It's 2am, you've just woken up, and there's a niggling feeling in your bladder. It's not that you're bursting for a wee but you also don't not need one. And once that thought takes hold, there's no way you can go back to sleep.
You end up trudging to the loo, desperately trying not to wake anyone else up in the process. If you're lucky, you'll go straight back to sleep as soon as you get back into bed but more often than not you'll lie there for ages after this unwelcome escapade.
Sound familiar? Getting up for a middle-of-the-night wee is extremely common, but if it goes from an occasional occurrence to something that happens every night - perhaps more than once a night - it can have serious implications for your sleep.
'Needing to get up at night to pass urine, known medically as nocturia, is something GPs see frequently,' says Dr Suzanne Wylie, GP and medical adviser for IQdoctor. 'Around one in three adults will experience it at least occasionally, and it becomes more prevalent with increasing age.
'Older adults are particularly affected, but it is not confined to them. Pregnant women, people with diabetes, heart failure, sleep apnoea, prostate enlargement, overactive bladder or those taking certain medications (such as diuretics) are also more likely to be troubled by night-time urination.'
Of course, even those who don't fall into these categories can sometimes find themselves stuck in a pattern of getting up to go to the toilet every night. But is there anything you can do to stop it - aside from simply drinking less?
Getting up to wee at night is a common issue - but if it happens every night or multiple times per night, it can have serious implications on your sleep.
Dr Suzanne Wylie says drinking less before bed can help, alongside avoiding caffeine and alcohol which irritate the bladder.
'Limiting fluids in the two to three hours before bed can help, but it is also important to look at what you are drinking,' says Dr Wylie. 'Caffeine and alcohol both increase urine production and can irritate the bladder, so reducing or avoiding these in the evening is sensible.
'Elevating the legs for an hour or so in the evening, or wearing compression stockings if you have ankle swelling, can reduce the amount of fluid that redistributes and is passed overnight,' she adds. 'Ensuring constipation is well managed can also help, as a full bowel can put pressure on the bladder.'
Teaching yourself to stop waking up is also achievable.
'Night-time waking to pass urine can become habitual,' says Dr Wylie. 'Sometimes the body learns to wake at a certain time, and once awake, the bladder is emptied "just in case", reinforcing the pattern. Breaking this cycle can involve bladder retraining, where you gradually delay passing urine when you wake, allowing the bladder to hold more overnight.
'Improving sleep habits overall is also key: keeping a consistent bedtime, avoiding screens late at night, and managing stress can reduce unnecessary awakenings that then trigger a trip to the loo.'
Sometimes needing a night-time wee can signal an underlying problem and should be checked.
'Red flags include a sudden change from your normal pattern, passing large volumes of urine overnight, associated symptoms such as excessive thirst, weight loss, pain, burning, blood in the urine or swelling of the ankles,' explains Dr Wylie.
'In men, worsening nocturia may be linked to prostate enlargement. In these situations, it is sensible to speak to a GP for assessment.'
If nocturia - needing to get up to wee at night - gets worse, it can be a sign of an underlying problem, so it's worth a visit to the GP to get checked out.
It is true that nocturia becomes more common with age, partly due to changes in bladder capacity, hormone levels and sleep patterns.
'Many people over the age of 60 will get up once a night, and this can be considered within the range of normal if it is not disruptive,' Dr Wylie says.
'However, needing to get up two or more times regularly, or finding it distressing or exhausting, is not something you should simply accept at any age, as there may be treatable causes.'
Difficulty getting back to sleep after a night-time wee is a frequent frustration. Keeping lights low, avoiding checking the time and returning straight to bed without stimulation (i.e. looking at your phone!) can help.
Practising relaxation techniques such as slow breathing can make it easier to drift off again. If worry or racing thoughts are a problem, cognitive behavioural strategies for insomnia can be very effective.
Importantly, if you are getting up multiple times, reducing the number of awakenings in the first place is often the most effective way of improving sleep quality.
'One final point worth highlighting is safety,' says Dr Wylie. 'Getting up at night increases the risk of falls, particularly in older adults. Ensuring clear pathways, adequate night lighting, and appropriate footwear can reduce this risk.
'Overall, while night-time urination is common and often benign, it is not something people should feel embarrassed about raising. A discussion with a GP can often identify practical steps or treatments that make a real difference to both bladder symptoms and sleep.'