Stay cozy in your warm bed at night
Nothing is more annoying than having to get out of bed to pee at night. Thankfully, there are a few tips on how to avoid this. We’ve made a complete list!
Extremely annoying
We’ve all experienced it: you’re sleeping beautifully in your warm bed, but you wake up because you have to go to the bathroom. It’s extremely annoying, but you can do something about it! There are a few things that cause this problem. You might already be trying out everything you can to avoid peeing at night, like not drinking much in the evening. Not working for you? Then you can try using some of the following tips.
Overactive bladder
You normally produce around 1 to 2 liters of urine per day, and only 25% of that being during the night. So you should be able to make it through the whole night without having to pee. Do you find yourself getting up multiple times a night to go to the bathroom? Then you probably have an overactive bladder, also referred to as nocturia. This means you have an increased urine production at night. This disorder is seen more often in women than men, and age also plays a role.
Causes
If you’ve noticed you experience this as well, you’re probably curious to find out what the cause could be. An increased urine production could have numerous causes, and some are less harmless than others. Possible causes are:
- Eating or drinking too much before bed
- Disruption of the antidiuretic hormone (ADH), the hormone that ensures you produce less urine at night
- Impaired kidney function
- Bladder disorders
- For men: prostate problems
- Edema formation, better known as fluid accumulation
- Certain medication
- Underlying illness
To the doctor’s office or not?
When exactly should you go to the doctor? You should go if the issue of peeing at night is disrupting your sleep and night’s rest. If you only occasionally have to go to the restroom at night, you shouldn’t get too worried. Only a visit to the doctor can shed light on the problem at hand. He or she can therefore do something about it. Your doctor can examine: eating and drinking habits, hormone disorders, bladder- or prostate problems, urinary tract infections, kidney problems, and heart issues.
This is what you can do yourself
Before heading off to the doctor, there are few things you can try to keep from having to pee at night. Try out the following tips:
- Don’t drink anything after 8pm. If you’ve had a liter and a half of water throughout the day, this shouldn’t be an issue.
- Limit your caffeine and alcohol consumption. These drinks have a moisture-repelling effect.
- Do you suffer from swollen legs during the day? Sleep with a pillow under your legs to keep them elevated or use compression stockings.
- Watch what you eat before bed. Digestion stimulates urine production.
- And finally (with your doctor’s approval) you can take a diuretic (water-expeller) or a desmopressin in the late afternoon.
