Keep going to the loo in the night? Why watching too much TV could be to blame

Waking up to use the toilet several times during the night can be incredibly disruptive.

But experts have now discovered it may be linked to the amount of TV you watch.

A new study suggests that adults who spend five hours or more per day watching TV or videos are more likely to need to urinate multiple times during the night – a condition known as nocturia.

Researchers from Wenzhou Medical University in China analysed data on more than 13,000 individuals aged 20 and older.

Nearly a third of participants reported experiencing nocturia – waking up two or more times during the night to use the toilet.

Analysis revealed those who watched five or more hours of TV or videos per day had a 48 per cent higher risk of experiencing nocturia compared with those who watched TV or videos for less than one hour a day.

Writing in the journal Neurology, the researchers said: ‘As individuals increasingly engage in screen‐based activities, a comprehensive understanding of the impact of extended TV and/or video time on patterns of nocturia is crucial for both healthcare professionals and public health practitioners.

‘Our research showed that individuals who spent five or more hours a day watching TV and/or videos were significantly more likely to develop nocturia.

‘For individuals who engage in prolonged TV and/or video time, healthcare professionals can offer behavioural intervention recommendations, encouraging appropriate screen time management.’

Having to get up once during the night to use the bathroom is normal, but getting up numerous times can impact your sleep pattern and have negative knock-on effects.

It becomes more common as people get older and can also affect men with an enlarged prostate.

Other causes include underlying medical conditions, problems with the urinary tract such as kidney stones or an overactive bladder, certain medicines, sleep disorders and excessive fluid intake.

Treatment advice for nocturia include reducing your intake of caffeine, fizzy drinks and alcohol, avoiding drinking large amounts of fluid during the evening hours and avoiding a high protein diet especially late in the evening.

The team suggested this could be because people who watch this much TV per day are more likely to suffer from Type 2 diabetes – a condition which has been linked with a higher chance of nocturia.

They also said watching TV is typically linked to drinking more fluid and also to a decrease in sleep quality – both of which can lead to the need to urinate more during the night.