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If you have control over your bladder but wake up to use the bathroom several times during the night, you're experiencing what's known as "nocturia," or an overproduction of urine at night. Those who experience this nocturnal polyuria produce a nighttime urine volume that's greater than 20 to 30 percent of the total 24-hour urine volume.
While most individuals with nocturia simply wake up to use the bathroom, there's always the possibility of missing your body's signal and not making it in time, resulting in nighttime wetting. If you begin to experience nocturia, the first thing you should do is contact your healthcare provider. Before talking to your doctor, keep track of how frequently you get up to go during the night, roughly how much urine you typically pass, whether you're experiencing bladder control issues, and how you feel after going (for example, does your bladder feel completely empty?). While you and your healthcare provider work toward a solution, it's a good idea to use protective bedding or undergarments in case you sleep through your body's signals.
Taking care of an elderly or disabled family member is a demanding job that requires a lot of time, patience, and physical strength. The heavy lifting, frequent turning, and assisting with toileting needs can all place caregivers at risk for physical problems. For this reason, it's important that caregivers remember to take care of themselves.
One way of doing this is taking steps to make the job less taxing. Selecting absorbent undergarments that are easy to put on and take off will make the task of replacing them less physically challenging. For patients with light to moderate incontinence, try incontinence pads like Tena Pads or Prevail Bladder Control Pads. This type of product works with normal underwear by adhering to it, making replacement quick and easy. For patients with heavy incontinence, protective briefs like those made by Molicare and Attends provide a high level of protection and the convenience of refastening tabs.
Choosing disposable products over reusables that require washing can also make caregiving easier. For nighttime protection, products like Chux and Prevail disposable underpads save you from constantly doing laundry, which helps preserve your valuable energy. While they're not disposable, vinyl mattress covers and pillow covers also help cut down on laundry, as they can simply be wiped clean when soiled.
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