Ever had to wake up in the middle of the night to pee and trying hard to 'keep' your sleepiness so you don't end up staying awake the rest of the night?

Most of us would have experienced this and it's usually not that big a deal.

Unless, of course, this this happens twice or more in a night, and often.


There's even a name for this condition - 'nocturia'. Not only does this condition distrupt sleep pattern, it could also be a sign of other medical issues such as hypertension, diabetes, or kidney disease.

According to a research done by Dr Yow Hui Yin and his team for Ferring Pharmaceuticals, about 57 per cent of 4,616 surveyed said that they wake up to go to the toilet at least once every night, with the issue more prevalent among older people.

More than half of the people surveyed did not think that 'nocturia' is a medical condition, including those suffering from it.

Get yourself checked

Don't let this be you every night
Not everyone who wakes up to pee when sleeping have a medical condition, though. Sometimes, you might have the habit of drinking a lot of water close to bedtime or consume caffeine or alcohol right before you hop onto the bed.

However, it is good to consult with your doctors to make sure that all is well.

According to the research published here, the need to frequently pee at night affects your sleep.

This can cause cognitive and memory impairment, mood disturbance and depression, reduced quality of life, risk of falling, traffic accidents and occupational hazards, lowered immunity, risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes and more.

Good news: it's curable


The good news is, 'nocturia' can usually be treated with lifestyle changes.

Some of the changes you can make are cutting down on food and drinks (especially caffeinated and alcoholic beverages) at least two hours before going to bed, taking a leak before sleeping, exercise more, take dueretics (if perscribed) during the daytime and more.

Check with your doctors to find out what the 'more' at the end of the previous sentence means as it could differ from person to person.