🧬 Why Do I Get Up to Go to the Bathroom at Night?
What many call “something normal with age” actually has a name: nocturia. It is a symptom that occurs when a person wakes up one or more times during the night to urinate. It not only disrupts sleep but also affects physical and emotional health. 😵💫
The main causes include:
🔸 Age-related hormonal changes
🔸 Excessive fluid intake at night
🔸 Prostate problems (in men)
🔸 Overactive bladder
🔸 Congestive heart failure
🔸 High-sodium diet or natural diuretics
🔸 Use of medications such as diuretics or sedatives
But there’s something that few consider and that’s easy to control: how you drink water. 💡
💧 Drinking Water Strategically: The Urologist’s Method
One of the biggest mistakes older adults make is drinking too little water during the day and trying to make up for it in the afternoon or evening. The result? A full bladder just when you most need to rest. 😓
Urologists recommend following this smart hydration routine:
🕕 From the moment you wake up until 4:00 p.m.
✔️ Drink between 70% and 80% of your daily water intake
✔️ Divide it into small glasses every hour
✔️ Don’t wait until you’re thirsty; that’s a sign of dehydration
🕘 From 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
✔️ Gradually reduce the amount
✔️ If you exercise, hydrate beforehand (never after 7:00 p.m.)
✔️ Avoid drinking water while watching TV or eating dinner
🕙 After 6:00 p.m.
🚫 Avoid drinking unnecessary fluids
🚫 Don’t drink soups, tea, or diuretic drinks
🚫 If you need to take medication, do so in minimal sips.
This simple technique helps reduce pressure on the bladder and reduces or eliminates the need to go to the bathroom in the early morning. 😴✅
🦵 The Elevated Legs Trick
This is a clinical trick that very few people know about. During the day, your body accumulates fluids in your legs due to gravity. When you lie down, those fluids return to your circulatory system… and your kidneys transform them into urine, triggering bathroom visits. 😑
💡 Solution: Elevate your legs for 30 minutes in the late afternoon.
🔼 You can lie on a couch and prop your legs up on two pillows.
🔼 Or sit with your legs leaning against a wall, slightly tilted.
🔼 Do this every day at 5:30 p.m. or before dinner.
This habit reduces fluid buildup at night, improves circulation, and also prevents ankle swelling. ✅
🍵 Foods and Drinks That Increase Urine Production (Avoid Them in the Afternoon!)
Your diet also plays an essential role in nighttime urine production. There are foods that, while healthy, act as natural diuretics.
❌ Avoid after 5:00 p.m.:
🥒 Cucumber
🍉 Watermelon
🥬 Celery
🍵 Green, black, or white tea
☕ Coffee
🍺 Beer or wine
🍜 Broths or soups with high fluid content
🍊 Orange, grapefruit, or cranberry juice
Even foods high in sodium (salt) can upset your body’s fluid balance. Opt for light, dry dinners like grilled chicken and salads with little or no water and little salt. 🥗🍗
🔄 How to Know If You’re Doing It Right: Signs of Success
🔸 You wake up at most once a night
🔸 You feel rested when you wake up
🔸 You’re not thirsty when you go to bed
🔸 Your legs are no longer as swollen
🔸 There’s no extreme urge to urinate in the middle of the night
📆 Give your body a full week to adjust to this new hydration routine. The results will start to show in the first 4 or 5 days. ✨
🧑⚕️ When Should You See a Urologist?
If, despite following all these tips, you still have trouble sleeping due to the need to urinate, it’s advisable to see a specialist. This could be due to:
🔹 Prostate problems
🔹 Urinary tract infections
🔹 Uncontrolled diabetes
🔹 Overactive or neurogenic bladder
🔹 Kidney or heart problems
The urologist may perform tests such as ultrasounds, urinalysis, or kidney function tests. Never ignore persistent nocturia, as it can be an early symptom of other, more complex conditions. 🚨
