Medically reviewed in October 2021
Do you visit the bathroom two or more times a night? Here's something to consider: a checkup.
Frequent urination at night can increase with age—and quite often it's nothing to worry about. But a study suggests it may be best to rule out any potential underlying problems In the study, frequently waking up to pee at night was linked to possible health issues.
A sign of something serious?
In the study, men and women age 70 and older who got up two or more times a night to urinate had a higher mortality rate in the coming three years compared with the people who visited the latrine just once nightly. And the researchers suspect that, for some, peeing a lot at night could be a sign of underlying health issues that need to be addressed, like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, sleep apnea or other sleep disorders, kidney problems or urinary tract infections. The good news? All of these problems are treatable.
Don't panic
Frequent urination at night could—and probably does—mean nothing for the majority of folks. So don't panic if this sounds at all familiar. Just be sure to bring it up at your annual well visit.
