How To Pee Less During The Night

[caption id="attachment_830408" align="alignleft" width="1068"] Bigstockphoto.com/Woman with hands holding her crotch she wants to pee - urinary incontinence concept[/caption] There are people with true insomnia out there—they struggle to fall asleep, get into a deep sleep and stay asleep. Their brain races in the evening and they cannot shut it off. Perhaps every single sound or movement their partner makes jolts them from their rest. Maybe you’re fortunate enough to not be one of those people but you have perhaps an even more infuriating thing going on; you’re actually a great sleeper but your bladder keeps waking you up. If you have the gift of falling into great REM cycles each night, it feels like an utter shame to have that destroyed by the need to go. Especially because it feels like that’s something you have little control over. But that’s a lie; you can control it. Here is how to pee less during the night. [caption id="attachment_695084" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Cut the caffeine

Even having caffeine in the afternoon can keep you up with a full bladder at night. The diuretic effects of just one cup of coffee can last for hours after drinking it. If caffeine acts as your afternoon pick-me-up, it may be time to switch to naps.         [caption id="attachment_735493" align="alignleft" width="500"] Credit: Shutterstock[/caption]

Easy on the booze

Alcohol is a serious diuretic. Just one glass of wine could cause you to get up several times during the night. Find a non-liquid way to wind down at night.             [caption id="attachment_713789" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Avoid spicy foods

Spicy foods make you thirsty and cause you to drink more liquids than you normally would. They can also cause a slight burning sensation down south that mimics the urge to go.             [caption id="attachment_699551" align="alignleft" width="468"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Don’t eat this fruit at night

Stay away from oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, pineapple and peaches at night. These all have high water contents and can cause you to urinate often.             [caption id="attachment_700518" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Skip artificial sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners can cause the bladder to constantly contract, so it wants to send out every bit of urine, even when the bladder is not full. If you’ve switched from regular to diet soda recently, you may find yourself peeing more.         [caption id="attachment_706971" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Stay regular

Keep in mind that your rectum and your bladder are next-door neighbors. If one is full, it puts pressure on the other. Staying regular and emptying out your bowels daily can help alleviate pressure on your bladder.           [caption id="attachment_693890" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Avoid carbonated beverages

Most carbonated drinks contain either artificial sweeteners which, as stated before, make you pee. Read the label on all drinks because even those claiming to be healthy often contain artificial sweeteners. Furthermore, many of them have sodium, which makes you thirsty and causes you to drink more.     [caption id="attachment_621478" align="alignleft" width="535"] Shutterstock[/caption]

Do hip and thigh exercises

Your hip and thigh muscles are closely connected to your pelvic ones. Keeping your hips and thighs strong help keeps the pelvic floor strong. Try hip flexors and squats. [caption id="attachment_707169" align="alignleft" width="421"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Recognize it may be in your head

Often it isn’t the need to pee but rather the worry that one might need to pee that keeps them awake. There’s a chance your subconscious brain wakes you up because you’re worried about waking up to pee—it’s a terrible cycle. Try doing meditation or listening to subliminal message tapes to eliminate this thought process.     [caption id="attachment_707907" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Kegels

There’s nothing like good old Kegels to keep the muscles strong down there and prevent leakage. Kegels keep your bladder and pelvic floor muscles strong, so small amounts of urine won’t cause an urge to go as much.           [caption id="attachment_624560" align="alignleft" width="420"] Shutterstock[/caption]

Keep your legs up during the day

Keeping your legs elevated during the day allows for fluid circulation. Frequent urination at night could just be the result of fluid retention during the day.           [caption id="attachment_626578" align="alignleft" width="500"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Make sure you don’t have sleep apnea

Your nighttime bathroom visits could be the result of sleep apnea. This condition produces an antidiuretic hormone that causes fluid retention, and a frequent need to go. [caption id="attachment_625364" align="alignleft" width="425"] Shutterstock[/caption]

Only acknowledge a full bladder

Train your brain to understand you will not get up for every tiny amount of urine in your bladder. If you wake up and sense your bladder is barely full, force yourself to go back to bed. Slowly but surely, your brain should start to understand that it should only send you signals when you truly need to empty your bladder.       [caption id="attachment_624907" align="alignleft" width="460"] Corbis[/caption]

Know how much water you need

There is a good chance you drink too much water. There is such a thing. If you’re one of those individuals who carries a giant jug around with them each day, but you lead a rather sedentary lifestyle, it’s possible you just drink too much H2O.       [caption id="attachment_609316" align="alignleft" width="500"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Create a better sleep environment

Your bladder may not even be what’s waking you up; perhaps it’s your sleep environment. But you notice your bladder each time you wake up, so you believe that’s what disturbed your rest. Make sure you have a dark, quiet and peaceful sleep environment. Get earplugs, a sound machine, and a sleep mask if you have to.

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