Causes Of Nocturnal Polyuria
Causes of nocturnal polyuria include:
- Conditions that cause fluid retention such as
- Heart failure
What Causes Daytime Wetting In Children
Daytime wetting in children is commonly caused by holding urine too long, constipation, or bladder systems that dont work together smoothly. Health problems can sometimes cause daytime wetting, too, such as bladder or kidney infections , structural problems in the urinary tract, or nerve problems.
When children hold their urine too long, it can trigger problems in how the bladder works or make existing problems worse. These bladder problems include:
Get To Know Overactive Bladder
Overactive bladder causes a frequent and sudden urge to urinate that may be difficult to control. The definite causes of overactive bladder remain unknown. Overactive bladder occurs when the muscles of the bladder start to contract involuntarily even though the volume of urine in the bladder is low. These involuntary muscle contractions produce an urgent need to urinate. Symptoms include a frequent urge to urinate and waking up at night to urinate regardless of the amount of water intake. As a result, overactive bladder significantly impairs self-confidence, increases risk of depression and other psychological effects as well as induces sleep disturbance, leading to decreased quality of life. Overactive bladder has been commonly found in women than men, aged 30-40. In fact, the prevalence of overactive bladder collectively increases with age where the highest prevalence is found in people aged over 50. Several conditions may contribute to signs and symptoms of overactive bladder, including neurological disorders such as stroke, diabetes, hormonal changes during menopause in women, abnormalities in the bladder, such as tumors or bladder stones and factors that obstruct bladder outflow. Other possible risk factors may include certain medications, excessive consumption of caffeine and alcohol and declining cognitive function.
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No Matter What You Do Youre Pulled Out Of Your Sleep Every Night At Least Once Often More By An Overactive Bladder Telling You To Get To A Toilet
Now its obvious that to avoid an excessive overnight need to void, one should make sure not to load up on fluids in the few hours before bedtime.
However, this obvious solution is usually followed by sufferers of overactive nighttime bladder.
And for them, it doesnt work. Even if their urinary output is low, this still causes a strong urge to relieve oneself.
Urinating frequently at night is very common, but it goes by a different name other than overactive bladder, says Betsy Greenleaf, DO, a board certified urogynecologist and owner of Greenleaf Health & Wellness, a medical center dedicated to mind-body-spirit wellness.
The medical terminology is nocturia, which means going at night.
Nocturia may be characterized by excessive urine output that causes correlating bladder pressure.
Or, it may seem to be a bladder overacting to small amounts of urine that, during daytime, do not cause the same degree of pressure or any pressure at all.
Reasons For An Overactive Bladder At Night
Have you found yourself waking up in the night to go to the toilet more often than usual? Is this disrupting your routine and causing you concern? Also known as nocturia, this can happen for a few reasons, including:
- Cystitis
- Menopause
- Prostate issues.
While some of these are more common , others could indicate that there is an underlying health issue that should be checked by your doctor.
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Three More Possible Causes Of Nighttime Overactive Bladder
Dr. Greenleaf explains, Low-level infections that linger can cause inflammation in the pelvic organs.
Typically urgency, frequency and nocturia may be the only symptoms.
Sensitivities any chemicals that can irritate delicate pelvic tissue can present as irritative urinary symptoms such as nocturia.
Sensitivities to dyes, perfumes and detergents are widespread.
Dehydration 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
Thirst isnt always a symptom. But check the color of your urine. A dark yellow, yellow-orange or even pure orange indicates dehydration.
Shutterstock/gritsalak karalak
Dehydration concentrates the urine, which is more irritating to the lining of the bladder or urethra, adds Dr. Greenleaf.
Youll need to balance rehydration with making sure not to drink too much water or juice close to bedtime.
This will require experimentation as far as amount and when you drink it relative to going to bed.
Here is a study on nocturia prevalence.
Dr. Greenleafis board certified in obstetrics/gynecology, female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery, and procedural medicine and aesthetics. She is host of Some of Your Parts Podcast and owner of the Pelvic Floor Store. Follow her on Instagram.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained clients of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
Put Your Bladder To Bed
Do you get up several times nightly to use the restroom? If so, you may have a bladder condition common to many women after having children or as they age: nocturia. This strange medical term can be simply defined as sleep disturbing urination, with two or more episodes per night. If you get up four or more times a night, its considered is severe. It affects the quality of sleep and therefore, the quality of life. It also promotes falls in older adults and in those who have problems walking.
Good To Know
Nocturia is one of the many symptoms of an overactive bladder . In women who have overactive bladder, two-thirds nocturia is the worst part of the problem. This condition occurs more frequently with age. While we all continue to make urine at night, but women with OAB make more urine at night. The increased urine volume leads to more urges to use the bathroom, also called nocturnal polyuria. Certain medical conditions can make nocturia more common, including heart failure, swollen legs, and some medications, such as diuretics or water pills.
What To Do
In my work with women who experience overactive bladder, I recommend keeping a voiding diary, noting frequency and volume of urine. This helps to correctly evaluate and diagnose nocturia.
Diet and lifestyle modifications are first steps to getting a good nights rest. Suggested measures may include:
A simple 4-question survey may be helpful to evaluate your personal situation.
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Complications Of Overactive Bladder
Any type of incontinence can affect your overall quality of life. If your overactive bladder symptoms cause a major disruption to your life, you might also have:
- Emotional distress or depression
- Sleep disturbances and interrupted sleep cycles
- Issues with sexuality
Your doctor might recommend treatment of associated conditions, to see if effective treatment of an associated condition will help with your urinary symptoms.
Some women also may have a disorder called mixed incontinence, when both urge and stress incontinence occur. Stress incontinence is the loss of urine when you exert physical stress or pressure on your bladder, such as during activities that include running or jumping. Treatment of the stress incontinence is not likely to help the overactive bladder symptoms.
Older people may have a common combination of bladder storage problems and bladder-emptying issues. The bladder may cause a lot of urgency and even incontinence, but it doesnt empty well. A specialist may be able to help you with this combination of bladder problems.
Causes Of Frequent Urination At Night
Nocturia is the medical term used to describe the need to get up frequently at night to urinate. It is a condition that people commonly attribute to older age, but there are other reasons why it can occur. Some causes are benign and readily resolved with lifestyle changes others may be persistent or signs of a serious illness.
Chronic nocturia can significantly affect a person’s well-being and quality of life, causing sleep deprivation, daytime fatigue, impaired concentration, depression, and a loss of productivity.
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Diagnosis Of Overactive Bladder
To thoroughly diagnose overactive bladders, tests should be conducted by highly expert urologists. Diagnostic tests include medical history, physical exam, which may include a rectal exam and a pelvic exam in women, urine sample to test for infection or other abnormalities and focused neurological exam that may identify sensory problems or abnormal reflexes. Overactive bladder assessments include:
- Frequency and quantity of urination in each day starting from morning time after waking up and before going to sleep at night
- Frequency and quantity of urination during nighttime starting from sleep at time to morning time.
- Number of urination with inability to hold the urine
- Number of urination with a sudden urge to urinate and that is difficult to control
In addition, tests might also involve measuring urine left in the bladder, measuring urine flow rate and testing bladder pressure. Individual patients might need different tests and procedures depending on their medical conditions and personal factors.
How To Prevent It
There are steps you can take to lessen the impact of nocturia on your life.
Reducing the amount you drink 2 to 4 hours before going to bed can help prevent you from needing to urinate at night. Avoiding drinks that contain alcohol and caffeine may also help, as can urinating before you go to bed. Some food items can be bladder irritants, such as chocolate, spicy foods, acidic foods, and artificial sweeteners. Kegel exercises and pelvic floor physical therapy can help strengthen your pelvic muscles and improve bladder control.
Pay close attention to what makes your symptoms worse so you can try to modify your habits accordingly. Some people find it helpful to keep a diary of what they drink and when.
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Symptoms Of An Overactive Bladder
The primary symptom of an overactive bladder is a sudden and uncontrollable urge to urinate. Other symptoms include a frequent desire to urinate and an involuntary passage of urine, also known as urinary incontinence. Urinary incontinence in cases of an overactive bladder is mainly urge incontinence which means the involuntary passage of urine that occurs when a person does not promptly attend to the sudden, strong urge to urinate.
Normal Female Bladder Function
The adult bladder is a hollow organ with a muscular wall. Urine enters the bladder from two ureters which run from the kidney to the bladder. Urine is expelled from the bladder to the exterior via the urethra.
The detrusor muscle of the bladder wall is specifically designed to be able to store urine without increasing bladder pressure. The bladder acts as a reservoir relaxing to receive urine during the filling phase and only contracts to evacuate during the voiding phase.
The urethra acts reciprocally to contract during the filling phase to keep urine in the bladder and relaxing during voiding to allow for micturition. At rest the urethra is closed and the walls coapt against each other to form a seal that acts to keep urine in the bladder. Under situations of increased abdominal pressure contraction of the pelvic floor muscles and muscles around the urethra act to offer increased urethral resistance and maintain continence.
This video explains the pathophysiology of the overactive bladder. Bladder overactivity is a common problem affecting nearly 1 in 7 seven women. The aim of the video is to understand what is happening when the bladder is overactive. When you understand the cause you are more likely to be compliant with the treatments.
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Nocturia Treatment: How Can I Stop Excessive Urination At Night
Bladder leaks at night, or nocturia, can leave you with some wet clothes and sheets to grapple with in the morning.
If you have a sensitive bladder that spasms involuntarily, you may not wake up in time to use the facilities. Nighttime incontinence of this sort is best treated through lifestyle adjustments.
Use these tips and remedies to treat nocturia and frequent urination at night.
Nocturia Causes: Why Do I Pee So Much At Night
So, what causes you to go to the bathroom at night to urinate so frequently? There are a variety of medical conditions that can cause nocturia, which can include a urinary tract infection , a form of overflow incontinence, pregnancy, aging in older adults, diuretic fluid intake or drinking too close to bedtime.More plainly, frequently urinating at night can also be a symptom of having an overactive bladder.
An overactive bladder is another common cause of nocturia, which is the result of bladder muscles that spasm and contract involuntarily, even when your bladder isnât full. This can send you running to the bathroom â or, as can be the case with nighttime incontinence, wetting the bed. An overactive bladder is often the result of nerve damage caused by previous pelvic surgery, or a neurological disease such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinsonâs. In some cases, a particularly difficult birthing process can cause damage to the surrounding muscles, tissues and nerves surrounding the bladder, leaving you with a sensitive bladder.
Our bodies produce less urine while weâre sleeping. However, this means that the urine we do produce is more concentrated and acidic, which can aggravate a sensitive bladder, causing it to spasm and wake you up at night having to pee.
Other times, nocturia is a result of too much urine production. This is usually due to an underlying medical problem that should be ruled out with your doctor, such as:
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Complementary Alternative And Integrative Therapies And Practices
There may be steps you can take on your own to improve your bladder control, either with or without medical therapies.
Keeping a bladder diary tracking your urination as well as food and beverage intake, and other activities can help you figure out what foods or behaviors might contribute to OAB.
Changing your urination behaviors may help train your brain to send signals to urinate in a more regular way. Techniques that may be helpful include:
- Double voiding
- Delayed voiding
- Timed urination
Its a good idea to talk with your doctor about these techniques before trying any of them.
You may also benefit from exercises that use your pelvic floor muscles, including the following:
- Kegels This exercise involves squeezing your pelvic muscles tight for a few seconds, then relaxing and repeating this for a set number of repetitions.
- Quick Flicks When you have the urge to urinate, you may be able to help control it by quickly squeezing and relaxing your pelvic muscles over and over.
Why You May Have Bladder Leaks At Night
Often times, bladder leakage at night is a form of overflow incontinence. If you experience overflow incontinence, the involuntary release of urine from an overly full bladder, you likely experience urine leaks â a lot! Even at night. You naturally have to use the bathroom less while youâre sleeping than when youâre awake. This is because your body produces a hormone called ADH â anti diuretic hormone â that signals to your kidneys to produce less urine. However, some people donât produce the appropriate amount of ADH at night, leading to too much urine production.
Alternatively, even if your body produces enough ADH, your kidneys may not respond to the hormone. This means that your body will still produce too much urine, leading to maximum bladder capacity and leakage at night.
Often times, bedwetting in adults is genetic. If one of your parents wets the bed, you have a 40 percent chance of wetting the bed at some point in your adult life as well.
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How Common Is The Problem
Approximately 600,000 New Zealanders have bladder control problems and experience leakage of urine. Overactive bladder is one of the causes of these symptoms and it can affect both men and women. In two large studies it was found that about 1 in 6 adults reported some symptoms of an overactive bladder. Symptoms vary in their severity. About 1 in 3 people with an overactive bladder have episodes of urge incontinence.
Incontinence in particular can be embarrassing for the person and many people do not seek the help that is available, thinking that nothing can be done for them. However, most men and women with overactive bladder can be helped, so it is important to talk about any bladder problems with your doctor.
How Is Nocturia Classified
Nocturia is classified into 3 types that may overlap:
- Global polyuria
- Defined as production of urine volume more than 40 ml/kg per 24 hours
The bladder diary is crucial in helping define the type and cause of nocturia. The bladder diary determines:
- Total 24 hour urine output
- Nocturnal urine volume
- Proportion of total urine output that occurs at night
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What Do We Mean By Small Bladder
Firstly, lets clear up the confusion between having a small bladder and an overactive bladder. Anatomically, its highly unlikely anyone has a small bladder. Our internal organs dont tend to differ from one person to the next.
However, it is possible to have a functionally small bladder, which means your bladder, for any number of reasons, cant hold a lot of urine. Bladder muscles and/or the bladder sphincter muscles become overactive and as a result there is a constant need to void.
Thats why when some people say they have a small bladder, what theyre really suggesting is they have an overactive bladder.