As men age many of them notice that they feel the need to urinate far more frequently then they did when they were younger. While frequent urination in men is associated with ageing, you should never just assume that your increased frequency is simply due to getting older. If you notice an increase in your bathroom visits, it is a good idea to discuss this change with your health care professional, because there are various causes for frequent urination in men, many of which can be relieved.
If you are unable to sleep through the night without getting up to go to the bathroom, you are suffering from nocturia, which is simply frequent urination during sleeping hours. Normally, you should be able to sleep six to eight hours without waking to go to the bathroom. So if you notice that you are getting up several times during the night to relieve yourself, this is reason enough to have a talk with your doctor.
Sometimes a frequent or urgent need to relieve yourself can be a symptom of a urinary tract infection. The inflammation from the infection affects the bladder reducing its urine holding capacity, and this translates into more frequent bathroom visits. Caffeine in beverages can also irritate your bladder and cause the urge for more frequent urination.
Frequent urination in men can also be a harbinger of diabetes or cancer, or it can occur as the side effect of drugs like diuretics. Another problem that could be occurring is an actual dysfunction of the bladder. One of the more common causes of frequent urination in men is an enlarged prostate gland. This gland surrounds the urethra and functions to secrete seminal fluid. As the prostate grows, it begins applying pressure on the urethra, which carries urine from the bladder to be voided. As the pressure increases, the need to urinate becomes more frequent.
As the prostate gland grows the bladder muscle has to exert more pressure to push the urine through the urethra, and this causes the bladder muscle to become more sensitive and stronger. However, if the prostate continues to grow crowding the urethra more and more, at some point the bladder muscle will not be able to compensate, so it is important to talk to your doctor about this condition as well.
If you notice that your number of bathroom visits has increased during the day or night, you may want to consider several things. Notice if you have begun taking a new medication, and determine if there is anything else other than frequent urination going on. Pay attention to when you have to go to the bathroom, whether day or night or after eating or drinking certain foods. See if your fluid intake has increased, and notice if the colour of your urine is darker than normal. All of this information will be very helpful as you discuss your problem with your doctor to see what the underlying cause is for your frequency problem.
And as you are determining what is causing your problem, there are many incontinence products and protective pants that can help with any leakage that you may be experiencing. While frequent urination in men is common in an ageing population, it should not be considered normal, and discussing it with your doctor during your next exam would be prudent. You may even be pleasantly surprised to find that there is a course of treatment that can dramatically improve or alleviate your frequent need to urinate.
Further Frequent Urination Articles
- Treatment for Frequent Urination
- 10 Reasons Frequent Urination Problems Can Occur
- Frequent Urination in Women Can be Frustrating
- Nocturia Treatment with an Enlarged Prostate
- Frequent Night Urination Deserves a Closer Look
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Tags: diuretics, Frequent Urination, incontinence products, nocturia, prostate, prostate gland
