While you sleep, your body produces a hormone that changes the amount of urine that is produced. That allows the average person to sleep for 6 to 8 hours without needing to get up to urinate. If you are unable to sleep, this does not happen and your kidneys will keep on producing urine at their normal rate and you will need to make a trip to the bathroom.
As we age, it is common to urinate 1-2 times per night. If you have more than 2 trips to the bathroom per night, have a talk with your doctor or consult a pelvic floor specialist.
Causes of night time urination include:
- Age (1-2x per night is common after 50+)
- Drinking fluids late at night or drinking alcohol or coffee closer to bed
- Bladder or Kidney infections
- Sleep apnea
- Congestive heart failure
- Prostate enlargement
- Postpartum or pregnancy
- Overactive bladder
- Diabetes
- Neurological disorders such as MS or Parkinson’s
- Edema in your legs
Check out our bladder diary if you would like to track your urinary habits. This is useful when speaking to your doctor or pelvic health provider.
