Nighttime trips to the loo 'reduce productivity during the day'

People who sleep the whole night through are more productive during the day, research found (Rex Features)

People who get up during the night to relieve themselves are less productive during the day than those who sleep through, according to new research.

The need to urinate once or more at night, known as nocturia, is linked to “notable work productivity loss”, according to a study presented to the European Association of Urology in Milan.

The study asked 385 men and 261 women with the condition to fill in a work productivity and activity impairment questionnaire, assessing the impact of health problems on their ability to work and perform regular tasks.

Nocturia – a condition which is more prevalent in pregnant women and the elderly – was linked to a 24 per cent drop in work productivity, more than asthma or chronic obtrusive pulmonary disease.

The report’s author, Dr Philip Van Kerrebroeck, a professor at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, said: “These data show that nocturia negatively affects both sleep and daytime performance. Its impact on work productivity is in line with many other chronic conditions.”