What is frequent urination?
Frequent urination is when you need to pee too many times throughout the day or night. It’s inconvenient and disruptive to your daily life. It’s a common complaint among all people, regardless of sex or gender.
Frequent urination is a symptom of many different conditions and can have a wide variety of treatments. It can be a symptom of pregnancy or a urinary tract infection, or more serious or long-lasting conditions like diabetes, overactive bladder or prostate issues.
In many cases, your healthcare provider can help relieve frequent peeing by treating the underlying condition.
Frequent urination at night
It’s common to occasionally wake up at night to pee. In fact, it’s normal to get up to urinate. In general, you can expect to pee once a night in your 40s and 50s, twice a night in your 60s and 70s and even two to three times a night in your 80s and beyond. But waking up too often in the night can keep you from getting enough sleep and is sometimes a sign of a health condition. This type of frequent urination is called nocturia. Some serious conditions — like heart failure, edema (swelling) in your legs and sleep disorders — are more likely to cause frequent urination at night.
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What’s normal and how many times is too frequent to urinate?
Most people pee about seven to eight times per day, on average. If you feel the need to pee much more than that, or if you’re getting up every hour or 30 minutes to go, you might be frequently urinating. This can still be considered “normal,” though, especially if you’re drinking lots of fluids or taking certain medications. What matters most is what’s typical for you.
You’re more likely to frequently urinate if you:
- Are pregnant.
- Are over 70 years old.
- Have an enlarged prostate.
