Nocturia Symptoms

Nocturia, or excessive nighttime urination, is usually a symptom of another medical condition. Normally, you urinate three to four times per day and can sleep through the night without being woken with an urge to urinate. If you are suffering from nocturia, you generally awaken at least once (frequently more often) during the night to empty your bladder, and will often urinate a substantial volume (around 700 mL).

Symptoms

• Symptoms of nocturia include excessive nighttime urination and the urge to urinate in the night. This could be caused by a disruption of your normal urine concentrations, or as a result of the muscles and nerves that control urinating being over-stimulated. For your doctor to make a definitive diagnosis, he will need to carefully examine both your symptoms and your medical history. Nocturia can be caused by certain metabolic, endocrine and cardiovascular disorders. Excessive nighttime urination can also be a result of certain medications that have a diuretic effect or from drinking large amounts of liquid at night (especially beverages with caffeine or alcohol).

Diagnosis

• Your doctor will take note of your symptoms (excessive nighttime urinating) and will then likely ask you a series of questions to get a better feel for when you began experiencing symptoms, how often you experience nocturia, and if there are any discernible patterns or factors to which you could trace it back (like increased volume of fluids before bed or change of medications). Your doctor will also ask if you've had any pain or burning while urinating, difficulty urinating, or if you've experienced any tenderness or upper abdominal pain.

Underlying Conditions

• Nocturia symptoms are likely caused by one (or more) of a myriad of different medical conditions, including diabetes, use of diuretics, congestive heart failure, sleep apnea, cystitis, prostate cancer, incontinence (urinary), benign prostatic hyperplasia, heart failure, excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, hypercalcemic nephropathy, chronic kidney failure, acute pyelonephritis, excessive consumption of beverages containing caffeine, disorders of the prostate and excessive drinking before bedtime.

Detailed Symptoms

• BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) is a common condition in men over 50 which often creates nocturia as a result of a urethral obstruction. Accompanying symptoms could include frequency and changes in the stream of urine, along with possible constipation, pain in the perineum and a "full" sensation in the lower abdomen. Cystitis creates nocturia along with symptoms like frequency, small amounts of urination, along with possible pain in the perineum or lower back, fever and fatigue. Diabetes insipidus creates nocturia early on with symptoms of medium to significant amounts of urination. Diabetes mellitus is often characterized by frequent urination of large amounts or fluid, along with weakness, dehydration, frequent UTIs (urinary tract infections), persistent yeast infections, weight loss and vaginitis.

More Symptoms and Causes

• Nocturia caused by hypercalcemic nephropathy is characterized by urinating large to medium-sized volumes of urine, along with some daytime symptoms like polydipsia and polyuria. Prostate cancer, in its later stages, can create nocturia symptoms with dysuria, difficulty producing a strong urine stream, interrupted stream of urine, bladder distention, weight loss, pain in the perineum and constipation. Acute pyelonephritis is characterized by nocturia accompanied by moderate amounts of cloudy urine, along with high fever, fatigue, chills, pain in the flank and weakness. The early stages of chronic renal failure include nocturia. As the condition progresses, symptoms include breath odor (ammonia), fatigue, edema, hypertension, confusion, metallic taste, constipation, diarrhea, decreased consciousness-level, skin changes, nausea and vomiting.

Considerations

• Understanding the totality of your nocturia symptoms could help your doctor in identifying any underlying medical conditions that are causing the nocturia. If you experience frequent urination, be sure to talk to your doctor about it and any other symptoms you may be experiencing, as early detection is the key to effectively treating any medical condition.