One in three Americans over 30 wake up at least twice each night to use the restroom, studies show.

These frequent interruptions can wreak havoc on your sleep, but there are some practical ways to manage them.

Dr. Hana Patel, resident sleep expert at Mattress Online, who is based in London, provides the following tips to cut down on nightly bathroom trips to improve your rest.

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1. Train your bladder with Kegels and exercise

Patel recommends doing Kegel exercises — also known as pelvic floor muscle training — as a means of strengthening the muscles that support the bladder.

“When done right, Kegels can strengthen pelvic muscles, cutting down on the urge to go at night,” she told Fox News Digital.

The doctor also emphasized the importance of staying active overall.

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“Simple preventive measures, like regular exercise, can significantly lower the need for nighttime bathroom visits,” she said. 

Exercises that involve the lower abdomen are particularly effective, the expert noted.

2. Say no to triggering beverages

Cutting back on certain drinks can help reduce the need for nighttime bathroom trips. 

“Caffeine, alcohol, artificially sweetened and fizzy drinks are diuretics, meaning they’ll increase urine production, so I advise avoiding them where you can,” Patel said.

Cutting back on certain drinks can help reduce the need for nighttime bathroom trips, the doctor said. (iStock)

To reduce nighttime disruptions, she recommends either enjoying these beverages earlier in the day or switching to less irritating alternatives, like decaffeinated or non-alcoholic drinks.

3. Ease up on evening salt and protein

Adjusting your meal timing and composition can help reduce the need to visit the bathroom overnight, Patel said. 

“Salty and protein-rich meals can boost urine production, especially close to bedtime,” she told Fox News Digital.

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Eating these types of meals earlier in the evening or at lunch instead of dinner can prevent increased nighttime trips to the bathroom without having to give up those foods entirely, the doctor added.

4. Limit the TV, and keep your feet up

A recent study found that adults who spend five or more hours a day watching TV or videos are 48% more likely to experience nocturia (frequent urination at night) compared to those with less than an hour of screen time. 

For those who spend long periods of time in front of the TV, the doctor suggests setting limits and elevating the legs when possible. (iStock)

It’s long been known that no amount of alcohol is good for the body — and now new research spotlights the potential harm it can cause.

More than 5% of all cancer cases are caused by drinking alcohol, according to the Cancer Progress Report 2024 from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

Among the modifiable risk factors for cancer, alcohol is the third biggest, behind obesity (7.6% of cases) and cigarette smoking (19.3%).

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“Excessive levels of alcohol consumption increase the risk for six different types of cancer, including certain types of head and neck cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and breast, colorectal, liver and stomach cancers,” said Rajarshi Sengupta, PhD, lead author of the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2024, in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.

“Further, research shows that alcohol intake at an early age can increase the risk of cancer later in life.”

Based on these findings, limiting or eliminating alcohol can reduce the risk of developing alcohol-related cancers by 8% and the risk of all cancers by 4%, the report noted.

Addiction expert warns of risks

There has been a “roller coaster of information” about whether alcohol is harmful, according to addiction psychiatrist Dr. Adam Scioli of Caron Treatment Centers in Pennsylvania.

“There have even been reports for years that it could be beneficial for one’s health — but we know now that alcohol ingestion is one of the modifiable risk factors for cancer,” Scioli, who is not affiliated with AACR, told Fox News Digital.

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Around 75,000 Americans each year are diagnosed with a cancer that is linked in some way to alcohol use, according to Scioli. 

The more someone drinks — both in volume and frequency — the higher the risk, he warned.

Among the modifiable risk factors for cancer, alcohol is the third biggest, behind obesity (7.6% of cases) and cigarette smoking (19.3%). (iStock)

“Alcohol is a toxin,” Scioli said. 

“We’ve long known that it impacts any number of organs, essentially starting with the brain and working its way down to the colorectal system.”

Is there a ‘safe’ amount?

Moderate alcohol use is defined as one drink or less in one day for women. 

For men, it is two drinks or fewer per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“We’ve long known that alcohol impacts any number of organs, starting with the brain and working its way down to the colorectal system.”

“Drinking alcohol in moderation may increase your overall risks of death and chronic disease,” the agency stated on its website.

“Even low levels of alcohol use (less than one drink per day) can raise the risk of certain cancers.”

Scioli agreed, emphasizing that “we can definitely say there’s no added health benefit to ingestion of alcohol.”

“The line between safety and danger is debatable, and is different for each person.”

While risk factors like tobacco use are widely known, public awareness about the link between alcohol and cancer is still low, according to Sengupta.

Moderate alcohol use is defined as one drink or less in one day for women, and two drinks or fewer for men, per the CDC. (iStock)

Most Americans (51%) are not aware that alcohol increases cancer risk, per AACR data.

“It’s been flying under the radar for far too long — especially given the number of Americans who have met the criteria for alcohol use disorder, which is around 29 million Americans in 2023,” said Scioli.

What needs to change?

The good news, according to Scioli, is that with modifiable risk factors like alcohol, reducing the intake decreases the risk. 

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As the report stated, those who are successful in decreasing their drinking or abstaining below those moderate risk levels will see a risk reduction in overall cancers, he noted.

Around 75,000 Americans each year are diagnosed with a cancer that is linked in some way to alcohol use, an expert said. (iStock)

“We need to do a much better job of making the public aware of the risks inherent in drinking — particularly moderate to heavy drinking,” Scioli said. 

“And we need to make the public aware that there are mechanisms by which they can access help if they are unable to moderate their drinking or quit on their own.”

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To help raise awareness, Sengupta of the AACR called for public messaging campaigns, “such as cancer-specific warning labels displayed on alcoholic beverages.”

Along with that, she told Fox News Digital, “effective clinical strategies that reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption must be considered to reduce the burden of alcohol-related cancers.”

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