Nighttime outings to the toilet can be a symptom of a common and serious health problem

Drinking too much liquid before going to bed can lead to an unwanted visit to the toilet before the morning, but some people realize that they have to go out even though they pay close attention to the amount of drinks they drink. drink. According to a new study, these boring midnight toilet trips could be an unexpected sign of high blood pressure and would also indicate a second common health problem.

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High blood pressure is known as the "silent killer" because of the often-asymptomatic experience of many people. Although the health problem may have some symptoms, they are often easily ignored or confused with something else, allowing the disease to persist until it has caused serious harm.

According to the CDC, about one in three Americans suffer from high blood pressure, but only slightly more than half of patients control it. A major problem in treating the disease is first to detect it – most people do not realize that it has it and therefore do not make the necessary lifestyle adjustments to reduce it.

A Japanese study has identified an unexpected potential symptom of high blood pressure that could help potential patients understand that they are affected: nighttime outings to the toilet. The medical term for this nocturnal activity is 'nocturie' and researchers have associated it with high blood pressure and water retention. Although an occasional episode of nocturia is not unusual, it can happen that repeated cases indicate that the visit to one's doctor is in order.

In Japan, the study involved 3,749 people who had undergone an annual medical examination in 2017. Among patients with high blood pressure, the researchers found a close connection with nocturia, which is considered a or several passages to the toilets at night. A higher number of toilet trips at night was associated with a significant increase in the risk of hypertension.

Researchers have established a link between the two, but may not be applicable to populations outside Japan, where salt consumption is more than double the global average and is associated with high rainfall. high blood pressure and withholding water.