A new study in Japan states that consuming less salt can help reduce the number of bathroom trips in the middle of the night. Nocturia, which usually occurs in those aged over sixty, can lead to feeling tired, stressed, and moody.

“This is the first study to measure how salt intake affects the frequency of going to the bathroom, so we need to confirm the work with larger studies,” said Tomohiro Matsuo, the head of the study, in the European Society of Urology (ESU) news release.

In the study, more than 200 adults with sleeping issues and high-salt diets lowered their salt intake for twelve weeks from eleven grams a day to eight grams a day. Although the participants did not align with the American Heart Association’s recommendation for salt consumption, the average number of trips to pee dropped from 2.3 to 1.4 times for every night.

In contrast, almost 100 participants did not adhere to the instructions, and as a result, their bathroom visits rose in correlation to their salt intake. According to the researchers, the quality of life improved with the decrease of bathroom breaks.

“Nighttime urination is a real problem for many people, especially as they get older. This work holds out the possibility that a simply dietary modification might significantly improve the quality of life for many people,” Matsuo said, according to the news release.

When this study was presented to the ESU, Dr. Marcus Drake, the head of the working group for the ESU Guidelines Office Initiative on Nocturia, praised it in the news release.

“Here we have a useful study showing how we need to consider all influences to get the best chance of improving the symptom,” Drake said.