How To Sleep With UTI Discomfort?

If you’ve ever had a urinary tract infection (UTI), you’re familiar with the discomfort they cause. The symptoms of a UTI may seem to be more noticeable as you’re winding down to go to bed.

UTIs don’t actually get worse at night, but they do feel worse at night. This is partly because you’re not engaged in other activities that can take your mind off your symptoms. You’re also tired at night, so you may be more likely to feel frustrated and annoyed by the pain and discomfort from a urinary tract infection.

How To Sleep With a UTI?

You can use some simple techniques to reduce symptoms and get better sleep during a UTI:

Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated can help with UTI discomfort [1]. Urine that is more diluted may be less likely to result in pain with urination. It can also help flush bacteria out of the urinary tract and speed up recovery. Stick with non-caffeinated beverages, since those can keep you awake. Alcoholic drinks, coffee, and soft drinks that contain caffeine or citrus juice may irritate the bladder and exacerbate symptoms.

Try to taper off your fluid consumption after dinner. Too much water in the evening may mean you’re up multiple times per night to go to the bathroom.

Empty Your Bladder

Along with not drinking water a few hours before sleep, it’s a good idea to make a final bathroom stop before you get into bed. Try to completely empty your bladder. This will reduce the likelihood of the sensation of irritation caused by pressure inside the bladder. Limiting that discomfort and preventing the need for frequent urination can give you more uninterrupted sleep.

Emptying your bladder completely every time you pee may help prevent future UTIs [2].

Heating Pads

A heating pad over your abdomen can offer instant relief from UTI discomfort [3]. The warmth relaxes muscles, reduces fluid retention, and promotes circulation, all of which can help with UTI pain.

You should only use an electric heating pad while you’re awake; keeping a heating pad on during the night is a fire risk. If you want all-night heat relief, you can try a stick-on heat pad from the drugstore. They are designed to provide gentle warmth over many hours.

Over-The-Counter Pain Relievers

Over-the-counter medicine can dampen pain, so you can sleep with a UTI. You can use common pain medicines like acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Over-the-counter phenazopyridine is a medication that specifically resists pain in the urinary tract and is a common remedy for UTI pain.