Nocturia is one of the most unsettling health concerns experienced by men and women as they get older. Nocturia means waking in the night to go to the toilet. As you get older, the wellness and wellbeing of your bladder deteriorates, and your body becomes less able to hold fluids for a long period of time. This is due to a decline in antidiuretic hormones within the human body. Even drinking the same amount as you did before, you may find that you are waking more often to go to the loo.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, around 65 percent of older people suffer from sleep deprivation as a result of having to wake up frequently in the night to go to the bathroom. Ironically, aging also makes it more difficult to fall asleep, so waking up in the night is doubly problematic. The best solution to the problem is, therefore, to attempt to not wake up in the night at all.
The best way to help achieve this is to not drink any liquids for around three hours before you go to bed. You should also cut down on tea and coffee, both of which irritate the bladder and make you feel like you need to go to the toilet more often. Bear in mind that some foods contain a high liquid content, too, such as fruits and soups, so it is best to avoid these in the evenings. You should also consider not eating for three hours before bed, as this can lead to digestive problems such as heartburn and reflux.
You can also get a prescription of anti-diuretic from your doctor, which may help cut down on night time urination. It is worth bearing in mind, though, that there are other problems which may be causing night time urination. In men, this may be a sign of inflammation of the prostate or a tumour in the prostate, so it is worth going in for a prostate exam if you are suffering from this. Going to the toilet frequently can also signal a urinary issue in women, such as an infection.
