Do you also have to get up frequently at night to urinate? Let's talk about nocturia!

I had worked hard all day and had fallen into bed, thinking that I would get a good night's sleep while having seven dreams. But after two or three hours, I had to get up to urinate. Okay, it's not that big of a deal, so I went back to sleep. After a while, I had to get up again. There's nothing more disturbing or upsetting than having to get up to urinate not just once, but two or three times a night, right? I also wake up feeling very tired in the morning. If you're familiar with this experience, you're not alone. In medicine, we call this condition nocturia . Today, we'll talk about it simply and in a way that you can understand.

What exactly is Nocturia?

Simply put, nocturia is the need to get up to urinate more than once between going to bed and waking up in the morning. A healthy person can usually sleep for 6-8 hours without urinating. Getting up once every now and then is not a big deal. But if you have to get up twice or more , it could be a condition called nocturia.

Here's something else to understand. There are two types of frequent urination: daytime and nighttime. Nocturia is simply the need to urinate during the night . This can disrupt your sleep pattern and leave you feeling tired and sleepy all day.

Why do I have to urinate so often at night? Let's look at the reasons

There are many possible causes for this. Some are very simple, related to our lifestyle. Others may be a symptom of an underlying medical condition.

Reasons and habits of a simple lifestyle

• Drinking lots of fluids before bed: It's common to have to get up to urinate at night if you drink a lot of fluids, especially water, tea, coffee, and fruit drinks, especially two to three hours before bed. Coffee and alcohol are drinks that increase urine production. So drinking these at night can make the problem worse.
• Certain medications: If you take diuretics , commonly known as "water pills," for conditions like high blood pressure, they help your body get rid of extra water and salt in the form of urine. If you take these medications at night, you will definitely have to urinate more often at night.
• Becoming a habit: Sometimes we unknowingly train our bodies to wake up at night. Even if we wake up for another reason (e.g., a noise), we habitually go to the bathroom thinking, "I must have to pee ." Over time, this can become a habit.

Other underlying health problems

Sometimes nocturia can be a red flag for another disease.

• Polyuria: This means that the total amount of urine your body produces per day is much higher than normal.
• Diabetes: Frequent urination is a very common symptom of uncontrolled diabetes.
• High blood pressure: This can also be related to nocturia.
• Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH): As men age, the prostate gland can become enlarged. This can cause the urethra to become narrow and prevent the bladder from emptying completely. This can lead to urinary retention after a while.
• Heart disease: When the heart's function is weakened, fluid (edema) that accumulates in the legs during the day and, when it drains at night, returns to the blood and is filtered by the kidneys and excreted as urine may increase.
• Obstructive Sleep Apnea: This condition, in which breathing stops momentarily during sleep, can cause hormonal changes in the body and increase urine production at night.
• Pregnancy or Menopause: During pregnancy, the enlarged uterus presses on the bladder and hormonal changes can cause frequent urination at night. Hormonal changes after menopause can also cause this.
• Pelvic organ prolapse: In women, organs such as the uterus and bladder may not function properly due to prolapse.

How do you find this, Doctor?

When you go to see a doctor for this problem, he will ask you a few questions. To make it easier to answer them, you can keep something like a little diary for a few days.

By taking this diary with you, your doctor can get a better idea of ​​your condition. In addition, they can also do tests like this to find out the exact cause.

• Urinalysis: Check for a urinary tract infection or other problem.
• Blood tests: Check for things like kidney function and diabetes.
• Imaging tests: Check the condition of organs such as the bladder, kidneys, and prostate.
• Cystoscopy: In this, a tube with a small camera is passed through the urethra to examine the inside of the bladder.

So what solutions can be done for this?

The good news is that nocturia is often a manageable condition. Treatment depends on the cause.

Lifestyle changes you can make first

Many people can find great relief from these simple changes.

• Limit fluid intake at night: Stop drinking water, tea, coffee, and soda 2-4 hours before bed. Drink your daily water intake during the day.
• Change the time you take your 'water pills' (diuretics): If you are taking these medications, talk to your doctor and try taking them in the morning or afternoon, at least 6 hours before bedtime, rather than at night.
• Take a nap during the day: Taking a nap during the day helps the body excrete excess fluid as urine, which can reduce the amount of urine you have at night.
• Keep your legs elevated: When sitting during the day, keep your legs slightly elevated, such as on a chair. This will reduce fluid retention in your legs and help them drain from your body during the day.
• Pelvic floor exercises: These exercises can strengthen the muscles that control urination. Ask your doctor or physical therapist about these.

Medications recommended by the doctor

If lifestyle changes alone don't solve the problem, or if there is an underlying medical condition, your doctor may prescribe medication.

• Anticholinergics: Reduces overactive bladder and reduces the frequency of urination.
• Desmopressin: This works by reducing the amount of urine produced by the kidneys at night.

Important: Never use these medications without consulting a doctor. Only a doctor can determine the right medication and dosage for you.

nocturia sinhala, rata muthra karana eka, rata chu karana eka, nithara muthra yana eka, ninda kadena eka, muthrashaye prashna, purasthi granthiya