There might not be one best sleeping position to reduce symptoms of overactive bladder. But if you often wake up at night to use the bathroom, certain habits and medical treatments can help reduce the frequency.

Overactive bladder (OAB) is a group of urinary symptoms, the most prominent of which is a sudden, urgent need to urinate.

A large 2025 research review estimates that OAB affects about 20% of people worldwide.

When you have OAB, your bladder muscles involuntarily contract even when your bladder isn’t full. While the exact cause is unknown, OAB may result from improper signaling between your brain and your bladder, or it may be caused by bladder muscles that are too active.

Living with OAB can greatly affect your quality of life since you might find it hard to do your daily activities without frequent trips to the bathroom. And because the urge to urinate can come on suddenly, you might feel anxious when you’re not close to a bathroom.

This condition can also affect your sleep. It’s estimated that half of people who have bladder urgency during the day also experience nocturia, which involves waking up multiple times per night to urinate. Interrupted sleep can have negative effects on your physical and mental health.

If you have OAB, you may be wondering whether certain sleeping positions could help reduce your need to urinate at night. Keep reading as we explore this topic, as well as other ways to promote a good night’s sleep with OAB.

There’s not currently much specific research into the best sleeping position for OAB. A good general rule is to choose a position that’s comfortable for you, leads to restful sleep, and doesn’t lead to pain when you wake up in the morning.

There are a few points about OAB, sleep, and body position that are important to know. Let’s explore these now.

Try side sleeping for sleep apnea

Sleep apnea has been linked to OAB symptoms in both men and women. This connection may be due to the effects of apnea events, which can cause low oxygen levels in body tissues, including those in the urinary system. However, more research is still needed.

If you have sleep apnea and OAB, sleeping on your side may help reduce some of your symptoms. Some research has estimated that a change from back sleeping to side sleeping can eliminate sleep apnea symptoms in about 20% of people.

Treating sleep apnea can also help reduce OAB symptoms. A 2021 study found that participants who used continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices or had surgery to treat sleep apnea had a significant reduction in OAB symptoms.

Adjust your daytime body positioning

It may seem counterintuitive, but adjusting your body position during the day might benefit your sleep at night.

Lying down after being upright all day can actually contribute to increased urination. Fluid can build up in your legs while you’re upright, and when you lie down, that fluid gets distributed throughout your body in your bloodstream. This can contribute to greater urine production because your kidneys filter excess fluid out of your bloodstream.

A small 2009 study involving men with nocturia found that fluid buildup in the legs during the day was associated with increased urine volume at night.

Elevating your legs throughout the day and wearing compression socks may help reduce nighttime bathroom trips by redistributing fluids into your bloodstream instead of letting them build up in your legs.

This may be particularly helpful if you have OAB and another health condition that causes fluid buildup in your legs and ankles, such as:

As with sleeping positions, there’s not really any research into what type of mattress is best for OAB. When looking for a mattress, it’s important to find one that maximizes comfort while supporting your body.

Research from 2015 suggests that a medium-firm mattress is best for sleep quality, comfort, and spinal support. But you’ll also need to account for your specific needs, such as:

  • the position you sleep in
  • your body type
  • whether you share your bed with a partner
  • whether you have preexisting neck or back pain
  • your price range

Some people with OAB may experience urge incontinence. When this happens, a strong urge to urinate comes on, and urine leaks out before you can get to the bathroom.

If you’re experiencing urge incontinence due to OAB, you might consider using protective products for your bed and mattress. Examples include:

Here are some steps you can take to help reduce the need to pee at night due to OAB:

  • Reduce your fluid intake in the evening: While it’s important to stay hydrated during the day, try to limit your intake of fluids (especially ones that contain alcohol and caffeine) in the 2 to 4 hours before you go to bed.
  • Empty your bladder twice before bed: Some people with OAB have trouble fully emptying their bladder. Double voiding (emptying your bladder twice) can help. Before going to bed, empty your bladder once, wait several minutes, and then try again.
  • Avoid triggers: Some foods and drinks may irritate your bladder and increase your need to urinate. Consider avoiding the following foods and drinks, especially later in the day:
    • alcohol
    • coffee
    • tea
    • soda and other carbonated drinks
    • beverages made with artificial sweeteners
    • chocolate
    • acidic foods, such as citrus fruits and tomatoes
    • spicy foods

Because coping with nocturia due to OAB can be stressful, it’s a good idea to take other steps to promote restful sleep. Here are a few strategies to consider:

  • Set up a sleep schedule and a relaxing bedtime routine that you can stick to.
  • Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, and at a comfortable temperature if possible.
  • Limit or avoid the use of TVs, cellphones, and computers or tablets in your bedroom.
  • Keep the path to the bathroom clear in case you need to get up to urinate at night.

If you have OAB, medical treatments and lifestyle strategies can help you manage it.

Sticking to your OAB treatment plan can help you prevent frequent trips to the bathroom, both during the day and at night. Let’s take a look at some of the treatment options.

At-home strategies

Here are some steps you can take at home to manage OAB:

  • Reduce your fluid intake: Reducing your fluid intake to 6 to 8 glasses of water per day can reduce the amount of urine you produce. You can also consider not drinking too much water close to bedtime. But it’s still important to stay hydrated, so follow your doctor’s instructions on fluid intake carefully.
  • Avoid triggers: As mentioned above, certain foods and drinks can irritate your bladder and make your symptoms worse. Consider limiting or avoiding any known triggers.
  • Avoid smoking: Smoking cigarettes increases your risk of many health conditions and can irritate your bladder. If you smoke, consider talking with a doctor about developing a quit plan that you can stick to. Quitting can be difficult, but a doctor can help you create a plan that works for you.
  • Practice bladder training: Bladder training, which involves urinating on a regular schedule, can help increase your bladder capacity. You’ll usually start with a short interval, such as 30 minutes, and gradually increase the time between trips to the bathroom, sometimes up to several hours.
  • Do pelvic floor exercises: Pelvic floor exercises, such as Kegels, can strengthen your pelvic floor muscles so that you can better hold in urine and suppress urinary urgency. You can ask your doctor to recommend a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor therapy.

Keeping a bladder diary to track when you need to urinate can help you learn more about how factors such as fluid intake and foods affect your symptoms. It can also help you track your progress on bladder training.

Medical treatments

Some prescription medications are available to help with OAB. A doctor may recommend them when at-home strategies are not helping to manage your symptoms.

Medications for OAB may come in the form of pills, a gel, or a transdermal patch. Examples include:

  • antimuscarinics, such as oxybutynin (Ditropan) and tolterodine (Detrol)
  • beta-3 agonists, such as mirabegron (Myrbetriq)

These medications work by blocking certain types of nerve impulses to your bladder muscles to help prevent the muscles from contracting when they shouldn’t.

If at-home care and medications don’t help reduce your symptoms, your doctor might recommend other medical treatments for OAB, such as:

  • Botox injections into your bladder muscle
  • stimulation of the nerve pathways that serve your bladder
  • surgery to increase bladder capacity or reroute the flow of urine

Sleep is important for both your physical and mental health. Inadequate sleep can affect your alertness and memory, increase your stress levels, and raise your risk of health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

If OAB symptoms are causing you to wake up frequently to use the bathroom at night, consider making an appointment with a doctor. They can recommend methods to help reduce your urinary frequency.

It’s also a good idea to talk with a doctor if the strategies you’re currently using to prevent nocturia become less effective or stop working. You may need to adjust your OAB treatment plan.

Many people with OAB experience nocturia, which is frequent urination at night. There’s no single sleeping position that’s optimal for OAB. Generally, it’s best to choose one that’s comfortable for you and promotes good sleep.

Side sleeping may be the best option if you have both OAB and sleep apnea. Elevating your legs throughout the day might also help reduce the need to urinate at night.

Other ways to reduce nocturia with OAB include limiting your fluid intake in the evening and emptying your bladder twice before bed. Treatments such as bladder training, pelvic floor exercises, and medications can help reduce your overall OAB symptoms.

Talk with a doctor if OAB is interfering with your sleep or if your methods of managing nocturia have become less effective. A doctor may be able to recommend other ways to reduce the frequency of urination at night.