How much urine your body produces in a day is an important indicator of your health. Your kidney maintains the proper balance of various chemicals and water in your blood. It means you will notice an increase or decrease in your urinary output if your kidneys aren't functioning properly, which may happen due to a kidney disease. Many people ask about normal urine output per hour to find out if what they are producing is healthy. Keep reading to learn more about it.

What Is Normal Urine Output per Hour?

A normal person urinates anywhere between 800 and 2,000 ml per day. It means your normal urine output per hour should be anywhere between 33.3 and 83.3 ml. If it's not within this range, there's something wrong. However, you need to ensure that you're drinking no less than 2 liters of fluid per day. These numbers may change a bit considering your unique circumstances.

People may be reluctant or feel embarrassed to talk about urine which is really important. The urine is a mixture of water and a number of other chemicals such as potassium, sodium, creatinine and urea. Many other chemical compounds are also present in urine. Except the amount of urine, normal urine doesn't contain any viruses, bacteria or fungi, and its color usually ranges from deep amber to pale yellow.

What If You Have Excessive Urine Output?

If you're urinating more than the normal urine output per hour, it could be due to several different reasons. Remember, you're urinating excessively if your urine volume is more than 2.5 liters a day. This may happen due to the following reasons:

• Lifestyle and habit. You may be drinking too much liquid a day. This may also happen if you're into drinking beverages that contain alcohol or caffeine.
• Underlying medical conditions. Some of the most common medical problems that can cause excessive urine output are diabetes insipidus, diabetes, mellitus, sickle cell anemia and kidney failure.
• Medications. Taking diuretic drugs will increase the excretion of urine. You may be experiencing this situation due to a new medication you have just started taking recently. Increasing certain medication dosage will also make you exceed the normal urine output per hour.
• Medical tests. You may be urinating more because you've just completed a CT scan. The same thing will happen if you undergo a test that requires a dye to be injected into your body. The issue usually resolves quickly without any medical intervention.

When to See a Doctor

It is common to see people feel embarrassed when they are facing any such problem. They even find it difficult to talk about it with their doctor. If you think younotice an increase in urination just because you're drinking more fluids these days, you may want to cut the amount of fluids a bit to notice the change. If you notice no change in the volume of urine, it is time to see your doctor because this could be due to a serious underlying medical condition. You should discuss your problem with your doctor if you're also experiencing symptoms such as fever, back pain, weakness of the legs, cough, night sweats, weight loss and a change in your thoughts (mental health disorder).

What If You Have Decreased Urine Output?

Doctors use a term "oliguria" to describe a decreased output of urine. You are less than the normal urine output per hour if you're producing less than 400ml of urine in a day. This condition is usually different from "anuria" in which you produce less than 50ml urine in a day.

You may experience this situation for many different reasons. For instance:

• Dehydration: Your urine output will decrease considerably when you're dehydrated. You may end up being dehydrated if you've been ill with fever, diarrhea or another sickness.
• Infection: It is rare, but it can be a cause of decreased urine output in your case. A severe infection can put your body in a state of shock, which limits your blood flow to your organs. It is important to seek immediately medical attention in such case.
• Urinary tract obstruction: Sometimes, your urine fails to leave your kidneys due to some kind of urinary tract obstruction. This may affect one or both kidneys and produce symptoms such as nausea, body pain, swelling, vomiting and fever.
• Medications: Certain medications can affect your urine output. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are usually the culprits, but other medications such as gentamicin and ACE inhibitors can also affect your urine output. It is important to discuss your issue with your doctor, so they could change your medication accordingly. Make sure you don't change your dosage without asking your doctor.

When to See a Doctor

You should never take things lightly if you're not releasing enough urine. It is important not to wait any longer if you feel your body is going into shock. This usually happens when you have a serious infection and it could lead to several serious complications.

You need to seek medical attention if you think your urinary track is blocked due to an enlarged prostate or for any other reasons. If you don't treat it timely, it would quickly turn into anuria, which can cause serious damage to your kidneys. Make sure to contact your doctor if you notice you're producing less than the normal urine output per hour and you have symptoms like rapid pulse, dizziness and light-headedness.