Lifestyle

Reasons Why You’re Waking Up in the Middle of the Night to Pee & the Solutions to It

Vivien Wee

2020-08-26 , 10:49 pm

Last Updated on 2020-11-21 , 5:10 pm

Everyone needs to pee every day, but is it normal to wake up every night to pee?

Imagine having a wonderful dream in your sleep and your pee disrupts it all.

Here are some reasons why it’s happening.

First Thing First, How Pee Is Produced

The kidney in our body turns extra water and waste into urine.

It will then flow out of the kidney and into the ureters, which acts as a bridge between the kidney and the bladder.

The kidney’s main function is to filter out toxins from the bloodstream and concentrate those toxins into pee.

And when your bladder is full, you get the alarm in your brain telling you to go to the toilet immediately or risk extreme embarrassment.

Day Vs Night Pee

It is normal for you to visit the toilet every 2 to 4 hours during the day, depending on how many glasses of water you drink.

But at night, it’s a different story.

Your body releases antidiuretic hormones (ADH) to retain more fluid when we are in our deep sleep, keeping you asleep until the next morning.

But sometimes, the hormones aren’t enough, and here’s why.

Drinking too much fluid before you sleep.

Some people do have the habit of drinking too much fluid like alcohol, water, and caffeine in the evening.

If you notice that your night-peeing is due to fluid consumption, consider stopping 2 to 3 hours before bedtime.

Medication

Certain drugs could affect your body and crank up the number of times you have to go to the toilet, even during night time.

If you realize that your medication could be the culprit, it might just be time to change up your medication.

But don’t be your own doctor, please; find a real one.

Stress-related

If you’re too stressed up, you’ll fall asleep with worries and this affects your sleep.

And when your sleep is affected, hormone production is compromised which leads to your pee not concentrating enough.

Ageing

Studies show that as we age, our bladder wall changes – it is not able to hold as much pee as before.

Bladder muscles weaken with age and our bodies make less of a hormone that allows us to retain fluid.

So if you’re older, chances are, it could just be natural biology at work.

But if you’re young and as stress-free as someone can be, yet you’re still waking up in the middle of the night to pee, you might need to pay more attention to the habit.

Nocturia

Nocturia refers to the need to get up to pee at night.

In other words, it’s just a symptom of other possible medical conditions and is not a disease by itself.

It’s actually a common condition among older people although younger people can be affected by the condition.

Some possible causes of Nocturia include the production of excess urine at night, reduced bladder capacity and sleep disruptions.

Pregnancy

For ladies, there is a chance of pregnancy. Regularly waking up to use the washroom is often a sign of early pregnancy.

This is because the pregnancy hormone causes an increase of blood flow to the kidney, expanding the uterus which then puts pressure on the bladder.

Sleep Disorder

People with sleep apnea don’t make much of the ADH hormones as they don’t get into the deep stages of sleep.

Other than that, the condition also triggers the kidney into excreting more water when oxygen level drops.

Sleep apnea basically means you have “periodic lapses” in breathing, lower the oxygen level in your body.

Having a disturbing and annoying bladder along with sleep apnea will definitely have a negative impact on your sleep.

It interrupts your sleeping cycle and productivity the next day. In the long run, you will start to experience several illnesses.

Diabetes

Recurring night urination is also an early sign of diabetes. When there is too much sugar in your blood, kidneys have to work harder to get rid of it. This causes our kidney to make more urine and this process is just like 7-Eleven, operating 24 hours.

To know if you have diabetes, don’t read this article and go, oh shit, I have diabetes.

You’re welcome to take HPB’s Let’s Beat Diabetes assessment to find out if you’re at risk or not.

Prevention

Especially in this Covid-19 pandemic, we’re often paranoid when it comes to our health. That’s why Googling instead of going to the doctor when you’re unwell is a thing.

Here’s what you can do instead:

Take a step back and do the necessary.
Monitor yourself and see which category you fall under
Keep a pee diary that helps to keep track of your drinking and urine output; if you are urinating more than 8 times a day, that is too much.

Just remember that it also depends on your age so if you’re worried and want to be sure, seek professional medical advice.

Featured Image: cliplab / Shutterstock.com