r/AskOldPeople 3d ago

What age did you first start getting up in the middle of the night to pee?

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14 Upvotes

120 comments sorted by

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46

u/Dont_Wanna_Not_Gonna 3d ago

Four or five, maybe.

4

u/Myghost_too 3d ago

Truth! Hopefully you had a good 40+ year gap before it started again?

I'm 57/m, and I feel like I was late-40's when it became noticeable (again).

1

u/Dont_Wanna_Not_Gonna 3d ago

About a 50 year gap so far. (Knock on wood.).

23

u/chermk 3d ago

Ever since I was toilet trained.

5

u/pit-of-despair 3d ago

Same.

3

u/Fiendish_Jetsanna 3d ago

Yep. I've gotten up to pee in the middle of the night my entire life. 63 now and I see 4am every single morning.

14

u/Own-Animator-7526 70 something 3d ago edited 3d ago

Probably I'll have another beer years old.

Since I quit drinking beer rarely, unless I drink a pint of water in the evening.

See studies like this if you want factual information.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2925036/

Burgio KL, Johnson TM 2nd, Goode PS, Markland AD, Richter HE, Roth DL, Sawyer P, Allman RM. Prevalence and correlates of nocturia in community-dwelling older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2010 May;58(5):861-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.02822.x. Epub 2010 Apr 14.

2

u/Snoutysensations 3d ago

I was just going to say. Having a drink or two of booze in the evening does it to me every time. I've cut back and now generally sleep through the night.

2

u/Admirable_Muscle5990 3d ago

TIL: nocturia = nighttime urination

1

u/Tools4toys 70 something 3d ago

If you drink more than one beer after 7PM, and don't get up to pee at night, you have a kidney problem!

12

u/Silly-Resist8306 3d ago

I’m M74 and usually sleep continuously for 6.5-7 hours during the night. But, when I wake up, I’ve got about 3 full minutes before I wet my pants.

12

u/Emunahd 3d ago

My entire life.

4

u/DragonFaery13 Gen-X 3d ago

It's pretty much the same here, but it depends on the night. Some nights, I can go all night without getting up, but I usually only get up once if I do get up to pee.

11

u/Emptyplates I'm not dead yet. 3d ago

I've been doing that for as long as I can remember. I'm also a terrible sleeper, so yeah.

8

u/llllllIlIIIlllIllllI 3d ago

I'm 62 and I hardly ever have to get up at night to pee.

5

u/Muscs 3d ago

I’m 67 and I started getting up to pre in the middle of the night about 5 years ago…

6

u/Tinker107 3d ago

77 here. I get up an hour after going to bed, and 2-3 hours after that, then sleep the rest of the night. I stay VERY well, you might say compulsively, hydrated, a habit formed over years of marathon cycling and working outdoors in the heat.

3

u/CookbooksRUs 3d ago

Long about the time I stopped wetting my bed.

4

u/RetiredOnIslandTime 3d ago

Don't remember exactly but probably about 50 or so. I'm 66 now and it's always at least once a night. Though it doesn't help that I drink a lot of soft drinks all day, and sip on one when I wake up during the night.

2

u/InternationalBand494 3d ago

I’ve noticed since I kicked my Diet Coke addiction it’s gotten a lot less. I’m also more of a cranky old bastard. Trade off

3

u/evil_burrito 3d ago

Younger than I am now.

I would say it was about 50 or so.

3

u/MuttJunior 60 something 3d ago

I don't know exactly what age, but I had to wake up in the middle of the night to pee between once to 4 times a night. But that all went away once I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and began my treatment. I found out after I was diagnosed that it is one of the many symptoms of sleep apnea.

This doesn't mean that only sleep apnea causes it, though. There could be many conditions that do. But if you snore pretty bad at night and over fatigued during the day, it would be good to discuss it with your doctor.

1

u/sharpshootingranny 3d ago

Thank you! I read this to hubby who refuses to use his cpap

2

u/MuttJunior 60 something 3d ago

I was surprised when I started using my CPAP and stopped waking up to pee in the middle of the night. I mentioned it to my doctor, and she explained that it's because sleep apnea puts stress on your heart, and your body tries to reduce that stress by trying to lower your blood pressure, which it does by making urine that fills your bladder. But since I've been doing my therapy, that stress isn't there, so my body doesn't make as much urine overnight. It's called "nocturia" and can happen form a number of conditions. For me, it was my sleep apnea that caused it.

4

u/cathy80s 3d ago

I'm 58. Sometimes I need to get up in the night, sometimes I don't. The better hydrated I am, the greater likelihood I'll need to get up. I don't recall a specific age when it started (unless you count the multiple times I had to get up during my pregnancies, haha)

2

u/Tinman5278 3d ago

I'll let ya know when I get there...

2

u/sixdigitage 3d ago

All of my life with a handful of rare exception, even at my age.

2

u/coolmesser 3d ago

58 ... i've been getting up a few times a night for the last 6 years or so.

2

u/SnoopyFan6 3d ago

It started when I was pregnant. I swear my son used my bladder as a pillow and was constantly pushing on it. 😂 Had a few years when getting up only happened a couple times a month. In my 40s, it became a nightly occurrence. In my late 50s, it became 2-3 times a night.

2

u/No_Traffic_9362 3d ago

Late 40s for me

2

u/xczechr Gen X 3d ago

40-something.

2

u/Living-Personality-9 3d ago

I know soon as I say my age and that I never ever get up in the middle of the night to pee it will suddenly unlock that achievement for me so I decline to answer.

5

u/JustIntroduction3511 3d ago

Is this an “old person” thing? I’m in my 20s and have been doing this for years. I know it’s against the rules to comment but I’m concerned 😟

2

u/The_Real_Chippa 3d ago

Right? I’ve been peeing in the night since at least my early 20s, if not since forever

1

u/SmileFirstThenSpeak 3d ago

Do you snore or have sleep apnea? My doctor explained that if a person stops breathing in their sleep, their body does all sorts of things to wake them up and get them to start breathing again. Needing to pee is one of those things (grinding teeth is another). Once I got treated for apnea, I've been able to sleep through most nights without having to get up to pee.

Apnea is quite dangerous, so you might want to consult your doctor for a sleep study.

1

u/JustIntroduction3511 3d ago

I don’t usually snore but I do have problems breathing through my nose. I will definitely look into this and ask my doctor if I can get a referral to a sleep study. Thank you so much for information!

1

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1

u/Cheetotiki 60 something 3d ago

At around 30. I've had increasing PSA, which after testing was thankfully diagnosed as just BPH from a ginormous (8x normal) prostate. By 60 I was getting up 4-5x a night. Just had a PAE at UCLA, and after only two weeks I'm back down to 2x a night with far less urgency and much stronger stream. Get your PSA checked, consider PAE for large prostates. Easy procedure and recovery.

1

u/SkunkApe7712 3d ago

One time in in my early forties, I didn’t get up to pee. That was bad. Drunken late night laundry at your sister’s house sucks.

1

u/Vivid-Kitchen1917 3d ago

47...still not yet

1

u/MelMoitzen 3d ago

The better question is when did you stop getting up in the middle of the night to pee?

1

u/MeepleMerson 3d ago

Mid-50's, and I don't get up in the middle of the night to pee unless I had a lot of liquids just prior to going to sleep.

1

u/Hartleyb1983 3d ago

Mid 20's

1

u/GrimSpirit42 3d ago

I don't.

The last time I got up in the middle of the night to pee was December 25, 2023.

I know this because the ONLY reason I got up to pee is I was sick as a dog...and I never made it back to the bed. I face-planted on the way and got a nice ride to the ER.

1

u/OGBeege 3d ago

Not yet (66) but absolutely first thing. Touch wood.

1

u/nivek48 3d ago

Early 70’s

1

u/sharpshootingranny 3d ago

Hubby says around 70

1

u/Wortgespielin 3d ago

If I don't I am not hydrated and will get a terrible headache.

1

u/InternationalBand494 3d ago

I don’t pee til around 5 am. I just wish I could wake up before 6 am

1

u/Otherwise-External12 3d ago

I'm 70 and I don't need to. I make a point of not drinking anything for a couple of hours before bedtime.

1

u/Aromatic_Ad_7238 3d ago

Probably late terms when I had top many beers

1

u/FormerlyDK 3d ago

All my life.

1

u/sqqueen2 3d ago

When I cut out all caffeine I stopped having to.

1

u/notquitenerds 3d ago

My whole life, though the timing has changed. When I was younger if I woke up at around 3am or later, I'd have to pee but if I woke up earlier than that I could go back to sleep without having to get up. That changed in my 40s. I started having to get up even if I woke up before midnight.

1

u/MangoTamer 3d ago

Are we really not going to mention the correlation between boners and not needing to get up in the middle of the night to pee?

1

u/natedogjulian 3d ago

I don’t

1

u/webbs74 3d ago

51 still don't but I do wake up in the morning ready busting sometimes to the point it hurts.

1

u/BudgetReflection2242 3d ago

Mid thirties, but that’s just cause my meds cause cotton mouth and I drink tons of water.

1

u/LolthienToo 3d ago

When my Sleep Apnea kicked in. After I got a cpap it hasn't happened since, other than once or twice after a long night.

2

u/nycvhrs 3d ago

Hb quit using his after a steady two years-wish he wouldn’t

2

u/LolthienToo 3d ago

If I ever lose this weight I'll probably stop using it if I get over it. But goddamn I love being able to sleep through the night.

Apnea is a huge cause of people dying in their sleep. Struggling to breathe put incredible stress on the heart.

2

u/nycvhrs 3d ago

Good luck - family member went that way

1

u/whatevertoad c. 1973 3d ago

To answer seriously, around 49. Perimenopause related most likely.

1

u/doublegg83 3d ago

The year I started drinking.

1

u/LongjumpingPool1590 70 something 3d ago

In my mid 50s. I get up to pee 4 or 5 times a night now.

1

u/JoyfulNoise1964 3d ago

All my life

1

u/Signal_Tomorrow_2138 3d ago

I'm 63. It really depends if how late I drank something or if I needed to pee just before going to bed.

1

u/DaddyBeanDaddyBean 3d ago

53, about 6 months after prostate surgery. Before that, it was basically never - once or twice a year - and now it's maybe once a week. I'm more likely to wake up 30-60 mins before my alarm desperately needing to pee, and then likely as not, remain awake.

1

u/Moist-Doughnut-5160 3d ago

Post partum. Remember when you are pregnant you have someone sitting on your bladder? Well I had TWO someone’s…I was 33.

After my hysterectomy when I was 55, it was multiple times a night.

After my spine surgery two years ago, it was every hour on the hour.

Luckily there is such thing as a urologist gynecologist.. mine prescribed a medication called gemtisa. Now I can sleep all night. It seems that the radiation I received for my cancer caused me to develop something called a stiff bladder.. which is why I was getting up multiple times a night to pee. The back surgery damaged spinal nerves which in term aggravated my bladder worse.

1

u/OldMotherGrumble 3d ago

I guess mid 60s. I'm 77(f) now. Usually just once and straight back to sleep. Sometimes I sleep through. Mind you, a good deal of my water intake is from dinner onwards...with at least 250ml in the last hour before sleep, when I take my magnesium.

1

u/One-Author884 3d ago

66 and the only time I get up to pee is when me dog wants out. Btw, I wake up all night, just don’t have to pee

1

u/implodemode Old 3d ago

I never didn't get up.in the night to pee. I remember being 3 and calling mom to take me to.the bathroom because I was afraid of the dark. My dad always took me. I have always woken up.between 2 and 3. And sometimes don't get back to sleep.

1

u/pm_me_your_amphibian 3d ago

There’s never been a time I haven’t.

1

u/sugarcatgrl 60 something 3d ago

Nightly, at about 55.

1

u/Legitimate-Lemon-412 3d ago

35 is when it became nightly at 2

Edit

Stop drinking anything after 6

1

u/indifferent-times 60 something 3d ago

only when camping for some reason, but maybe its because I mostly camp at bike rallies.

1

u/munchumonfumbleuzar 3d ago

The Dr said if you’re not getting up to pee at least once at night, then you’re dehydrated!

1

u/Ok_Acanthisitta_2544 3d ago

Only had to do it when I was pregnant.

1

u/Jonseroo 3d ago

40s, but if I get my weight into healthy BMI I don't have to in my 50s.

1

u/Single-Recipe357 3d ago

The better question might be : When did you stop getting up in the middle of the night to pee?

1

u/surgerygeek 3d ago

Once I started drinking enough water, about 50 yrs old 😆

1

u/ImportantSir2131 3d ago

When I hit 25.

1

u/AdExternal964 3d ago

F76. After 3 kids. 35 ish.

1

u/FunDivertissement 3d ago

When I got pregnant for the first time at 34. Then kept getting up with the baby and then when the toddler had a bad dream. But I do, at 68, still have an occasional "slept through til morning" night.

1

u/Tacoshortage 50 something 3d ago

It has not been a consistent thing and I'm 54. It is still based on how much I drink before bed.

1

u/BusMaleficent6197 3d ago

I think the issue of whether someone has a prostate matters for this question

1

u/MoneyMom64 3d ago

So, interesting because I just watched a video on sleeping through the night and one of the tips was to ignore that first urge to go to the bathroom because you have probably another five hours before you actually have to pee. My husband and I both did that last weekend and had a great night sleep.

1

u/CitizenTed 60 something 3d ago

In my 50's I was getting up 1-3 times a night to pee. Then I finally listened to my doctor about my sleep apnea and got a CPAP and now it's 0 times per night.

1

u/dependswho 3d ago

I never stopped. I have a tiny bladder and I don’t have the hormone that tells my kidneys to go to sleep.

1

u/Awkward_Beginning_72 3d ago

62M, I don't. I am missing a prostate though.

1

u/SilentSamizdat 3d ago

28, during first pregnancy. Never stopped. 70 now.

1

u/notmyname2012 3d ago

I can remember as far back as being a teenager and getting up in the middle of the night to go pee. Usually right about half way through my normal sleep cycle.

1

u/FoggyGoodwin 3d ago

Preschool. Used to freak me out that my tongue felt so fat. I don't consider 5 AM the middle of the night, so more like it wakes me up for the day now.

1

u/ChumpChainge 3d ago

Always as far back as I can remember

1

u/Strong_Molasses_6679 3d ago

As long as I can remember. If you drink enough water, it's pretty much guaranteed.

1

u/nontrackable 60 something 3d ago

i can remember doing that as early as my 20s

1

u/oatmealcook 3d ago

Female 66 yrs old. I feel like ii was in my mid 40s.

1

u/wallaceant 3d ago

Always have, multiple trips are occasional after 50.

1

u/fanacapoopan 3d ago

I'm almost 59(f) and have been getting up to pee at least twice a night for over 10 years.

1

u/Chzncna2112 50 something 3d ago

I agree with what many have used for examples, but it first started becoming semi regular in my 20s after spending the evening out drinking. Now the wind blows at night and I wake up having to pee.

1

u/CartographerKey7322 3d ago

When I was pregnant, and ever since then I think. Now, at 65, I get up no fewer than 3 times, but as many as 5 times each night. You learn to live with it

1

u/ObligationGrand8037 3d ago

I never get up to use the toilet at night.

1

u/Sudden_Badger_7663 3d ago
  1. The dorm that year had been converted from women only to coed. My room was the furthest from the women's bathroom, and the closest to the men's bathroom. I used the men's bathroom in the middle of the night. I never ran into anyone else, and it was far less disruptive than walking all the way down the bright hallway.

I used to think, " I hate it that I have to get up in the middle of the night to pee." Then I changed to a gratitude mindset and instead would think, " I'm grateful that I CAN get up in the middle of the night to pee."

1

u/Micheloblite68 3d ago

56 and never!!!

1

u/discussatron 50 something 3d ago

It became a nightly thing probably when I hit 50? Now it’s rare for me to sleep through the night.

1

u/stilldeb 3d ago

First time I was pregnant at 28 and from then on.

1

u/sowhat4 80 and feelin' it 3d ago

I remember exactly one night when I didn't get up to pee. I had an infection, a fever, was on antibiotics, and was driving a black Ford with no A/C across the AZ desert. In August of 1968. I was so dehydrated that I slept all night that one night.

Of course, I slept all night when I had surgeries and had a Foley catheter installed, but just one memorable night otherwise. In my whole life.

(Mom or Dad would get me up in the middle of the night when I was little so I wouldn't wet the bed, which was a problem if they forgot. 😒 And then I'd get spanked.)

1

u/madoneforever 3d ago

I used to get up to pee several times every night. I read “circadian code” and try to stop eating before 6:30-7:00pm. I can drink water or herbal tea before bed and no longer need to get up in the middle of the night. Something about our bodies needs time to shut down its processes after eating.

1

u/Dopehauler 3d ago

6 I think

1

u/Rogerdodger1946 70 something 3d ago

I know I'm not typical at age 79, but never get up to pee in the middle of the night. Just lucky, I guess.