Nocturnal Polyuria

I’m 61 (really how did I get that old) and I get up every 2 to 3 hours for a piddle which I explain to the cats when I push them off my feet so I can get up. I drink about 3 to 4 litres of plain water a day and take a diuretic, so I have no hope of a decent nights sleep. Don’t really care much about it either. Can’t fix it so what’s the point of getting stressed. Plenty of other c**p to be bothered about.

Oh dear MadeInYorkshire - that sounds terrible. Hopefully the next few months will see some improvement.

Some blood pressure tablets can cause this. I had to change mine, can't remember which ones now.
Ask your GP if you take them.

|I really struggle with this and wake up 2 or 3 times a night, I stop drinking at around 5om and only have enough to take my tablets with at 8pm - makes no difference whatsoever!!

I have recently had half a kidney removed due to cancer, this hasn't made a difference other than that I now can't quite make it in time, so have set up a washing up bowl besides the chair I sleep in! Ugh this illness lark is no fun at all!!

When I wake up to pee it feels urgent and I do not switch the light on in case that wakes me too much. Consequently I sometimes become disorientated and steer the walking frame in entirely the wrong direction, so I have to put in eye drops to open my eyes so I know which wall I am trying to walk through .Meanwhile my bladder is more and more urgent. All my downstairs floors are washable for the dog.

I don't drink after 6pm in the winter especially as I also take Spironolactone and it's always worked for me. I don't have swollen feet and ankles either so I'm obviously passing enough water throughout the day when I have plenty of fluids.
It's rare for me to get up in the night.

Not drinking enough is bad for you, no doubt about that, but surely no-one has ever said that our liquid intake had to be in the latter half of the day?

I drink three large glasses of water in the course of the forenoon, never after 1 p.m. and two cups of coffee later in the day and a glass of water at dinner.

That covers my need for liquids and avoids a disturbed night, though I do got up once or twice to wee, but then I always have since I came out of nappies.

Excitement was building there Soda pops - I thought you'd got the cure but then you said nothing helped! I agree its sometimes better just to reconcile to a substandard sleep - we live very near a Church bell that goes off every hour during the night so combined with loo trips its all pretty annoying. Another TMI coming up - the light of lust has not dimmed yet in my husband's eye (68) and he belongs to the roll on roll off school of love making - so my old legs are parted like a creaky old book - Im thinking 'Oh god, not again' get it over with and he has now taken agin me using lubrication - I had a complete hysterectomy last year and Im thinking this must all be a bit irritating for the down below area. I do love him though so its not as bad as it sounds!

I agree with Maw restricting fluids is not a good idea and I'm surprised it was suggested.
I have the same problem elasticatedslacks it's really annoying as I often can't get back to sleep.
I did read this could be a precursor to diabetes so I changed my diet and cut out a lot of sugars. I only have one cup of coffee per day no tea, the rest of the time I drink water. None of this helps so I'm just resigned to frequent nocturnal bathroom trips.

Thanks for your suggestions! I do drink very little coffee or tea like maybe 1 mug of coffee ditto tea but a LOT of filtered water daily - very little alcohol either. I side sleep and used to think it was the weight of my stomach pressing on my bladder. I slept one night in a pair of Spanx to eliminate that and just about cut off all blood supply - very uncomfortable. Although Im not in Tena pant territory as yet my pelvic floor is 'shot to pieces' according to the excellent physio I once had. She said it was pointless doing those Elvis Kegel trainer things as literally nothing left - I have had 7 children including twins at 41 (now Im 65). She also suggested resting for an hour round about 4.00pm with my legs up but Ive always been too busy to do that. Definitely TMI but I always used to wee with the strength of flow of a water pistol and now its more like the water is falling out of me as if I was a hot water bottle with the lid off and being shaken into the sink.

I've accepted I wake feeling an urgent need for the bathroom. Its similar to when I'm out walking and have an urgent need... I'm old!

Nothing has helped. I just get up half asleep and go back to bed.

MawB2 I agree. Many of the older generation are inclined not to drink enough.

elasticatedslacks have you tried having your legs raised on a stool while sitting? If you get in the habit of always using a footstool it helps to keep fluid draining from your feet and legs and reduces the amount of retained fluid you’re taking to bed.
Otherwise, once you are horizontal in bed, any fluid that’s lurking in your feet and legs from earlier in the day starts to drain upwards and needs wee’d out after reaching your kidneys.

That’s why those of us with puffy ankles find it’s often decreased overnight and puffy again by evening.

I would take the prescribed diuretic elasticatedslacks as it will reduce the amount of excess fluid from your body early in the day. Otherwise you’re taking it to bed and needing to wake to get rid of it. It’s a very combination of tablets and your doctor wouldn’t have prescribed it if he had any concerns.

Isn’t there a danger in cutting down on liquids - contributing to UTI’s in the older generation.
I have also been told that Furosemide (which should be taken in the morning) should not be taken for longer than a short time as it can cause kidney damage.
I have no easy answers - son nights I am up two or even three times, others not at all. I do know that herbal tea is an absolute No, no though.
Midgey has got it right.

I did a silly thing last night and had a cup of tea at 8 pm. Consequently I was up to the toilet 3 times.
I usually do all my tea and coffee drinking before 5 pm. After that, definitely no caffeine or alcohol.

Make yourself go during the day, and make sure you have drunk enough early on in the day. This has definitely helped me.