# Is it just me or are you not able to sleep unless you completely relieve your bladder? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 5, 2013, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572 "2013-12-05T13:52:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jrsone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jrsone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrsone)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/1 "2013-12-05T13:52:38Z")
It’s annoying. Even if I don’t have any real “urge” to go, but I know I could if I tried, I will not be able to go to sleep unless I go. My wife is the opposite. She can lie down, say, “I should have peed, oh well, I’ll go in the morning.” and drift off to sleep." How can that be? Am I the only one? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/2 "2013-12-05T14:45:07Z")
Not just you, and it gets worse. 15 years ago, I could go once before bed and that was it until around six AM. Now I have to go two, three, or even four times before bed before my bladder registers as “empty”. ---
**Author:** ![Inna\_Minnit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Inna\_Minnit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inna_Minnit)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/3 "2013-12-05T14:57:06Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Not just you, and it gets worse. 15 years ago, I could go once before bed and that was it until around six AM. Now I have to go two, three, or even four times before bed before my bladder registers as “empty”. Ya might want to mention that to your doctor. If you are a guy, you should definately get your prostate checked. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/4 "2013-12-05T15:19:58Z")
I’m more like OP’s wife. It’s better if I go sometime before I hit the sheets, but not imperative. And, I never have to go during the night. 52 year old male. I hope that means I’ve got a happy and healthy prostate. Maybe just a huge bladder… ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/5 "2013-12-05T15:47:09Z")
I used to be able to sleep on a completely full bladder - just bear down for a moment and tell it to shut up. In these middling years… sigh. Not so much. I can go back to sleep but I know it will wake me up again soon, so I kick MegaDog off my legs and hike to the can. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/6 "2013-12-05T16:05:49Z")
> [@Inna\_Minnit](#): > > Ya might want to mention that to your doctor. If you are a guy, you should definately get your prostate checked. Already have. Put me on a daily half-milligram Flomax. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/7 "2013-12-05T16:25:25Z")
unfortunately having a full bladder will cause dreams of going to the bathroom some of which cause me to wake in a panic because they seem so real. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/8 "2013-12-05T16:28:15Z")
> [@adhemar](#): > > unfortunately having a full bladder will cause dreams of going to the bathroom some of which cause me to wake in a panic because they seem so real. One time when I was a kid (but definitely far past the age of potty-training–I think I was about 10) I had one of those vivid dreams where you’re happily peeing away–only to awaken and find out I really did! Embarrassed the heck out of me, and from then on I was terrified it would happen again. It never did, but even after all these many years I wake up easily if I have to pee, and no matter how comfortable the bed or how cold it is out there, I get up and go. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/9 "2013-12-05T16:32:16Z")
Heh. Usually when I get those type of dreams, I either: Dream I’m peeing in a waste-bin or a laundry hamper, or Can’t find a bathroom for love nor money, or When I do find one it is indescribably gross, or It’s bizarrely laid out, for instance, the toilet is under an overhang where I can’t get to it. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/10 "2013-12-05T16:32:44Z")
Whenever I can’t sleep or I wake up at night and can’t go back to sleep, I find that if I empty my bladder there is a 90% chance of falling asleep right away. And when my kids wake up at night and tell me they can’t fall asleep, I tell them to go pee and try again, and they usually can go back to sleep once they have. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/11 "2013-12-05T16:44:05Z")
sleeping position will also affect the pressure you feel. you could not be full but still get pressure. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/12 "2013-12-05T16:53:37Z")
> [@Inna\_Minnit](#): > > Ya might want to mention that to your doctor. If you are a guy, you should definately get your prostate checked. Anyone who says female plumbing is badly designed needs to look at the idiocy of having a critical waste pipe pass through a firm organ that shrinks and hardens with age. :smack: I’ve often wondered if a permanent stent could be inserted to keep the prostate passage open wider. I’ve done a little searching but it’s apparently a touchy procedure for emergencies only. Then again, male-centric medicine sets the ‘safety’ bar to the max when it comes to their precious junk. I once had a brilliant gynecology practitioner/professor tell me that if current chemical birth control were for men, it would be banned as unsafe. (She also quoted the line that if abortion were for men, it would be a sacrament.) It seems like a teflon or titanium stent would be a permanent, or at least years-duration, solution to men’s prostate and urinary problems, and worth some small risks. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/13 "2013-12-05T20:35:38Z")
A full bladder will wake me up in the middle of the night. At bedtime I always go before I get in bed, it’s a nervous thing. If I don’t I’ll lie awake wondering how long before I need to go. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/14 "2013-12-05T21:02:34Z")
After two pregnancies and a hysterectomy I now need to get up just before turning the lights off to visit the bathroom and any time I wake up I must go to the bathroom again before going back to sleep. It’s not yet bad enough that it wakes me on it’s own but I sense that is in my future. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/15 "2013-12-05T21:32:23Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > Heh. Usually when I get those type of dreams, I either: > Dream I’m peeing in a waste-bin or a laundry hamper, or > Can’t find a bathroom for love nor money, or > When I do find one it is indescribably gross, or > It’s bizarrely laid out, for instance, the toilet is under an overhang where I can’t get to it. For me it’s a dream where I’ve peed - and STILL NEED TO. Annoying as hell until it finally gets through to the part of the brain that yells WAKE UP, YOU DUMBASS!!! But like the OP, if the bladder is even hinting at containing any liquid, it’s tough to go to sleep. I can often manage, but it’s much much harder. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/16 "2013-12-05T22:12:09Z")
… so does anybody need to have just eaten something to sleep, too? Because I do. A few bites of yogurt or half a slice of bread do fine for me, but without that, I can’t fall asleep. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/17 "2013-12-05T22:17:46Z")
It’s mostly mental, I am not “ready” to go to sleep unless I peed recently. And I may do that several times if insomnia. It’s barely full in all cases. Interestingly, I am able to hold an actually full bladder in the morning if it means more sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/18 "2013-12-05T22:22:34Z")
I can sleep without peeing - but if I think about it, I usually have to get up and go. I prefer to pee just before getting into bed to make sure this doesn’t happen. It’s much, much more restful that way. So no, you aren’t alone! ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/19 "2013-12-05T23:25:18Z")
I second what **Dervorin** said, above. Peeing is one of the absolute last things I do before going to bed - after I’ve brushed my teeth, etc. I like to avoid having to go in the middle of the night if at all possible. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572/20 "2013-12-05T23:34:58Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > A full bladder will wake me up in the middle of the night. At bedtime I always go before I get in bed, it’s a nervous thing. If I don’t I’ll lie awake wondering how long before I need to go. This is exactly me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-you-not-able-to-sleep-unless-you-completely-relieve-your-bladder/675572.md?page=2)