Nocturia is characterized as a need to wake up during the night in order to urinate. Although it is not abnormal to get up once to go to the bathroom in the night, more than that can be indicative of something more serious occurring.
Unfortunately, treatment options for nocturia are fairly limited. If you’ve noticed nocturia, it’s important to discuss this with your doctor—to get underlying conditions diagnosed, to find alternative methods of medication, or to find out about treatment options specific to your body.
Treating Underlying Causes
Often, the conditions that cause nocturia also cause an imbalance of fluids in the body. Although there are several disorders that can result in nocturia, unmanaged diabetes mellitus is a prime example of such a condition.
When the blood holds too much glucose, the body tries to get rid of it through the urine. In turn, the extra sugar makes the body produce more urine than normal. This excessive production of urine then causes the need to wake up multiple times in the night to urinate.
Appropriate treatment for diabetes can minimize the excess glucose in the blood, which hopefully stops the nocturia.
Treating Fluid Imbalance
Other diseases that cause excessive urine output, such as heart or renal failure, may not be as easy to treat. However, managing symptoms, such as the increased blood and fluid movement that can occur while lying down, and attempting to balance out the body’s fluids may help minimize the disruption nocturia can cause.
Even edema, when the legs become swollen, can contribute to nocturia because of the fluid imbalance. Elevating the legs may assist in this aspect; compression stockings can also help keep fluid from building up.
Treating Excessive Fluid Output
In addition to managing conditions that can change the amount of urine the body produces, nocturia can also be caused by excessive fluid intake.
Treatment for nocturia caused by fluid intake can be fairly simple, though. Time fluid intake carefully. Avoid alcohol or caffeinated beverages, particularly in the evening, and limit the intake of other fluids in the hours leading up to bedtime as well.
Treating Medication Side Effects
If certain medications are causing nocturia, talk to your doctor about alternatives. Sometimes, the side effect of nocturia may be preferable to not using the medication, though. If this is the case, an afternoon nap may help make up for some of the uninterrupted sleep that isn’t being achieved; this may be true for some underlying conditions as well. The nap also helps the body absorb extra fluid into the bloodstream. Waking up will also prompt urination, helping empty out the bladder in preparation for the evening.
Diuretics specifically can pose a problem regarding nocturia; their purpose is to encourage the body to dispose of extra fluid through urination. Plan to take diuretics earlier in the day, rather than right before bed; at least six hours before sleep is recommended.
