What is Nocturia? 

Are you constantly going to the bathroom at night? Nocturia is a condition that causes you to wake up during the night to urinate. This can be considered nocturnal frequency – the need to urinate more frequently at night. The condition becomes more common with age and occurs in both men and women, sometimes for different reasons. Waking up to urinate once a night is common for most people, but increased urination could indicate something else is going on.

Two Major Types Of Nocturia:

1. Nocturnal Polyuria is the overproduction of urine at night, it’s when the amount of urine produced exceeds 20-30% of the total 24-hour urine volume. 

2. Global Polyuria both day and night time urine overproduction.

What causes Nocturia symptoms?

In women, common causes of nocturia include:

  • Childbirth

  • Menopause

  • Pelvic organ prolapse

In men, nocturia can be caused by an enlarged prostate (BPH – Benign prostatic hyperplasia).

Other Causes of Nocturia

Many times, frequent urination is not chronic and happens as a result of lifestyle choices and behaviors. In such cases, Nocturia is not recurring but can be just as inconvenient.

  • Personal patterns – you have “programmed” your body to go to the bathroom several times a night

  • Diuretic medications – causing the medicated to use the restroom more frequently

  • Caffeine – can cause bladder issues and can cause increased urination

  • Alcohol – can cause heightened amounts of urine

  • Overactive bladder treatment – can cause multiple trips to the bathroom

  • Excessive fluids before bedtime – drinking too much before bedtime or overall

  • Limited bladder capacity – making too much urine causing the body to wake to release excess urine

  • Fluid redistribution – fluids that have filled the body throughout the day with constant sitting and when lying down these fluids get moved to the bladder

Nocturia is also a common symptom of other health conditions such as:

  • Diabetes

  • High blood pressure

  • Heart disease 

  • Congestive heart failure 

  • Vascular disease

  • Restless leg syndrome

  • Sleep disorders

  • Insomnia

What happens before and after seeing my doctor?

Once seeing your primary care physician or one of our doctors here at 1Prostate, a specialist will test your urine and talk with you about the symptoms you are experiencing. 

Common symptoms of Nocturia include:

1. Wetting the bed

2. Having leaky bladder problems

3. Urinating in your underclothes

There are so many different resources available to assist with these problems. If you are urinating in your underclothes or maybe more there are products such as incontinence pads and even disposable underwear. If you find that you are wetting the bed there are supplies for that as well. There are disposable absorbent underpads and reusable/washable underpads. You could also buy a waterproof mattress cover. There are also cleansing wipes that can aid in cleaning up after using the products. These items can help you maintain your privacy as well as make clean-up simple and quick. If your nocturia is caused by an enlarged prostate, 1Prostate offers several treatment options to provide relief for many prostate issues.

What can my doctor do?

Treating nocturia depends on the underlying condition. Simple lifestyle changes can decrease the number of times you visit the toilet at night. Alternatively, your doctor can prescribe medications that can treat the symptom and help your body regulate its fluids better. Nocturia caused by an enlarged prostate may never go away on its own. To treat an enlarged prostate, 1Prostate offers services such as PAE, TUMT, Urolift, Rezum, and TURP to deal directly with the cause of your nocturia.

Here at 1Prostate, helping you get a diagnosis and treatment for your conditions is our main purpose. You can call our offices at 212-991-9991 or by visiting our website at 1Prostate you can schedule a consultation right on our home page.