Urination at Night: What Keeps Men Up at Night? 

A need to urinate at night is a common symptom in men over age 50.  For some men this symptom is minor. They may need to wake up only once or twice a night; for other men the symptoms are more severe and many need to urinate 3-4 times per night or even more.   Some men may also have pain or urinary urgency to urinate at night.

There are number of causes for waking up at night to urinate some of them are pretty insignificant while others could be life-threatening.

The most common cause of needing to urinate at night is enlarged prostate in men over age 40.  Other causes include prostate cancer, heart problems, diabetes, certain medications for blood pressure, diuretics and the number of other conditions.  Is some men, decreased production of a hormone called antidiuretic hormone can also contribute to nocturnal awakening and need to urinate at night.

While for some men waking up once or twice a night may not pose a significant quality of life issue or health issue, it is important to get a thorough evaluation to make sure that no significant health issue is missed.  A urologist can usually diagnose and treat the problem of urinating at night.

Waking up at night is associated with poor sleep patterns.  Inadequate sleep can in turn contribute to a number of problems including tiredness, poor daytime performance, sleepiness and irritability.