Do you ever wake up several times a night, as if your bladder has set off a nighttime alarm? This phenomenon, as common as it is irritating, may seem harmless… and yet, it sometimes hides signals that our body is trying to send us discreetly. Nocturia – the scientific name for this phenomenon – affects a large number of adults, especially those over forty. This frequent need to urinate during the night disrupts sleep, causes fatigue upon waking, and can even affect mood. So, why does our body wake us up so often?
Several reasons can explain these nighttime trips to the toilet, some benign, others requiring closer monitoring.
Delayed… or excessive hydration
The easiest thing to check is whether you drank plenty of water (or herbal tea!) before bed. Drinking a lot of fluids in the evening, especially if it includes diuretic beverages like tea or non-alcoholic beer, can put extra strain on your bladder during the night. In this case, adjusting the time of your last drink can make all the difference.
Tip: Try stopping all drinking two hours before bedtime to test the effect.
