Reasons for Frequent Urination at Night

Frequent urination at night, or nocturnia, has a number of cited causes. Nocturnia is usually a symptom of another underlying health condition, and it's a condition that can interfere with one's quality of sleep and have a negative effect on a person's mood during the day. Nocturnia is defined as the need to urinate two or more times during sleep periods, but is not a condition associated with bed wetting.

Urological Infection

• A urinary tract infection (UTI) can be one of the causes of nocturnia. When you have a urinary tract infection, your kidneys, bladder, urethra and/or your ureters can be negatively affected. A UTI is associated with the pressing need to urinate, and when you finally do urinate, you will pass urine in small amounts and passing the urine can prove painful. Treatment with an antibiotic will be required to alleviate the condition and to eliminate issues with nocturnia.

Overactive Bladder and Incontinence

• An overactive bladder will cause you to rise at night to urinate. The amount of urine you pass may be small or excessive depending upon how much liquid you have consumed and the actual cause of your incontinence. Your bladder could develop muscular issues that cause it to contract with more frequency, and there may also be underlying conditions such as a tumor in your bladder, Parkinson's disease, a stroke or multiple sclerosis that can cause your bladder to become overactive. To remedy the situation, try to change the amount of fluids you consume. You may have to retrain your bladder muscles, and do some pelvic exercises to help alleviate nocturnia conditions. Prescription medications may help diminish the contractions of the bladder to reduce urination frequency.

Tumors in the Bladder or Prostate

• Bladder cancer can cause painful and frequent urination. When prostate cancer occurs, it can cause the prostate to push against your bladder: This is also responsible for the need to frequently urinate at night. The growth of the prostate can also put pressure on the urethra, which makes it difficult to urinate. Since prostate cancer makes it harder to urinate, you might have a need to urinate with more frequency. Successful treatment of nocturnia caused by bladder cancer or prostate cancer can occur when the cancerous growths are eliminated via surgery and other treatment measures.

Bladder Prolapse

• Bladder prolapse, also identified as cystocele, is a condition that occurs in women after excessive strain during childbirth, bowel movements or lifting heavy objects. This condition occurs when the wall between the vagina and the bladder is weakened, stretched and, in turn, allows for the bladder to bulge into the woman's vagina. Nocturnia occurs with this condition because the woman feels a pressure in the pelvic region, fullness in the abdomen that is constant, and the feeling that after urination there is still more urine to pass. Once the condition is treated via non-invasive and/or invasive measures, the nocturnia will subside.

Pregnancy

• Frequent urination can prove bothersome throughout the majority of your pregnancy. Your body increases the amounts of blood being produced in the body; thus, more fluids are being filtered by your kidneys, which are, in turn, sent to your bladder. Pressure on your bladder occurs as the fetus continues to grow inside your uterus, too. After childbirth, the nocturnia will typically subside.

Diabetes

• Diabetes is a condition where you have excessive glucose levels in your bloodstream. The need to urinate with frequency may be attributed to excessive thirst and increased consumption of fluids when diabetes develops. Possible complications may arise where your body begins producing more ketones, which can have a harmful effect on the kidneys. Regulating glucose levels via medications and altering your diet may help alleviate nocturnia issues.