Cut back on salt in your diet if nighttime bathroom trips bother you. Nighttime urination, known as nocturia, is a concern for many people, especially as they get older. It can lead to sleep problems that result in constant tiredness the next day. Over time, that can have a significant negative impact on everyday life. But a simple dietary modification may be helpful—especially if you currently consume a large amount of salt daily. Japanese adults who were accustomed to an average of 11,000 milligrams (mg) of salt intake per day and who cut consumption by almost a third, to an average of 8,000 mg per day, needed fewer bathroom trips during the night. After cutting back on salt, they got up about 40% less frequently—an average of 1.4 times a night, compared with 2.3 times a night before the cutback. They also needed fewer bathroom trips during the day. But when people’s salt intake rose, their nighttime urination did, too—to an average of 2.7 times a night (an average of 12.5% more). It may be that people who eat a lot of salty food are thirstier, so they drink more and then must urinate more often. The study was only of Japanese adults, and even eight grams a day of salt is far more than US authorities recommend. (Japanese tend to have high salt intake from soy sauce, miso soup and salted vegetables.) The American Heart Association calls for consuming only 2,300 mg of sodium a day, yet most Americans average 3,400 milligrams a day. Americans get a lot of salt from canned and packaged goods and from fast foods. So the first step is to cut back on those products. Also, try salt-free seasoning, using herbs and spices for maximum flavor. If nighttime bathroom trips interfere with your rest, cutting back on salt may be a simple dietary change that can improve your quality of life.