No one likes having to get up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet … and no one dislikes it more than grey nomads who may have to face a Portaloo, a spooky walk to the drop toilet, or worse.
Most caravanners and motorhomers will have tried a variety of methods to reduce their night-time excursions, most commonly to cut the number of late evening drinks they enjoy. However, for most, it seems that middle-of-the-night loo trips are one of those things that fall into the category of ‘the-more-you-try-to-avoid them-the-worse-the-problem-gets’.
But science may have finally unlocked the secret to avoiding that horrific feeling of knowing you ‘have to go’, while desperately trying to at least postpone the call of nature for a few extra seconds of warm and cosy bed-bound luxury.
According to Japanese research, reducing the amount of salt in your diet can significantly reduce the number of trips you take to the toilet, both during the day and at night.
The need to wee at night is actually a condition called nocturia, which affects most people over the age of 60. As it takes people away from all-important deep sleep, it can lead to stress, irritability or tiredness.)
But, for sufferers, help could be at hand.
The Japanese researchers reduced the salt intake of 321 Japanese people over a 12-week period and recorded a clear reduction in the number of toilet trips required.
They told the European Society of Urology congress in London that, of the 223 people who were able to lower their intake from an average of 10.7 grams per day to 8.0 grams per day, trips to the loo dropped from 2.3 times a night to 1.4 times.
On the other hand, 98 people actually increased their average salt intake from 9.6 grams per night to 11 grams, and reported an increase in toilet trips from 2.3 to 2.7 times per night.
“This is an important aspect of how patients potentially can help themselves to reduce the impact of frequent urination,” Marcus Drake, working group lead for the European Association of Urology Guidelines Office Initiative on Nocturia, said. “Research generally focuses on reducing the amount of water a patient drinks, and the salt intake is generally not considered.”
The National Health and Medical Research Council recommend 1.15–2.3 grams of salt per day, but most Australian adults have a daily salt intake of about 10 grams.
· Do you dread your night-time toilet trips? How do you try to reduce the numbers of these trips? Comment below.
I find 3 glasses of wine, preferably red does the trick. The problem is at free site you need to keep your wits about you and drinks are limited to 1 and we use our portaloo in the caravan.