Waking Up to Poop? Here’s What Your Body’s Trying to Tell You

You might stir from slumber to pee on occasion, but a sudden urge to poop in the middle of the night? Now, that’s a different story. And it might make you wonder why you’re pooping so much all of a sudden.

You’ll want to pay attention to how long you’ve been dealing with this nighttime disturbance. Waking up to poop every once in a while might not actually be a problem, says Niket Sonpal, MD, a New York City-based internist and gastroenterologist.

“[But] if it becomes a chronic, regular occurrence where you are sleeping and being woken up and physically compelled to go relieve yourself, that could signal something that needs a doctor’s attention,” he says.

“Nocturnal bowel movements are considered an ‘alarm symptom’ and can signal something is wrong,” says Maia Kayal, MD, assistant professor in the division of gastroenterology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

There may be some factor that overactivates bowel receptors to stimulate a bowel movement in the middle of the night or causes damage to the bowel wall, she explains.

Here’s what might be going on if you’re frequently waking up to poop.

1. You Have an Infection

A viral or bacterial gastrointestinal (GI) infection can cause you to poop more than usual, and it can lead to a sudden urge to poop in the middle of the night.

“In most cases, viral GI infections ease up on their own. Patients just have to take it easy and replenish their fluids consistently,” says Dr. Sonpal. If you choose to see a doctor, they might opt to take a stool sample to identify the bacteria or virus at play and recommend treatment from there, Sonpal says.

You could also have food poisoning, another type of infection.

”[Foodborne] GI infections cause activation of the immune system and the release of inflammatory mediators and cytokines that can directly act on the bowel and stimulate diarrhea,” Dr. Kayal says. They can also produce toxins that damage the bowel, another factor that contributes to loose, unhealthy stools, she says.

See your doctor if you also have a fever, bloody diarrhea, or severe abdominal pain, or if you have dark urine or get dizzy while standing, which are symptoms of dehydration, Kayal says.

2. It’s Something You Ate

One relatively benign reason you might wake up with the urge to poop is if you made some big dietary changes.

These foods can include:

• Sugar and sugar alternatives, such as xylitol and sorbitol

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• Foods high in insoluble fiber, including nuts, dried fruit, and popcorn

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• Fatty or fried foods
• Milk or other dairy products (if you’re lactose intolerant)
• Spicy food
• Caffeine, which is found in coffee, tea, soda, energy drinks, and chocolate

3. You Have a Digestive Condition

Certain digestive conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), could cause you to wake up in the night to poop.

What differentiates IBD from another cause are other symptoms that tag along with pooping at night.

“You will typically lose weight when you poop and have other symptoms like abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, fluffy poop or floating poop, fecal urgency, or oral ulcers in addition to nocturnal bowel movements,” Kayal says.

4. You’re Sleep-Deprived

5. Your Medication Has Some Surprising Side Effects

Are you taking a new medication? If your nocturnal bowel movements are new, consider any recently prescribed or over-the-counter medication you’re taking. Kayal says that medications like antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, and drugs that contain magnesium, like antacids, may keep you from having healthy stools.

6. It’s Something Else

Hyperthyroidism, or an overactive thyroid, and, rarely, neuroendocrine tumors are two additional conditions to have on your radar if you’re waking up to poop, Kayal says.

“These conditions cause increased bowel movements in general by acting on different bowel receptors or by damaging the bowel lining,” Kayal says.

When to See a Doctor

Occasionally waking up to poop in the middle of the night may not be cause for concern.

If you seek treatment for frequent nocturnal bowel movements, your doctor will offer options based on the cause. They will most likely start by getting a sense of your symptoms and may take a stool sample as well. Then they can prescribe medication or suggest lifestyle changes to ease symptoms.

The Takeaway

• Waking up to poop every so often might not be an issue, but if it’s starting to happen consistently, it could indicate an underlying health condition that requires attention.
• Potential causes of nighttime bowel movements include infections, dietary changes, certain medications, and digestive conditions like IBD, among others.
• If you have other serious symptoms accompanying nighttime bowel movements, such as blood in the stool, severe abdominal pain, weight loss, or fever, see your doctor.