5-Hour Screen Time Can Make One Pee More at Night

Watching too many movies may hinder your quality of sleep as it could reportedly make you develop nocturia. The condition will affect one's sleep as it will prompt you to get up to urinate.

Screentime and Nocturia

A new study found that individuals who are overly engrossed in watching TV episodes, movies, or YouTube videos may be at a higher risk of experiencing nocturia or the need to urinate during the night. Lack of sleep can result from nocturia, raising the risk of several health problems.

The study reports that, based on data collected from 13,294 US adults in their 20s and 30s between 2011 and 2016, 32% of respondents reported having nocturia and 68% did not. Additionally, they discovered that the chance of developing nocturia was 48 percent higher in individuals who watched TV or videos for five hours or more during the day than in those who cared for less than an hour.

Not only does nocturia increase the risk of diseases like hypertension, cardiovascular disorders, and mortality, but it also has a significant financial impact on society. As a result, the authors state that nocturia has become a severe public health issue that requires extensive consideration and remedies.

As people age, nocturia becomes more common, frequently as a result of changes in bladder capacity and function. Fifty percent of those over 50 experience some degree of nocturia. It often indicates the presence of another illness, including diabetes, UTIs, enlarged prostates in men, overactive bladders, heart problems, kidney problems, and neurological issues. Several drugs, such as diuretics, antihypertensives, sedatives, and muscle relaxants, may potentially cause it.

What Is Nocturia?

Nocturia is waking up several times at night to urinate. Bladder blockage, sleep disturbances, and excessive fluid consumption are among the possible causes.

Common symptoms include more than twice midnight urination, increased volume of urine, and drowsiness and fatigue during the day due to frequent urination, which could affect your sleeping pattern.

Limiting fluid intake and using drugs that lessen the symptoms of an overactive bladder are two ways to treat nocturia. You may also need to alter your lifestyle.

For instance, you should avoid liquids in the evening, including caffeinated drinks, take diuretic medications at least six hours before bedtime, take afternoon naps, which allow the bloodstream to absorb liquid and make you use the bathroom after, reducing your trips to the bathroom at night and elevate your legs for better fluid distribution.

Pelvic floor physical therapy may also help as it strengthens your pelvic floor muscles. Compression stockings could also help distribute fluid, so wearing one is recommended.

Some medications might help, like anticholinergics that reduce overactive bladder, diuretics that regulate how much pee you release, and desmopressin to help kidneys produce less urine.

The underlying cause of nocturia determines the course of treatment. Certain lifestyle modifications, such as cutting back on fluids before bed, abstaining from coffee and alcohol in the evening, and engaging in bladder training exercises, may help lessen symptoms in certain situations. It might also be essential to treat underlying medical issues and make drug adjustments.

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