Frequent urination means needing to urinate more often than usual. Urgent urination is a sudden, compelling urge to urinate, along with discomfort in your bladder.

A frequent need to urinate at night is called nocturia. Most people can sleep for 6 to 8 hours without having to urinate. Middle aged and older men often wake to urinate once in the early morning hours.

Urgent urination; Urinary frequency or urgency

Together, frequent and urgent urination are classic signs of a urinary tract infection.

Diabetes, pregnancy, and prostate problems are other common causes of these symptoms.

Other causes include:

• Anxiety
• Enlarged prostate
• Interstitial cystitis
• Medicines such as diuretics
• Overactive bladder syndrome
• Prostatitis (infection of the prostate gland)
• Stroke and other brain or nervous system diseases
• Tumor or mass in the pelvis
• Urinary incontinence
• Vaginitis

Less common causes:

• Bladder cancer
• Bladder dysfunction
• Radiation therapy to the pelvis, used to treat certain cancers

Drinking too much before bedtime, especially caffeine or alcohol, can cause frequent urination at nighttime. Frequent urination may also simply just be a habit.

Images

Female urinary tract

Male urinary tract

Review Date: 06/17/2010
Reviewed By: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc., and Scott Miller, MD, Urologist in private practice in Atlanta, Georgia.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)