Polyuria (Excessive Urination): Understanding the Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

Let’s talk about frequent urination. You might’ve noticed you’re running to the bathroom more often than usual, but not much is coming out each time. This is what doctors call "frequency." It's when you're peeing more often, but the amount each time isn’t increasing.

Now, there's another issue called "polyuria," which is different. In this case, your body is producing way more urine than normal, which means you're going not only more frequently but also passing more urine every time.

Think of it this way: With frequency, you might be peeing small amounts like 100ml, but with polyuria, you could be losing up to a liter each time, and that too, 10 or more times a day! Basically, the difference is that with frequency, it’s about how often you go, while with polyuria, it’s also about how much you’re passing each time.

You see, peeing anywhere between 4 and 10 times a day is considered normal, depending on things like how much water you drink. But if you're going more than seven times between waking up and going to bed, and you're waking up at night to pee more than once, that's considered excessive.

So what causes frequent urination? Well, the first thing to consider is how much water you’re drinking. Some people drink way more than they need to, thinking it’s healthy, or maybe they’re worried about getting kidney stones. If you're downing too much water, your bladder is going to fill up faster, and you'll end up peeing more. A normal bladder can hold about 300-400ml of urine, so if you’re drinking a lot of water, it’s bound to send you running to the bathroom a bunch of times.

But it’s not just water intake. Some diseases, like diabetes, can cause you to pee more. When your body can’t conserve water, it just pushes it out through urine, even when you don’t need to. That’s why diabetes can lead to frequent urination.

For men, especially those over 50, prostate problems are a common cause. The prostate gland, located near the bladder, can enlarge and block the flow of urine. This makes it hard to fully empty the bladder, so you feel like you need to go more often.

Urinary infections can also lead to this. Infections irritate the bladder, and that irritation makes you feel like you need to go all the time, even when there’s not much urine in there. This happens to both men and women, but women tend to get more urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Then there are other reasons, like stones in the urinary tract or nerve problems caused by injuries to the spine, which mess with the signals between your brain and bladder.

As we age, changes in the body’s rhythm of fluid retention also play a part. For example, younger people don’t usually need to pee much at night because the body conserves water. But as we get older, this changes, leading to more nighttime bathroom trips.

Along with frequent urination, some people also experience urgency. That’s the sudden and strong need to pee, where it feels almost impossible to hold it in. Sometimes, this urgency comes with frequency, and it’s hard to manage without getting medical advice.

So what should you do if you’re peeing more often than usual? It’s a good idea to visit a urologist, someone who specializes in this kind of thing. They’ll ask about your water intake and other habits, and they may do some tests to figure out what’s going on. A basic test like a urine routine or blood sugar screening can help detect issues like infections, prostate problems, or diabetes.

If everything comes back normal, then it might be a condition called "overactive bladder." This affects about 10-20% of people over 65. In that case, lifestyle changes can help, like controlling how much water you drink and when. For example, cutting down on water intake in the evening might help reduce the number of times you need to get up at night.

Doctors might also recommend keeping a bladder diary. This involves tracking how much water you drink, how often you pee, and how much comes out each time. This helps pinpoint any issues. If it turns out you’re drinking way too much water, then reducing your intake could solve the problem.

And for those dealing with age-related changes, it might be helpful to stop drinking water a few hours before bed. This can reduce the number of times you have to pee at night.

Frequent urination can be annoying, but with the right approach, whether it’s adjusting your water intake or getting the right treatment, it’s something you can manage.