Nocturia is closely related to sleep problems, but its association with how the general public attempts to control sleep problems is less well known. Here, we sought to determine the relationship between nocturia and lifestyle habits for good sleep based on an Internet survey in Japan.

In July 2019, we conducted a cross-sectional internet survey in collaboration with Intelligence Value, Inc. on the relationship between nocturia and lifestyle habits for good sleep. Eligible applicants were aged 40-75 years registered with JustSytems Corporation. Questions about lifestyle habits for good sleep, including taking a bath, dimming room lights, not looking at cell phone or smart phone after entering the bed, going to bed at a fixed time as much as possible, getting moderate exercise during the day, not drinking too much water, going to the bathroom as much as possible before bedtime, drinking tea or other drinks that make it easier to fall asleep, drinking alcohol, and using good bedding, were rated on a five-point Likert-type scale (Very true, Somewhat true, Somewhat untrue, Very untrue, Unknown). The total number of respondents to the questionnaire was 4272, and the 3317 respondents who did not answer "Unknown" were included in the analysis. This study was approved by the institution's ethics committee.

The median age was 55 years old (48-63, quartile), and men was accounting for 51.5% of total participants (1707 individuals). The number of participants with nocturnal frequency is 1348 (41%) for 0, 1458 (44%) for 1, 379 (11%) for 2, 89 (3%) for 3 and 43 (1%) for more than 3. Nocturnal frequency was significantly associated with most of the lifestyle habits by Spearman's rank correlation coefficient test, with the exception of taking a bath, dimming room lights, and using good bedding. Multivariate analysis for correlation of nocturia (≥2, <2) and all lifestyle habits adjusted by age showed drinking tea or other drinks that make it easier to fall asleep (OR 1.74, p < 0.005), not drinking too much water (OR 1.59, p < 0.005), drinking alcohol (OR 1.43, p < 0.01) and using good bedding (OR 0.67, p < 0.01) in men, and drinking tea or other drinks that make it easier to fall asleep (OR 1.66, p < 0.01) and drinking alcohol (OR 1.47 p < 0.05) in women.

Lifestyle habits considered unsuitable for nocturia “drinking tea or other drinks that make it easier to fall asleep” and unsuitable not only for nocturia but also for sleep quality “drinking alcohol” were significantly more common in the general population with nocturia in both men and women.

These results can provide valuable information on what aspects of education should be focused on for the general population with sleep problems and nocturia.