The body naturally produces less urine during the sleep cycle. This allows most people to sleep uninterrupted for six to eight hours. When this changes due to lifestyle factors or health issues, sleep is often disrupted with excessive nighttime urination known as nocturia.

Nocturia can develop when the:

• Body makes too much urine in 24 hours (polyuria)
• Body makes too much urine at night (nocturnal polyuria)
• Bladder doesn’t properly store or release urine

Sometimes nocturia can be cleared up by making a few simple lifestyle changes. Drinking less fluids before bed—especially alcohol and caffeine—can relieve symptoms. Taking medications earlier in the day (diuretics, cardiac glycosides, demeclocycline, lithium, methoxyflurane, phenytoin, propoxyphene and vitamin D) can also reduce the need to go.

Nocturia can be triggered by a long list of health issues, including:

• Anxiety
• Bladder prolapse
• Diabetes
• Kidney and prostate infections
• Enlarged prostate
• Overactive bladder
• Edema or swelling of the lower legs
• Sleep apnea
• Neurological disorders

Medications to reduce the symptoms of overactive bladder or help the kidneys produce less urine at night may be prescribed.