What should you know about dark morning urine?

Urine becomes more concentrated overnight because you do not drink while sleeping. It may look deeper yellow when you first wake and become paler after fluids. Sweating in a warm room, exercise, vomiting, or diarrhoea can make this effect stronger. Dehydration and heat exhaustion are important possibilities when dark urine comes with thirst, dry mouth, headache, weakness, cramps, or dizziness.

Brown or tea-coloured urine, yellowing of the skin or eyes, pale stools, nausea, or pain under the ribs can point to a liver or bile problem such as hepatitis A or hepatitis B. A red, smoky, or cola-like appearance can have other causes. Colour alone cannot identify the cause, so the pattern over the day matters.

Drink water regularly after waking, unless a clinician has told you to restrict fluids, and observe whether the colour lightens. Consider heat, exercise, illness, supplements, and medicines that may have preceded the change. Keep a note of urine colour, amount, smell, pain, fever, and any change in your eyes or skin. If the urine remains dark through the day or keeps recurring, book a medical review rather than repeatedly guessing at the cause.

Seek urgent care for very little or no urine, confusion, fainting, severe weakness, inability to keep fluids down, or signs of serious heat illness. Arrange prompt assessment for brown urine, yellow eyes or skin, severe abdominal pain, fever, painful urination, or blood in the urine. A clinician may check a urine sample and blood tests after asking about hydration, medicines, travel, and recent illness.

Does the colour fit concentrated urine or another cause? Should I test my urine or liver function? Could a supplement or medicine be responsible? How much should I drink with my health conditions?