I’ve been on Keto over 3 months and I love it.
But I often wake up having to urinate in the middle of the night (Despite going when I’m awake and before bed). It’s more intense than I normally would have during the day.
Afterward it’s difficult to fall back asleep. What can I do to stop needing to urinate in the middle of the night to begin with? Any advice/tips would be greatly appreciated.
Welcome to the forum, Jimmy =).
Maybe you can try not to drink anything after supper time? I have always got up lots during the night to go, even pre-keto -it got worse as I had more kids, so it is normal for me. You are a man so obviously do not have that issue; but I would just suggest getting all your liquids in during the day and try not to drink any or not much after supper time, so you can fully empty your bladder before going to bed =).
Best wishes for the rest of your Keto journey, and if you have any more questions, ask away!! =).
An enlarged prostate can cause an increased need to urinate. Harmless really, but with time it gets annoying, there is a drug that will fix the problem if it gets troublesome. I don’t think it has anything to do with going Keto which should alleviate it.
I find that getting enough salt helps. Keeping carbohydrate intake low also helps.
Since the healthiest range of sodium intake has been shown by a number of studies to be 4-6 grams a day, this means that 10-15 grams of table salt (sodium chloride) is a healthy goal (this amount includes salt already present in food).
I find that when I get enough salt and keep carbs low enough, my bladder capacity increases dramatically. As a sugar burner I used to have to get up at least once during the night, often several times, but on keto, I can generally sleep soundly through the night.
I must be an old man, then. I get up every night, at least once, sometimes twice. And it doesn’t seem to matter whether I drink beforehand or not.
However, I also take a beta blocker, which is a diuretic, sometime before bed. The exact amount of time before bed depends. I’m sure that does not help things.
I also tend to eat late, and that probably does not help, either.
Thanks everyone! Very helpful points.
It is worth pointing out that this has really become an issue since starting keto. I’ve never had to wake up so bad to pee :). At the same time, it’s the only negative effect and I’m less than 4 months on keto.
I’m going to get more salt and drink the bulk of my water during the day to see if that helps. Thanks again!
Something you probably already considered
Could be coffee or caffeine?
Sensitivity increasing?
Could be flushing out more salt
Just a thought
I get up every 2 hours to pee every night. Always. Well, sometimes I only get an hour between waking. I don’t drink late at night and I get tons and tons of sodium. It’s just my life. A sad sad life. So, I have no advice, just trying to make you feel better about your situation lol.
I have done this for years too, Daisy, but I figured it was from having 5 kids, hehe =).
Welcome Aboard…
I would say to stop drinking (like others have said) by dinner time.
I have done a 24 hr dry fast. It’s weird but your body adapts and you don’t pee much.
Next, I agree with the “Add Salt” from @PaulL
But remember this. When you lose weight, the Carbon is exhaled and the liquid is peed out. That’s where the EXHAUST from the fat burning goes…
So, I assume you are posting decent numbers on the scale.
Finally, try not to get UPSET about getting up, be as chill as possible so you don’t trigger any amplification of your emotions (I used to do that), I now focus on being groggy and keeping my eyes mostly closed. Focus on your breathing, and ONLY your breathing while you are up, and until you get into bed… I found that helped me get back to sleep.
Good Luck. If you find anything that works, please share it for those that follow!
Wow. This is important. I wasn’t clear on this. To double check - are you saying that when fat is burned, we urinate the exhaust? So this is an indication I am indeed burning fat?
No - when you lose a pound of fat, you exhale 84% of it in the form of carbon (in the carbon-dioxide you exhale) and the other 16% of it is water, which you pee out (or sweat, or exhale as water vapor).
I LOVE it when I have to get up in the middle of the night to go pee, because it is a sure sign I am losing weight. About 1:30 to 2:00 AM is when it hits.
When I am stalled or losing very slowly, I never have to get up in the middle of the night. When I am on track and weight is dropping, I have that 2:00 AM really-have-to-go and it is nearly clear.
When you have the realization that the night-time peeing is a sign of success, it makes it much easier to fall back asleep because it is a welcome thing instead of an annoyance.
I think that’s the key, honestly. Keto leached all the water out of me and the first time I tried it, I actually got so dehydrated that I ended up in the ER!!! I was scared off keto for 5 years but finally started again this year. Some people do pickle juice. I use apple cider vinegar and salt in water and also lemon juice with salt and water. I also take magnesium at least once a day. Good luck!
What I always thought was strange was the reluctance of people to the idea that there is a metabolic advantage to ketosis for losing weight. To the extent we are producing ketones in our breath or urine, that’s energy that’s being lost. That’s at least some energy going away that you’re not going to get on a high carb diet. Thus, a metabolic advantage.
Yet, some people steadfastly refuse to believe this.
Hi, not sure if this will be helpful for you. When I started taking a B1 supplement, I noticed I was able to hold urine longer. Good luck. I HATE getting up to go at night, so I feel your pain.
That’s exactly what I am saying.
If you look at Fat/Glucose they are chains of C,H,O atoms. When we process them, almost ALL FUEL is the “Burning of Hydrogen” and exhaust of CO (For cars, for example).
For us, it is very similar, we break these down and end up with Extra CO2 and H2O as a side effect.
So we exhale the CO2, and pee out the H2O.
Also, remember that Glucose is stored with H2O to stop it from being sticky (like 3 H2O to one glucose molecule [Dr. Fung mentions this]). So, this is why we pee so much when we start getting into ketosis… It’s GENIUS of our bodies… They stored the FOOD with WATER. Let that sink in.
If you had NO FOOD and NO WATER, as your body taps your glycogen/glucose, it releases purified water, which your body can choose to keep, or pee out. If you are also dehydrated, it will keep it. Dry Fasting, BTW, is considered to raise your metabolism to gain access to this extra water! (I did not like dry fasting, I cramped up something fierce)…
But you got it. We exhale CO2 and we pee out the H2O, and that is how the WEIGHT leaves our body. You can search for a TEDX talk on the topic. He exhales, and freezes it in a bag. to show you what your exhale weighs…