Frequent urination: norms, causes in women and men, when to consult a doctor

MD, PhD, endourologist, urologist-oncologist, Hadassah Clinic Skolkovo branch office

“Urination is an important physiologic process regulated by the central nervous system and controlled by both the brain and spinal cord. Despite the simplicity and understandability of this process, it leaves many questions that medical science has been trying to sort out for centuries.”

Sisukord

The norm per day

According to studies involving men and women over the age of 18, the frequency of urination in both sexes increases with age. Thus, three to seven per day is considered the norm.

The bladder has two key parameters: anatomical and functional volume. Anatomically, if you put the patient into anesthesia, the bladder can hold up to 1.5-2 liters. However, the functional volume, i.e. the volume that a person uses to store urine, varies from 150 to 350-400 ml.

Frequent urination may cause some concern, but it is not always a sign of any disease. It is important to realize that the amount of urination can depend on a number of natural mechanisms, including fluid intake.

If we take the average bladder volume at each urination, which is about 400 ml, and multiply it by the average number of urinations per day (7), we get about 2800 ml, or almost 3 liters. This is the upper limit of the conditional physiological norm for a healthy body without any pathologies of the bladder.

It is important to note that the very feeling of “frequent urination” is purely subjective. For one person visiting the toilet 6-7 times a day may seem frequent, while another person will not pay attention to it.

Causes of frequent urination

Frequent urination can develop against the background of natural causes, some diseases and taking a number of medications.

Natural causes

These include increased fluid intake during the day. Consumption of caffeine contained in tea and coffee, as well as citrus juices and alcoholic beverages, can not only affect the production of urine, but also have a stimulating effect on the central nervous system, which is under the control of the regulation of the frequency of urination.

Pregnancy is also a cause of frequent urges to urinate. This is due to the pressure of the growing uterus on the bladder and hormonal changes.

Medications

There are many medications, including those used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure), which include diuretic components in their composition. These medications contribute to increased urination.

Diseases

The symptom of frequent urination can also be a manifestation of other serious diseases and health problems. Among them: bladder cancer, prostate cancer, cystitis, prostatitis, stones in the bladder or ureter, strokes, hormonal disorders.

Night urges to the toilet: norm or pathology?

The need to wake up because of urges to urinate in medicine is called nocturia. It is normal to wake up to the toilet in the middle of the night – once. However, things change if we wake up 2-3 or more times during the night. Not only does this affect our recovery and productivity, but it can significantly impair our quality of life.

Studies have shown a direct link between the frequency of nighttime urination in older adults and the risk of nighttime falls, which can lead to a femoral neck fracture. It is known that such injuries in elderly patients often correlate with high mortality rates in the post-injury period.

Frequent urination during the night hours may be caused by edema. One characteristic manifestation is the trace of the elastic band of socks in the evening hours after a day’s work.

When the body assumes a horizontal position at night, it begins to excrete excess fluid. This can cause increased production of urine by the kidneys during the night hours (up to a liter or more), which, in turn, will certainly lead to awakening of any person at any age.

The cause of edema can be various factors: from venous insufficiency and cardiac pathology to intensive work “on your feet” and long flights in airplanes.

To frequent urination can lead to obstructive sleep apnea, when a person has a brief respiratory arrest and oxygen starvation of body tissues. This, in turn, leads to a whole cascade of pathological chemical and hormonal reactions. Among them – the release of the so-called sodium-diuretic hormone, provoking the intense excretion of large amounts of urine during the night hours.