If you need to wake up often in the night to pee, one issue may be that you are drinking too close to bedtime.

Try to drink the majority of your fluid in the first 2/3 of the day, and stop drinking in the hour or two before bed. (It is important that you drinking enough fluid overall. Adult fluid guidelines are here.)

It’s also important to avoid diuretics before bed, which can include medicines, but also certain food and drinks like hibiscus tea or alcohol. 

If you have worries about why you need to wee in the night, or have other symptoms that you're concerned about, go and see your doctor.

Alcohol and sleep are uneasy bedfellows. 

Although a sedative that many people use to fall asleep, alcohol affects sleep quality, particularly in the second half of the night, causing wakening and affecting REM or ‘dream’ sleep. Alcohol can also act as a diuretic, causing us to wake more frequently to pee…

The adult alcohol recommendation is to consume less than 14 units a week. It is also recommended to avoi alcohol within three hours of bedtime.

There is a helpful conversation between Andrew Huberman and Matt Walker, below, about the impact of alcohol on sleep, and you can also hear Dr Caitlin Chasser talk about it in our Conversation with Experts, at timestamp 45:28.

A third of nighttime wakings are due to disturbance from partners. They may be snoring, tossing and turning, getting up to pee, sleep-talking, going to bed later or getting up earlier than you.

Separate temperature ecosystems (temperature control mattress covers, separate duvets, separate beds or rooms) can be helpful, depending what is acceptable to you both. Earplugs (and a medical review for a snoring partner depending what the issue is), can also help. If your partner is waking much earlier than you, consider vibrating wrist alarms so that they don’t disturb you when their alarm goes off. 

Children can be very disruptive to sleep. Please see the Sleep Project for specific advice and training programmes, below. 

So can pets! Putting pets in other rooms, using stairgates for example, and making sure that they are warm, comfortable and fed enough so that they don’t disturb you, can be very helpful. If separation anxiety is a problem, consider formal training programmes. 

Menopausal symptoms can be very disruptive to sleep both for those experiencing them, and for their partners. 

Having separate sleep environments (separate cooling systems, separate duvets or separate beds or rooms), wearing non-sweaty fabrics and bedclothes, using chillows (or equivalents) and fans can all really help.

So can seeking medical support with menopausal symptoms, from your GP or from a menopause specialist.

 

First, try not to wake yourself up more than you have to, by keeping warm, keeping the lighting conditions dim (as long as you’re safe to move around), the noise levels low and avoid having clocks visible in the bedroom (as calculating how long you have left in bed can make you more alert.)

 

Wind down techniques include: breathwork, meditation or mindfulness techniques such as a body scan or NSDR protocol (see links below). You could also take a "mental walk" and visualise walking along a familiar walk, or cooking something, e.g. an omelette, in detail.

If you aren’t drifting off within 15-20 minutes, or are worrying about sleep, get up leave your bedroom until you feel sleepy again. During this time, you might read a book, craft, or have a gentle stretch. These techniques are particularly useful if you do them regularly at bedtime, as they can act as positive sleep associations for you. 

If this is regular or chronic, you’re not alone, and interventions like CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia) can help within weeks, so see a sleep professional or your GP.