Waking up in the night to pee? If your bladder is disturbing your sleep try these five tips that actually work
If you’re finding your sleep broken by having to get up in the night to pee, then you may well have the condition Nocturia.
Don’t worry - you’re not alone. Research* shows that about 42 per cent of women and 59 per cent of men over 60, wake up once or twice in the night, needing to pee.
Causes
Nocturia can be caused by various issues throughout our lives. As we age we produce less of the antidiuretic hormone which controls how much fluid is produced by our kidneys. If the levels of this hormone drop, your kidneys can produce more urine, even while you’re sleeping.
It can also be a symptom of other health conditions including having an overactive bladder, an enlarged prostate, urinary tract infections, diabetes or incontinence being among the most common.
But it can also be caused, and aggravated, by our lifestyle – especially how much we drink and when and what we eat.
Taking bladder control supplements could be part of the fix to help you get an uninterrupted night’s sleep. We asked bladder care brand Jude to tell us more, and to share their top tips for a healthy bladder – which should give us all a good night’s sleep!
Five tips that really work
Watch what you drink and when: It may seem obvious but the volume of what you drink will affect how much you need to go to the loo – what goes in, must come out! But it’s not the whole story. Reducing our intake of fluid a few hours before bed can really help – cutting down on the drinks four to six hours before you go to sleep should make it less likely you’ll need to get up in the night to pee. But what you drink is equally as important. Alcohol and caffeine are both diuretics – they make your kidneys produce urine – so that evening glass of wine or beer, last cup of coffee, tea or even a bedtime hot chocolate could be costing you your sleep. Just remember to stay hydrated during the day – ideally with good old plain water.
Empty your bladder properly: We all know how to pee right? Wrong! Urinating in the ‘correct’ position helps ensure your bladder is fully emptied. This is what you need to do: Sit on the toilet with your feet flat on the floor. Now lean forward with elbows on to knees as you pee and when you’re done squeeze your pelvic floor muscles – and this applies to both men and women. Men who are having problems having to get up to wee are advised to wee sitting down – and yes, you men have a pelvic floor too!
Also, pee when you need to – having ‘just in case’ trips to the loo, is confusing for our bladders (they then don’t know when we need to pee so can send the wrong message to our brains) and not peeing when we need to and ‘holding it in’ can lead to urinary tract infections.
Keep a food diary: Some of the things in our daily diet could be irritating for our bladders without us realising. We’ve already considered alcohol and caffeine and the impact they can have – you could try swapping them for caffeine-free coffee and peppermint or fruit teas instead. But fizzy drinks could be adding to the problem – especially the sugar-free ones. There is some evidence** to suggest artificial sweeteners can irritate your bladder – sugar-free ones are packed with them so, whilst they may be low on calories they’re not good for your urine production. Spicy food, citrus fruits and tomatoes are also believed by some health experts*** to act as irritants, particularly for people with sensitive bladders. It’s worth keeping a food diary to see if you can identify any patterns.
Take a supplement: Some foods are bladder irritants but others can build a good bladder. Jude’s supplements contain two bladder-strengthening ingredients – soy isoflavones and pumpkin seeds – which are both clinically proven to provide natural, effective bladder control, strengthen your pelvic floor and calm the bladder at night. They’re made from natural ingredients and so are gentle on the body. In a trial carried out by Jude, nine out of 10 said their quality of life improved after taking Jude’s Bladder Strength supplements for six weeks and 70 per cent reported fewer night-time trips to the loo.
Raise your legs: We sometimes retain fluid on our bodies – especially in our legs. Raising your ankles and calves helps reduce swelling in the legs and sends fluid back into the bloodstream. Stopping this build-up of fluid can help reduce the need to pee in the night. You could try wearing elastic compression socks – these help by placing pressure on the legs and preventing the fluid from building up.
The Scotsman readers can enjoy an exclusive 20% off Jude’s supplements on their first order using code SCOTSMAN. This offer is a single-use discount for new Jude customers only.
To find out more about their supplements visit Jude’s website here
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