global polyuria can result from excessive fluid intake or from dehydration from poorly controlled diabetes mellitus.

How is nocturia diagnosed? How is nocturia treated? Lifestyle modifications to improve nocturia include: Preemptive voiding before bedtime — Ensuring that there is as little urine in your bladder as possible right before bed can help eliminate the need to get up to urinate at night.

Intentional nocturnal and late afternoon dehydration — Ensure that you are consuming enough fluids during the day, but limit them in the hours before you go to bed. Salt restriction — In patients with a high salt intake, a reduction in salt has been clinically shown to reduce instances of nighttime urination source Dietary restriction of caffeine and alcohol — Caffeine increases bladder activity and therefore can cause nighttime urination, especially if consumed later in the day note that even decaf coffee and tea do contain some caffeine.

Alcohol can function as a bladder irritant and should be avoided as well. Adjustment of medication timing — Different medications, especially diuretic medications, can impact nighttime urine production. Note that it is extremely important to consult with your doctor before making any changes to your medication. Use of compression stockings with afternoon and evening leg elevation — Elevating the legs and use of compression stockings helps to prevent fluid build-up in the legs.