People that have to go to the bathroom multiple times throughout the night cost the US economy $45 billion annually because the sleep disruption leaves them more tired and sick than their peers, a new study reveals.
The urge to pee overnight is the number one most common cause of sleep loss, and is especially common among older adults.
Some 40 million adults in the US suffer so-called nocturia, including 27.5 million members of the workforce, according the new study, which was funded by a drug company that makes a drug to treat the condition.
And it links those sleepless nights to a week more missed work a year, and an economic loss of tens of billions of dollars annually.
Multiple mid-night dashes to the bathroom leave workers exhausted, less productive and more sick for work, costing the global economy billions of dollars every year
As if being underslept isn't bad enough, people suffering from nocturia wake in the middle of the night, desperate to get to the bathroom.
The causes of the urge range from simple behaviors like drinking too much water, caffeine or alcohol close to bed time to urinary tract infections or issues like an enlarged prostate for men or HRT drugs for post-menopausal women.
Aging also increases the likelihood of nocturia because the body's production of the hormone that concentrates urine starts to slow down.
In addition to the annoyance of needing to pee while you're trying to sleep, anything that disrupts slumber can have serious consequences for your next day and overall health.
Getting less than seven hours of uninterrupted sleep is associated with a higher risk of an early death, heart disease and depression, just to name a few of the conditions it may worsen.
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