This Common Nighttime Habit Could Be a Sign of a Major Health Problem - VICE

Getting up to pee in the middle of the night is one of the minor bits of hell we all experience on Earth. It also raises the question of whether it signals a more serious health issue.

According to research from urologist Ali Dabaja of Henry Ford Health, waking up once to pee is fine; waking up twice is where things get concerning. The International Continence Society defines waking up two or more times to pee as “nocturia,” a word that sounds like it describes something much more mystical than it is.

Since waking up in the night to pee is extremely common, doctors usually only find it concerning if someone is regularly waking up two or more times a night, especially when those interruptions are wrecking their sleep. This becomes more common with age.

Half of people over 60 experience nocturia, with around a quarter of adults 65 and older waking up at least twice a night.

The cause isn’t a mystery. Over time, your body’s natural aging process changes the production of antidiuretic hormone, causing your kidneys to produce more urine after dark. There are other factors at play, like diabetes, sleep disorders, fluid retention, and of course, an enlarged prostate.

For older folks, the problem isn’t just waking up constantly, but struggling to move a frail body from bed to the bathroom in the dead of night. The NCBI review says that more than a quarter of falls among older adults happen overnight, with people making two or more nightly trips to the bathroom facing more than double the risk of fractures and fall -related injuries.

The best things you can do to mitigate the problem are to cut down on how much you drink at night and generally cut back on caffeine and alcohol. Elevating your legs before bed and wearing compression socks can also help reduce nighttime fluid buildup.