Waking up to pee keeps me up. What can I do?

I’m 32/m and last night was rough. I went to bed at 10:45 after being exhausted from a poor night in a hotel. Woke up at 12:45 to pee, went back to bed, and then woke up again at 3:45. I couldn’t go back to sleep after that. Now, I’ll probably wait a few hours, have a snack, and try again. This is so frustrating! Any advice?

There are so many factors that could play into this. Do you go to bed around the same time each night? Are you exercising regularly? Eating enough during the day? You might also try relaxation techniques like diaphragmatic breathing, box breathing, reading a novel, or even a sudoku puzzle. If you’re tossing and turning, get out of bed for a bit.

I had two great nights recently, but a stressful day with caffeine at 8 pm threw me off. Good luck!

Falling back asleep is tough for me too. Sometimes I go for a walk, stretch, or even, you know… relieve myself. None of these work all the time, though. Last night, I woke up at 1 am and haven’t felt sleepy again until now (7 am), but now I’ve got stuff to do. It’s the worst!

Here’s a guide that might help: How to Go Back to Sleep.

If this is happening often, you might want to get checked for diabetes or potential prostate issues.

Try not to have liquids or food for at least three hours before bedtime.

Waking up to pee could be due to fragmented sleep disrupting your bladder’s ‘hibernate’ mode. Do you have sleep apnea?

Adair said:
Waking up to pee could be due to fragmented sleep disrupting your bladder’s ‘hibernate’ mode. Do you have sleep apnea?

I had an in-lab sleep study, and it showed some disruption, but not full-blown apnea.

@Gray
Even mild disruptions can keep your bladder active all night. Fragmented sleep often causes awakenings after REM sleep, making you feel like you need to pee.

Adair said:
@Gray
Even mild disruptions can keep your bladder active all night. Fragmented sleep often causes awakenings after REM sleep, making you feel like you need to pee.

So, what should I do about it?

Adair said:
@Gray
Even mild disruptions can keep your bladder active all night. Fragmented sleep often causes awakenings after REM sleep, making you feel like you need to pee.

My doctor suggested trying a CPAP machine. Do you think that could help?

@Gray
I’ve been using a CPAP for three days, and it’s been life-changing. My sleep study showed mostly hypopnea-dominant apnea, and I was skeptical. But for the first time in years, I didn’t wake up to pee last night. It’s amazing! Also, hypopnea can still be harmful—my heart rate data was scary, and the staff told me the long-term effects could be serious. Don’t underestimate it.

@Gray
It’s definitely worth trying. Even with mild apnea, frequent disruptions can significantly impact sleep quality.