Going to the bathroom at night?

Avoid going with these tips

Stay cozy in your warm bed at night

Nothing is more annoying than having to get out of bed to pee at night. We’ve all experienced it: you’re sleeping beautifully in your warm bed, but you wake up because you have to go to the bathroom. It’s extremely annoying, but you can do something about it! There are a few things that cause this problem. You might already be trying out everything you can to avoid peeing at night, like not drinking much in the evening. Not working for you? Then you can try using some of the following tips.

Overactive bladder - You normally produce around 1 to 2 liters of urine per day, and only 25% of that being during the night. So you should be able to make it through the whole night without having to pee. Do you find yourself getting up multiple times a night to go to the bathroom? Then you probably have an overactive bladder, also referred to as nocturia. This means you have an increased urine production at night. This disorder is seen more often in women than men, and age also plays a role.

If you’ve noticed you experience this as well, you’re probably curious to find out what the cause could be. An increased urine production could have numerous causes, and some are less harmless than others. Possible causes are:

• Eating or drinking too much before bed
• Disruption of the antidiuretic hormone (ADH), the hormone that ensures you produce less urine at night
• Impaired kidney function
• Bladder disorders
• For men: prostate problems
• Edema formation, better known as fluid accumulation
• Certain medication
• Underlying illness

To the doctor’s office or not? When exactly should you go to the doctor? You should go if the issue of peeing at night is disrupting your sleep and night’s rest. If you only occasionally have to go to the restroom at night, you shouldn’t get too worried. Only a visit to the doctor can shed light on the problem at hand. He or she can therefore do something about it. Your doctor can examine: eating and drinking habits, hormone disorders, bladder- or prostate problems, urinary tract infections, kidney problems, and heart issues.

Before heading off to the doctor, there are few things you can try to keep from having to pee at night. Try out the following tips:

• Don’t drink anything after 8pm. If you’ve had a liter and a half of water throughout the day, this shouldn’t be an issue.
• Limit your caffeine and alcohol consumption. These drinks have a moisture-repelling effect.
• Do you suffer from swollen legs during the day? Sleep with a pillow under your legs to keep them elevated or use compression stockings.
• Watch what you eat before bed. Digestion stimulates urine production.
• And finally (with your doctor’s approval) you can take a diuretic (water-expeller) or a desmopressin in the late afternoon.

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How Normal Is Peeing In The Middle Of The Night?

If you are peeing more than once during the night, it might be because of one of these reasons

If your bladder acts as a middle-of-the-night alarm clock, you might be curious whether it’s a cause for concern. Turns out you’re in good company if you’re wondering. “Is it normal to pee in the middle of the night?” is one of the most common questions that Marcelino Rivera, a urologist with Indiana University Health, said he gets asked in his practice.

In general, if you are waking up to pee once during the night, it’s likely that is normal for you, Rivera said. The kidneys’ main function is to filter out toxins from the bloodstream and concentrate those toxins into urine. According to Rivera, this is done continuously ― “during the day we are typically [going] every two to four hours depending on hydration status and fluid consumption” ― but at night, the body releases hormones to concentrate the urine more than during the daytime. Hence why we don’t typically wake up as much at night to urinate.

But if you are peeing more than once during the night or running to the bathroom is disrupting your sleep, you might need to examine other areas of your waking life. Here are a few of the most common reasons you may be getting up to pee, whether they’re considered normal and expert advice on what to do about them:

You’re drinking too much H2O, especially close to bedtime

• It could be your medication
• You’ve had some alcohol or caffeine
• You’re dealing with a sleep disorder
• You’re pregnant
• Aging could be a factor
• You have swollen legs
• You have a UTI or prostate issue
• You have another medical disorder

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Why you keep waking up in the middle of the night

The importance of sleep has been proven time and time again by the scientific community. There is no substitute for a good night's sleep, so if our sleep is disturbed, we should look into it and try to fix it. One common occurrence is waking up in the middle of the night. This can happen for a number of reasons, including an urge to pee or feeling restless, among others.

In this gallery, we look at the many possibilities as to why you keep waking up in the middle of the night:

• You’re stressed out or feeling anxious
• It might be your gut bacteria
• Your blood sugar levels might be to blame
• Drinking
• Smoking
• Good ol’ caffeine
• It might be due to a nutrient deficiency
• Your hormones might be to blame
• You might suffer from sleep apnea
• The reason might be nocturia
• Prediabetes might be to blame
• Your liver function might be off
• Your thyroid might be the culprit
• A change to your circadian rhythm

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Hematuria: Blood in urine

Hematuria is the presence of red blood cells in the urine. If there are enough red cells, the urine can become bright red, pink or cola colored. Often, however, the urine appears completely normal because there is not enough blood to cause a color change. In this case, the condition is called "microscopic" hematuria. There are many possible causes of hematuria, including:

• Urinary tract infection — Hematuria can be caused by an infection in any part of the urinary tract, most commonly the bladder (cystitis) or the kidney (pyelonephritis).
• Kidney stones
• Tumors in the kidney or bladder
• Exercise — Exercise hematuria is a harmless condition that produces blood in the urine after strenuous exercise. It is more common in males than females.
• Trauma — Traumatic injury to any part of the urinary tract — from the kidneys to the urethral opening (the connection between the bladder and the outside world) — can cause hematuria.
• Drugs — Hematuria can be caused by medications, such as blood thinners, including heparin, warfarin (Coumadin) or aspirin-type medications, penicillins, sulfa-containing drugs and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan).
• Glomerulonephritis — Glomerulonephritis is a family of illnesses that are characterized by inflammation of the glomeruli, the filtering units of the kidneys. Glomerulonephritis is a rare complication of certain viral and bacterial infections (including strep throat). It can also occur in people with certain auto-immune diseases, systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus or SLE) and vasculitis. Sometimes there is no identifiable cause.
• Bleeding disorders — This includes conditions such as hemophilia and von Willebrand's disease.

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Nocturia: Excessive Urination at Night

Nocturia is a condition that causes you to wake up during the night to pee. This condition is also called nocturnal urinary frequency — having to pee more often at night. Nocturia becomes more common as people age (usually older than 60) and occurs in all genders and sexes, sometimes for different reasons. It can be common for people to wake up once during the night to pee, but peeing more frequently may be a sign of an underlying condition or problem.

When a person pees too much during the daytime, but can limit the amount of trips to the bathroom at night, it’s referred to as frequent urination. Nocturia is strictly using the bathroom multiple times after bedtime and before you wake up in the morning. Whether it’s happening due to an underlying medical condition or something else, it can leave you feeling tired because your regular sleep cycle is disrupted.

How common is nocturia? Nocturia is a common condition affecting more than 50% of adults after age 50. It’s more common in men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB) after age 50. Before 50, nocturia is more common in women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB). It affects up to 1 in 3 people over the age of 30.

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Pneumaturia: Gas in urine

What Is Pneumaturia? Having small bubbles in your urine is called pneumaturia. It isn’t a diagnosis on its own but can be a symptom of certain health conditions. Common source causes for pneumaturia include urinary tract infections (UTIs) and passageways between the colon and the bladder (called fistula) that don’t belong.

If you have pneumaturia, you’ll feel gas or a bubbling sensation interrupting your urine stream. Your urine may appear to be full of small air bubbles. This is different than urine that looks foamy, which is usually an indicator of too much protein in your urine. Since pneumaturia is a symptom of other conditions and not a condition all by itself, you may want to look out for other symptoms that sometimes come along with it, such as:

• burning sensation while urinating
• difficulty urinating
• feeling the need to “go” all the time
• discolored urine

All of these symptoms could indicate an infection in your urinary tract. Common causes:

• One common cause of pneumaturia is infectious bacteria. Pneumaturia can indicate a UTI, as the bacteria create bubbles in your urine stream.
• Another common cause is a fistula. This is a passage between organs in your body that doesn’t belong there. A fistula between your bowel and your bladder can bring bubbles into your urine stream. This fistula can be an outcome of diverticulitis.
• Less often, deep sea divers will have pneumaturia after a period of time underwater.
• Sometimes pneumaturia is a symptom of Crohn’s disease.

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Diabetes: Early Signs & Symptoms

Diabetes mellitus refers to a group of diseases that affect how the body uses blood sugar (glucose). Glucose is an important source of energy for the cells that make up the muscles and tissues. It's also the brain's main source of fuel. The main cause of diabetes varies by type. But no matter what type of diabetes you have, it can lead to excess sugar in the blood. Too much sugar in the blood can lead to serious health problems.

Chronic diabetes conditions include type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Potentially reversible diabetes conditions include prediabetes and gestational diabetes. Prediabetes happens when blood sugar levels are higher than normal. But the blood sugar levels aren't high enough to be called diabetes. And prediabetes can lead to diabetes unless steps are taken to prevent it. Gestational diabetes happens during pregnancy. But it may go away after the baby is born. Diabetes symptoms depend on how high your blood sugar is. Some people, especially if they have prediabetes, gestational diabetes or type 2 diabetes, may not have symptoms. In type 1 diabetes, symptoms tend to come on quickly and be more severe.

Some of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes are:

• Feeling more thirsty than usual.
• Urinating often.
• Losing weight without trying.
• Presence of ketones in the urine. Ketones are a byproduct of the breakdown of muscle and fat that happens when there's not enough available insulin.
• Feeling tired and weak.
• Feeling irritable or having other mood changes.
• Having blurry vision.
• Having slow-healing sores.
• Getting a lot of infections, such as gum, skin and vaginal infections.

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Hematochezia: Blood in Stool

Blood is supposed to stay in your body. Seeing blood in your bowel movement is very frightening. It is an indication that something is not working right, but it is not always a herald of colon cancer. Rectal bleeding has many causes, but only one of them is colon cancer.

When You Note Blood in the Stool - The best action you can take now, to advocate for yourself, is to pay attention to this symptom and be prepared to discuss it with your doctor. Ask yourself these questions:

• Was the blood in the stool, toilet bowl or on the toilet paper?
• Was the blood bright red or dark red?
• Approximately how much blood did you see? (Keep in mind, a drop of blood in a toilet bowl will turn all of the water red.)
• Did you have to strain to pass the bowel movement?
• How frequently do you have bowel movements?
• Do you have other symptoms?
• When was your last colon screening exam or colonoscopy?
• Do you have a history of polyps or a family history of polyps?

Causes of Blood in the Stool:

• Hemorrhoids
• Inflammatory Conditions
• Colon Polyps
• Constipation
• Bowel Infections
• Colon Cancer

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Constipation and Urinary Incontinence

Bloating and cramps are two common symptoms of constipation

Being constipated means your bowel movements are tough or happen less often than normal. You might be constipated if you have less than three bowel movements per week.

Constipation is very common. Around 2.5 million people visit their doctor each year in the U.S. because they are constipated. It's usually not serious, and home remedies can get you back on track. How often should you poop? The normal length of time between bowel movements varies from person to person. Some people have them three times a day. Others have them just a few times a week.

But going longer than 3 days without one is usually too long. After 3 days, your stool gets harder and more difficult to pass. Constipation Symptoms You may have:

• Few or no bowel movements
• Trouble having a bowel movement (straining to go)
• Hard or small stools
• A feeling that everything didn’t come out
• Belly bloating
• A feeling like your rectum is blocked
• A stomachache or cramps

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Acupressure Points for Constipation

Acupressure can help in relieving constipation symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating and gas by applying pressure to specific points on the body. The following are the commonly used acupressure points to relieve constipation that you can do on your own. Instead of pressing with your fingers, you can also use acupressure stick:

• Tianshu (ST25) - Tianshu can improve digestion. You can place three fingers parallel and alongside the centre of the belly button. Tianshu is located at the edge of the last finger, away from the belly button. Use your thumb or forefinger and apply pressure or you can do circular motion with finger.
• Guanyuan (CV4) - Guanyuan is used for relieving abdominal pain and diarrhea. It is located at 3 inches below your belly button. Use your thumb or forefinger and apply pressure or you can do circular motion with finger.

• Zhigou (TE6) - Zhigou is an effective pressure point for relieving chronic constipation. It is located at 3 inches up the back of your arm from the crease of your wrist. Use your thumb and apply pressure or you can do circular motion with thumb. This procedure should have been repeated for the other wrist.
• Zusanli (ST36) - Zusanli can strengthen the digestive system. It is located on the outer calf, about four finger widths under the knee bone. Use your thumb or forefinger and apply pressure. This procedure should have been repeated for the other foot.

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15 signs your stomach is functioning badly

A queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach, dreading even the idea of food, and having to constantly run to the washroom; these are all unpleasant symptoms of stomach issues. There are all sorts of reasons why you may have a poorly functioning stomach. Sometimes, it’s from food poisoning or a gastro bug going around; however, if your stomach is chronically upset, it might be a sign of a bigger problem. If you are experiencing any of these 15 signs that your stomach is functioning badly, be sure to make an appointment with your healthcare provider:

• Frequent and chronic diarrhea
• Blood in your stool
• Severe cramps after eating
• Chronic constipation
• Frequent heartburn
• Difficulty swallowing
• Loss of appetite
• Unexplained weight loss
• Sudden intense abdominal pain
• Feeling full after eating a small portion
• Swollen abdomen
• Anemia
• Fatigue and weakness
• Frequent vomiting
• Skin issues

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What your poop tells you about your health

5 Things Your Poop Can Tell You About Your Health

Having a bowel movement is a critical part of digesting the food we eat. Stool formed by the large intestine is the body's way of getting rid of waste.

While you should talk to your doctor about any concerns, changes in poop color and consistency could show what is happening inside your digestive system:

• Rocks and Pebbles - Poop that is hard and shaped like tiny rocks or pebbles is likely just a sign of constipation. You can still be considered constipated even if you are able to pass a small amount of stool. The large intestine helps to concentrate waste by absorbing water. If muscle contractions in the large intestine are not working properly, waste left in the colon becomes even more concentrated, resulting in harder stool.
• Color Changes - A change in stool color is one of the most common concerns patients ask about. The foods you eat and the kind of bacteria living in your colon can both cause such changes and added food colorings are frequent culprits. This is one reason why patients preparing for a colonoscopy are instructed to avoid food and beverages with certain added colors the day before. Doctors note that when they perform a colonoscopy, they can actually tell what color the beverage was that the patient drank during their preparation for the procedure. Most changes in the color of stool are not cause for concern. The exception is poop that appears black or bloody, which could signal other problems with the digestive system.
• Black and Tarry - The most common cause of black and tarry poop is taking iron supplements or a medication containing bismuth, such as Pepto-Bismol. However, it could mean you're losing blood somewhere in your gastrointestinal tract, such as in the stomach or small intestine.
• Oily or Greasy Stools - If you have poop that appears oily, has a greasy consistency and is difficult to flush, it could be a signal that your body is not able to properly digest fat. The consistency changes could be caused by an infection, nutrients not being digested due to celiac disease or a problem with the pancreas, such as pancreatic cancer or pancreatitis.
• Pencil Thin - Stool that is only occasionally very thin is not a cause for concern. It is likely due to muscle contractions in the large intestine as it helps to concentrate waste. If there is a sudden and consistent change in your stool always being thin, it could mean there is a blockage in your colon, and you should see your doctor.

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