Most of us make a dash to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  It’s not a topic we bring up over drinks with friends.  So, let’s explore these annoying interruptions to a good night’s sleep.

Nighttime urination becomes more common after we reach 60.  It’s just normal aging.  The drop in estrogen after menopause is counterproductive for women.  Declining testosterone is counterproductive for men not to mention an enlarged prostate.  But most of us simply are the victims of a decrease in the hormone that reduces urine production.  If you want to show off, call it by its name—the Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH).  

But, if you get up frequently during the night to hit the john, you might want to head to your doctor.  Keep a bladder diary to share with the doc.  Huh???  Just repeating medical advice.   Announce that you have nocturia and need help!  The doc will be so impressed.  

There are loads of recommendations to fight the nighttime bladder battle.  A number of exercises can reportedly help by toughening the muscles that support the bladder, like pelvic tilts.  

Or, your doctor can prescribe a diuretic medication to help get rid of extra water during the day before you head to bed.  Many are available at the drug store.  Entertained by the one branded Water Shed.  LOL!  We were thinking the name well describes those embarrassing times when coughing, laughing, or sneezing cause unwanted leakage.  They sure can be watershed moments!

We had no idea that fluid in our legs ends up in our bladders while we lay flat sleeping at night.  Huh?  This can cause a full bladder just when we don’t want it.  Two solutions.  Wear compression socks during the day.  Or…elevate your legs before you go to bed and reduce that fluid accumulation in your lower extremities.  Heck, we’re happy to pile up the pillows and raise those legs while we’re watching reruns of our favorite old movies on TV or reading a great book!  

Not crazy about the recommendation that we restrict liquids for two to four hours before going to sleep.  Four hours?  No way!  That means if you go to bed at 11 p.m., you have to stop drinking at 7 p.m.  News alert!  Alcohol is a diuretic.  The more you drink the more you’ll pee.  Doesn’t that argue that having wine after 7 p.m. is a positive???

If none of these tips work, there’s always the last resort—diapers.  You sure won’t be alone.  One company predicts that over 16 billon adult diapers will be sold globally in 2028.  Overnight adult diapers designed for maximum absorbency are often called incontinence briefs or overnight underwear.  They are thicker and more absorbent than products for daytime leaks.  Check your Medicare plan.  A few step up and offer coverage.  No pun intended. 

Who knew there is an organization called the National Association for Continence? It provides some recommendations to improve nighttime toileting.  Bunch of people fall while making that run to the bathroom in the dark.  Feel relieved if you just bump into furniture and stub your toe.  The group suggests using nightlights and clearing the way to the john, noting that objects easily seen during the day could be a tripping hazard in the middle of the night.  Seven steps to the john is ideal!

An aside—the sudden urge to head to the toilet when you arrive home has a name, latchkey incontinence.  It’s a Pavlovian-conditioned response that is an automatic, learned reaction.  Obviously doesn’t have to be linked to the sound of a turning key.  Garage door incontinence is the non-medical term. 

So, our Wrinkled Wisdom for today?  Hit the bathroom right before you hit the bed and pull the covers over your head.  If you get up in the middle of the night to pee, don’t drink anything while you’re up.  Use those nightlights especially when travelling.  Check out Botox injections for overactive bladders.  Google it.  Not making this us.  Oh, and if you have a dream about urinating, wake up…fast!!