When I was young, I could sleep until dawn, but I don’t know when I started to have to wake up several times at night, making it difficult to sleep well all night. Some people say that nocturia is a sign of aging and is normal.Some people think that the absence of nocturia is normal, and the presence of nocturia is a sign of kidney failure...So is it normal to have nocturia or not to have nocturia? Let’s talk about it today~
With nocturia vs without nocturia
Nocturia, as the name suggests nocturnal urination, refers to the phenomenon of getting up to urinate during sleep at night.
The absence of nocturia may mean that the kidneys are better at filtering, producing less urine, or drinking less water at night.
Nocturia means drinking more water at night or the kidneys have a weak ability to absorb water.
The normal frequency of nocturia and the absence of nocturia represent health to a certain extent. The key is to find living habits and water intake that suit you to keep the frequency of nocturia within the normal range.
However, if the number of nocturia is too frequent, it may indicate a health problem, and it is recommended to go to the hospital for examination if necessary. Some common reasons for frequent nocturia include: drinking too much water before going to bed, frequent urination, enuresis, diabetes, diabetes insipidus, prostatic hyperplasia, reduced bladder capacity, abnormal bladder muscle contraction function, side effects of diuretic drugs, additional negative emotions or psychological stress, etc.
Therefore, frequent nocturia is not an independent disease, but may be a symptom caused by a variety of factors. For normal people, frequent nocturia will not only affect sleep, but also affect quality of life. For the elderly, getting up frequently at night can easily lead to falls, fractures and even cardiovascular disease.
How many times at night is it normal to urinate?
As for the normal range of nocturia, it varies depending on individual differences, but generally speaking, it is normal for adults to have no more than 2 nocturias per night.If the frequency of nocturia exceeds 2 times, it will generally affect the quality of sleep. If this situation occurs for a long time, it may indicate a health problem.
In 2002, the International Continence Association defined nocturia as a patient waking up to urinate ≥ once at night due to the urge to urinate. my country's expert consensus recommends urinating ≥ twice a night as the criterion for judging nocturia.
Generally speaking, it is normal for young people to urinate 0 to 1 times at night, but for the elderly, 0 to 2 times is also within the normal range.
The prevalence of nocturia increases with age. Domestic research results show that 57.5% of people over 18 years old urinate ≥ once at night, and 24.7% urinate ≥ 2 times at night. Old age, high BMI, smoking, hypertension and diabetes are high-risk factors for nocturia.
Excessive nocturia, especially short sleep time between falling asleep and before urinating for the first time, has a significant impact on quality of life. Different degrees of nocturia have different impacts on patients' quality of life and health.
Of course, the frequency of nocturia may also be affected by factors such as the amount of water consumed and living habits. Therefore, when judging whether it is normal, one must comprehensively consider the individual's actual situation. For the treatment of nocturia, it is first necessary to clarify the cause, record a urination diary (what time do you urinate every day, and how many milliliters is approximately), go to the hospital in time when necessary, and adopt different treatment methods for different causes.
If you are worried about the abnormal frequency of nocturia, you can try to adjust your living habits, such as reducing the amount of water you drink at night, avoiding irritating drinks, etc., to reduce the frequency of nocturia.
What are the dangers of getting up frequently at night?
Excessive nocturia, in common parlance, means frequent waking up at night, which may have a certain impact on the body and daily life, especially on the elderly. Here are some of the dangers of waking up frequently at night:
① Affects sleep quality: Frequent waking up at night will lead to sleep interruption, seriously affecting sleep quality, thereby affecting the mental state and work efficiency the next day.
②Increase the risk of cardiovascular disease: Frequent waking up at night can easily lead to orthostatic hypotension in the elderly, leading to the risk of cardiovascular accidents. Some may accidentally fall and cause multiple fractures.
③ Increased burden on the kidneys: Frequent waking up at night may mean increased burden on the kidneys, which may lead to impaired kidney function in the long run.
④ Urinary tract infection: Frequent getting up at night to go to the toilet and keeping the urinary tract open for a long time can easily lead to urinary tract infection.
⑤Osteoporosis: Getting up many times at night will affect the absorption of calcium, which may lead to osteoporosis in the long term and easily lead to fractures.
⑥ Decreased quality of life: Frequent waking up at night will affect daily life, such as social activities, travel, etc., bringing a lot of inconvenience to life.
⑦Mood swings: Frequent waking up at night may cause obvious mood swings, such as anxiety, depression, irritability, etc.
⑧Hormonal disorders: Excessive urine discharge at night may affect hormonal balance and lead to endocrine disorders.
For men, getting up frequently at night is often a sign of prostate disease.
To alleviate the problem of frequent waking up at night, you must first go to a regular hospital to check whether there are diseases such as prostatic hyperplasia and chronic prostatitis. Do a B-ultrasound of the urinary system and a routine urine test to rule out the possibility of urinary tract infection, and also check whether there is an enlarged prostate.
How to relieve frequent night wakings?
Frequent waking up at night affects the quality of sleep and life, seriously hampering our daily work and life the next day, which is quite distressing.
The following tips can help you alleviate the problem of frequent waking up at night:
①Adjust drinking habits: Avoid drinking too much water, tea, coffee, juice and other beverages at night, especially before going to bed. Reducing the amount of water you drink can help reduce the amount of urine you produce at night.
②Quit drinking: Alcohol and beverages will increase urine production. Controlling the amount of alcohol consumed will help relieve frequent waking up at night.
③Regular work and rest time: Maintain a regular work and rest time to ensure adequate sleep. Developing good work and rest habits can help regulate body functions and reduce the number of times you wake up at night.
④Healthy diet: Maintain a balanced diet, eat more fruits and vegetables, and eat less foods high in salt and sugar. High-salt foods can cause edema, which can affect urinary discharge.
⑤Exercise: Proper exercise can help enhance kidney function and reduce the frequency of nocturia. For example, light exercise such as walking and Tai Chi can help improve kidney function.
⑥Control emotions: Maintain a good attitude and avoid negative emotions such as anxiety and depression. Mood swings and insomnia may lead to increased urine output at night, which in turn affects the number of times you wake up at night.
In short, nocturia seems to be just a minor problem, but in fact it can cause many kinds of damage to the human body's genitourinary system, cardiovascular system, etc.
Therefore, if you have the problem of frequent nocturia for a long time, it is recommended to seek help from a urologist and carry out corresponding symptomatic treatment according to the doctor's advice.