Sleep Disorders Health Center
Why Is My Husband Urinating in Our Bedroom?
He wakes in the night needing to urinate, but doesn't make it to the bathroom. It's not uncommon, and there are steps you can take to stop it from happening.
Question:
For the past month or so, my husband has been "waking up" approximately 2 hours after falling asleep. He will get out of bed and stumble around the room briefly, which isn't my concern. My concern is that he then urinates in the bedroom; sometimes on the floor, sometimes in the dirty clothes basket and last night, on the dresser. When he gets out of bed, I will ask him what he's doing. He always says he needs to go to the bathroom, and then he will just go wherever he is. I've tried telling him to go into the bathroom, but he always thinks that he is already in the bathroom. Sometimes I will ask him if he is urinating and he always says no. He never remembers it in the morning. He's always urinated frequently during the night, as well. It doesn't hurt anyone. The only person it seems to bother is me, because I end up getting out of bed to clean up. I'm not sure if this is considered sleepwalking. Is there anything I can do to help stop this?
Answer:
This can be quite common. Here is what you may want to think about doing:
- He needs to restrict fluids before bed (4 hours before).
- He needs to try and go to the bathroom BEFORE going to bed.
- He needs to clean up his own urine; he is not a child.
- If he has alcohol before bed, this could be causing the problem.
- If he frequently goes to the restroom at night, this can be a sign of an enlarged prostate, and he needs to have that checked.
If all of this fails, he needs to see a sleep specialist and a urologist.
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