What Nighttime Bathroom Trips May Mean

What Nighttime Bathroom Trips May Mean (1:01)

Do you get up more than once a night to go to the bathroom? It could be a sign of something wrong. In this video, Barbara Ficarra, RN, explains how frequent urination may be a sign of diabetes, sleep apnea, kidney problems or urinary tract infection.

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Do you go to the bathroom two or more times a night, you might want to consider a checkup. Nighttime trips can increase with age, many times it's nothing to worry about. But one study suggests, it might be best to rule out any potential problems or health issues. In the study, people aged 70 and older who got up twice or more a night to urinate had a higher mortality rate in the following three years compared to peers who only had one midnight bathroom break.

Researchers suspect that for some individuals frequent urination could be connected to an underlying issue such as diabetes, sleep apnea, kidney problems or urinary tract infections. The good news is that all of these problems are treatable. Frequent nighttime trips to the bathroom mean nothing to the majority of folks, so don't panic if it sounds familiar, just be sure to bring it up at your next doctor exam.