Frequent Urination at Night

After a hard day's work, there's nothing like a good night's sleep. However, if that precious sleep of yours is getting disturbed because you have to get up and go to the bathroom every now and then, then it might be a cause of distress. Frequent urination or nocturia, thus may not exactly be a serious sign or symptom, but it may be a vital pointer towards an underlying disease or disorder.

There are many causes of nocturia. They have been enlisted below along with their treatments:

Diabetes Mellitus: Diabetes mellitus is by far one of the most common causes of frequent urination. It is characterized by the classic triad of excessive thirst (polydipsia), excessive hunger (polyphagia), and excessive urination (polyuria). Thus, one of the symptoms of diabetes is the need to urinate frequently at night.

This is especially seen in uncontrolled diabetics, diabetic ketoacidosis, and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar non-ketotic syndrome.

Treatment: Diabetes is a serious condition, which needs to be dealt with. Diabetics need to bring down their sugar levels before they reach alarmingly high. With the help of proper diabetes treatment, not only will the symptom of excessive urination be done away with, but the possibility of further complications of diabetes mellitus will also reduce considerably.

Diabetes Insipidus: Diabetes insipidus is a condition, wherein the level of ADH, that is, anti-diuretic hormone is very low, thus leading to frequent urination during the day as well. Due to the absence of this hormone, the kidneys do not absorb back the water that passes during the phase of filtration in urine production.

As a result, the urine is very dilute and pale in color. Diabetes insipidus is not a very common cause of excessive urination alone. However, if this condition occurs, nocturia may be one of the few exhibited symptoms.

Treatment: There is currently no hormone-replacement therapy available for diabetes insipidus. However, certain medications like diuretic hydrochlorothiazide or indomethacin can help improve this condition. It is also very important that the person drinks adequate water, as diabetes insipidus patients tend to get dehydrated very easily.

Prostate Disorders: Prostate disorders are a leading cause of nocturia in men. This is because prostate disorders often manifest themselves as slight pain near the groin region, accompanied by the need to frequently urinate. Prostate disorders include an enlarged prostate, benign prostate hypertrophy, and prostate cancer, among other conditions.

Treatment: The treatment of prostate disorders is a long and complicated procedure. Adequate tests need to be done to confirm the exact condition that is affecting the prostate, that is, whether it's a benign age-related hypertrophy or whether its prostate cancer. Thus, depending on the condition present, the treatment will vary.

Pregnancy: It is often observed that pregnant women experience excessive urination. In fact, it is one of the early pregnancy symptoms before missed period. Pregnant women need to urinate frequently because the amount of blood in the body dramatically increases in her body.

This leads to a lot of extra fluid being processed through the kidneys, which is eventually excreted. Also, when a pregnant woman lies down, some of the fluid that is retained in the legs and feet during the day, makes its way back into the bloodstream.

This fluid finally ends up in the bladder, from where it is excreted, thus making it a cause for nocturia in women.

Treatment: Rarely is the excessive urination in pregnancy so discomforting that there is a need to seek treatment for it. This is a symptom that will persist throughout the pregnancy. Thus, women need to ensure that they remain adequately hydrated so that they do not get affected by dehydration.

There are also other uncommon causes like congestive-heart failure, bladder disorders, sphincter disorders, urinary-tract infections, hormonal-imbalance syndromes, etc. The person should try to find out why he or she is experiencing the urge to urinate frequently during the night only.

This is because more often than not, it is a sign of an underlying serious condition.

Disclaimer: This story is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.