Up at night to pee: is it your kidneys? Common causes of nocturia

Woken by the urge to pee, then lying awake before you fall back asleep, two or three times a night, and drained the next day: that is nocturia, or night-time urination. Getting up once a night is common with age. If it is two or more times and it affects your sleep, it is worth finding out why.

Does it mean your kidneys are weak?

Not necessarily. Many people worry straight away about their kidneys, but most night-time urination is linked to habits, age, the bladder and sleep. Real kidney problems usually come with other signs, such as very foamy urine, swollen legs or abnormal blood and urine tests. If you are worried, a simple urine and blood test can check your kidney function.

Common causes

• Drinking late: soupy dinners and tea, coffee or alcohol before bed all mean more urine at night.
• Age: the body makes less of the hormone that slows urine at night, and the bladder holds less.
• Enlarged prostate in men: a weak stream and feeling of not emptying fully mean more trips.
• Overactive bladder: the bladder signals even when it is not full.
• High blood sugar: diabetes causes thirst and frequent urination.
• Swollen legs or heart problems: fluid that pools in the legs during the day returns when you lie down.
• Poor sleep or sleep apnoea: light sleepers wake easily and then need the toilet.
• Medicines such as diuretics taken late in the day.

Habits to try first

1. Drink less in the 2–3 hours before bed, and drink more earlier in the day instead.
2. Cut back on coffee, strong tea and alcohol from the afternoon on.
3. Have less soup and less salt at dinner.
4. Always pee before bed, then wait a moment and try again (double voiding).
5. If your legs swell, raise them for 30 minutes in the early evening.
6. If you take a diuretic, ask your doctor whether you can take it in the morning.

When to see a doctor

See a doctor promptly if there is blood in your urine, pain or burning, fever, a very weak stream or you cannot pass urine, sudden thirst with weight loss, badly swollen legs or breathlessness, or loud snoring with pauses in breathing.

Better sleep helps too

Deep sleepers are less likely to be woken by the urge to go. D'Nitez+ combines 6 sleep-supporting ingredients such as L-theanine, chamomile and valerian root with saw palmetto and NAC, to help you relax into sleep, ease night-time and frequent urination and support liver and kidney health. It is a natural health supplement, not a sleeping pill, and does not replace a doctor’s check-up or treatment.