Do you think that waking up to pee at night is just a normal part of aging?
It may be common, but it may not be normal.
Our bodies operate on circadian rhythms, an internal clock that determines when bodily processes, like sleep, like going to the bathroom, like when to wake up are supposed to happen.
In the morning, the sun coming up leads to increased light and temperature. Based on your body clock, it’s time to wake up and your energy should be at its peak. Thanks to cortisol (the “awake” hormone…aka the “stress” hormone), that gives your body an energy boost. Cortisol peaking in the morning is also linked to waking up and heading to the bathroom.
When the sun sets, the decrease in light and temperature tells the body that it is time to sleep, so your body now decreases its energy in preparation for sleeping. Cortisol should be at its lowest and melatonin, the sleep hormone, is released. Melatonin causes the parasympathetic nervous system or the “rest and digest” mode to take charge.
The parasympathetic nervous system causes changes in blood circulation to focus on the internal organs that support digestion, detoxification, circulation, and restoration. So between 10 pm and 4 am, our bodies undergo massive repair. If your sleep is disturbed during this time, this repair is disrupted and you are likely to feel unrested the next morning.
So if you wake up in the middle of the night for a bathroom run, it’s worth exploring what that may be indicating about your health.
The following indicators are worth checking out if you want to achieve the sleep that would really make you feel well-rested:
- Your blood sugar level.
- Your body’s detoxification ability
- Your emotional state.
Let’s talk about your blood sugar level first.
What happens when your blood sugar drops in the middle of the night?
Cortisol (your “awake” hormone, remember?) is released to give you energy, as I mentioned above. That’s why you wake up and pee.
Balancing your blood sugar levels will help you get a good night’s rest (it’s helpful to check at night, maybe 2 hrs after dinner, and also in the morning when you wake up and before eating or drinking anything–are either of those numbers above 100?). If not, check out the other two indicators.
Another issue worth looking into is your liver’s detoxifying capability.
You see, the liver and other organs doing the detox work at their peak from one to three in the morning. If you find yourself awake at this time, it could be that your liver and other detox organs are having a hard time doing their job. That my be caused by an overload of toxins or that they are struggling to eliminate the toxins.
The best way to support the liver is to reduce toxins coming into your body–eat organic, eat unprocessed foods, drink clean/filtered water, use non-toxic body-care products. It is also helpful to sweat via exercise, sauna, do castor oil packs, and consume detoxifying foods such as beets, lemon, grapefruit, and dandelion. Liver supplements are also beneficial and it is extremely important to have healthy, daily bowel movements.
Emotional Wellness
If your blood sugar is balanced and your liver/detox is supported, but you still cannot sleep well because of the disruptive habit of waking up to pee, then it is worthwhile to explore your emotional wellness. To manage this, consider starting a journal where you can release your thoughts and feelings before bed (or anytime, really). You may also seek professional help to deal with unresolved emotional issues (i.e. therapy, theta healing, coaching) so you can improve your sleep and live your best life.
Now, I didn’t explore sleep hygiene in this newsletter which refers to getting to bed on time, having a dark, cool, quiet sleep space, clearing electronics out of your bedroom, etc. Those are very important for getting great quality sleep! The focus of this newsletter was looking at common causes of bathroom disrupted sleep specifically, and I hope that it was helpful to you.
It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.
If you’d like to explore this topic more fully and you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!
Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).
Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!
~Rebecca
