Doctor explains real reason you keep getting up to pee in the middle of the night and it's not your bladder
An expert has revealed just why some people frequently urinate at night, and it’s caused by a little-known condition.
Dr Eric Berg knows his stuff when it comes to urinary problems, as a health professional, so if he tells you your peeing problems aren’t bladder-related, you’re bound to be curious.
Many things can contribute to needing to pee more often. Age, having children or your pelvic floor weakening can also cause you to face bladder urgency too.
However, per Dr Berg, there’s a condition that can ‘wreak havoc on your health’.
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In a video posted to YouTube, he revealed that some of the 'consequences of poor sleep’, are things like a slower metabolism, increased cortisol, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, increased risk of high blood pressure, decreased ability to detoxify the brain, poor mood, anxiety, and depression, decreased cognitive function, focus, and memory, lower testosterone, and feeling tired all day.
The doc revealed that ‘approximately 1 in 5 men and 1 in 4 women in the U.S. get up at least once or twice to urinate every night, and aging is not the problem!’
So, what is it?
Well, it's called nocturia.
Nocturia, per the UK's NHS, is a condition that causes a person to need to urinate at night, and it has several causes from diabetes, heart problems, bladder infections, age, incontinence, hormone problems and more. Dr Berg explained that one cause is the hormone, antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which ‘plays a crucial role in preventing excessive urination.’ In his video, he revealed that ADH ‘means it’s anti-urinating excessively, especially through the night’.
He added: “So, this hormone is super important in the prevention of excessive urination, especially at night. It has everything to do with water balance. If there's a problem with this hormone, you're going to make more urine, especially at night.”
He went on to say that too much salt and not enough potassium, ‘blood sugar issues, and insulin resistance all affect ADH and can cause you to produce more urine to eliminate excess salt and sugar’.
However, there are other things that can impact the hormone too:
• Caffeine
• Sugar/starch
• Excess protein
• Alcohol
So, what does he recommend?
The doc says that Vitamin B1 and magnesium are key to helping you with your bladder control.
Dr Berg said: “B1 has everything to do with the part of the nervous system that controls especially the bladder. But in order for B1 to work, it needs magnesium. So these two are really important, especially if you urinate in the middle of the night and not a lot of urine comes out.”
What he also suggests is not drinking up to three hours before bed, to avoid alcohol, snacks and salty foods before bed, to increase potassium intake early in the day, reduce caffeine intake, and to avoid large amounts of protein at night.
He says these things are what keeps your urinary health optimal.
Britt Jones