diff --git a/tests/v2/test_peer_manager.nim b/tests/v2/test_peer_manager.nim
index dbdbfbd76..2e36d7e16 100644
--- a/tests/v2/test_peer_manager.nim
+++ b/tests/v2/test_peer_manager.nim
@@ -483,25 +483,17 @@ procSuite "Peer Manager":
 
     # assert physical connections
     check:
-      nodes[0].peerManager.getNumConnections(Direction.In, WakuRelayCodec) == 0
-      nodes[0].peerManager.getNumConnections(Direction.Out, WakuRelayCodec) == 2
-      nodes[0].peerManager.getNumConnections(Direction.In, WakuFilterCodec) == 0
-      nodes[0].peerManager.getNumConnections(Direction.Out, WakuFilterCodec) == 2
+      nodes[0].peerManager.getNumConnections(WakuRelayCodec) == (0, 2)
+      nodes[0].peerManager.getNumConnections(WakuFilterCodec) == (0, 2)
 
-      nodes[1].peerManager.getNumConnections(Direction.In, WakuRelayCodec) == 1
-      nodes[1].peerManager.getNumConnections(Direction.Out, WakuRelayCodec) == 1
-      nodes[1].peerManager.getNumConnections(Direction.In, WakuFilterCodec) == 1
-      nodes[1].peerManager.getNumConnections(Direction.Out, WakuFilterCodec) == 0
+      nodes[1].peerManager.getNumConnections(WakuRelayCodec) == (1, 1)
+      nodes[1].peerManager.getNumConnections(WakuFilterCodec) == (1, 0)
 
-      nodes[2].peerManager.getNumConnections(Direction.In, WakuRelayCodec) == 2
-      nodes[2].peerManager.getNumConnections(Direction.Out, WakuRelayCodec) == 1
-      nodes[2].peerManager.getNumConnections(Direction.In, WakuFilterCodec) == 1
-      nodes[2].peerManager.getNumConnections(Direction.Out, WakuFilterCodec) == 1
+      nodes[2].peerManager.getNumConnections(WakuRelayCodec) == (2, 1)
+      nodes[2].peerManager.getNumConnections(WakuFilterCodec) == (1, 1)
 
-      nodes[3].peerManager.getNumConnections(Direction.In, WakuRelayCodec) == 1
-      nodes[3].peerManager.getNumConnections(Direction.Out, WakuRelayCodec) == 0
-      nodes[3].peerManager.getNumConnections(Direction.In, WakuFilterCodec) == 1
-      nodes[3].peerManager.getNumConnections(Direction.Out, WakuFilterCodec) == 0
+      nodes[3].peerManager.getNumConnections(WakuRelayCodec) == (1, 0)
+      nodes[3].peerManager.getNumConnections(WakuFilterCodec) == (1, 0)
 
   asyncTest "getNumStreams() returns expected number of connections per protocol":
     # Create 2 nodes
@@ -523,15 +515,11 @@ procSuite "Peer Manager":
       (await nodes[0].peerManager.dialPeer(pInfos[1], WakuFilterCodec)).isSome() == true
 
     check:
-      nodes[0].peerManager.getNumStreams(Direction.In, WakuRelayCodec) == 1
-      nodes[0].peerManager.getNumStreams(Direction.Out, WakuRelayCodec) == 1
-      nodes[0].peerManager.getNumStreams(Direction.In, WakuFilterCodec) == 0
-      nodes[0].peerManager.getNumStreams(Direction.Out, WakuFilterCodec) == 4
+      nodes[0].peerManager.getNumStreams(WakuRelayCodec) == (1, 1)
+      nodes[0].peerManager.getNumStreams(WakuFilterCodec) == (0, 4)
 
-      nodes[1].peerManager.getNumStreams(Direction.In, WakuRelayCodec) == 1
-      nodes[1].peerManager.getNumStreams(Direction.Out, WakuRelayCodec) == 1
-      nodes[1].peerManager.getNumStreams(Direction.In, WakuFilterCodec) == 4
-      nodes[1].peerManager.getNumStreams(Direction.Out, WakuFilterCodec) == 0
+      nodes[1].peerManager.getNumStreams(WakuRelayCodec) == (1, 1)
+      nodes[1].peerManager.getNumStreams(WakuFilterCodec) == (4, 0)
 
   test "selectPeer() returns the correct peer":
     # Valid peer id missing the last digit
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/peer_manager/peer_manager.nim b/waku/v2/node/peer_manager/peer_manager.nim
index 8224df400..983bda61e 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/peer_manager/peer_manager.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/peer_manager/peer_manager.nim
@@ -477,31 +477,41 @@ proc connectToNodes*(pm: PeerManager,
   # later.
   await sleepAsync(chronos.seconds(5))
 
-# Returns the amount of physical connections for a given direction
+# Returns the amount of physical connections (in and out)
 # containing at least one stream with the given protocol.
-proc getNumConnections*(pm: PeerManager, dir: Direction, protocol: string): int =
-  var numConns = 0
+proc getNumConnections*(pm: PeerManager, protocol: string): (int, int) =
+  var
+    numConnsIn = 0
+    numConnsOut = 0
   for peerId, muxers in pm.switch.connManager.getConnections():
     for peerConn in muxers:
       let streams = peerConn.getStreams()
-      if peerConn.connection.transportDir == dir:
-        if streams.anyIt(it.protocol == protocol):
-          numConns += 1
-  return numConns
+      if streams.anyIt(it.protocol == protocol):
+        if peerConn.connection.transportDir == Direction.In:
+          numConnsIn += 1
+        elif peerConn.connection.transportDir == Direction.Out:
+          numConnsOut += 1
 
-proc getNumStreams*(pm: PeerManager, dir: Direction, protocol: string): int =
-  var numConns = 0
+  return (numConnsIn, numConnsOut)
+
+proc getNumStreams*(pm: PeerManager, protocol: string): (int, int) =
+  var
+    numStreamsIn = 0
+    numStreamsOut = 0
   for peerId, muxers in pm.switch.connManager.getConnections():
     for peerConn in muxers:
         for stream in peerConn.getStreams():
-          if stream.protocol == protocol and stream.dir == dir:
-            numConns += 1
-  return numConns
+          if stream.protocol == protocol:
+            if stream.dir == Direction.In:
+              numStreamsIn += 1
+            elif stream.dir == Direction.Out:
+              numStreamsOut += 1
+  return (numStreamsIn, numStreamsOut)
 
 proc connectToRelayPeers*(pm: PeerManager) {.async.} =
   let maxConnections = pm.switch.connManager.inSema.size
-  let inRelayPeers = pm.getNumConnections(Direction.In, WakuRelayCodec)
-  let outRelayPeers = pm.getNumConnections(Direction.Out, WakuRelayCodec)
+  let (inRelayPeers, outRelayPeers) = pm.getNumStreams(WakuRelayCodec)
+  let (inRelayStreams, outRelayStreams) = pm.getNumConnections(WakuRelayCodec)
   let totalRelayPeers = inRelayPeers + outRelayPeers
 
   # Leave some room for service peers
@@ -600,12 +610,13 @@ proc relayConnectivityLoop*(pm: PeerManager) {.async.} =
 
 proc updateMetrics(pm: PeerManager) {.async.} =
   heartbeat "Scheduling updateMetrics run", UpdateMetricsInterval:
-    for dir in @[Direction.In, Direction.Out]:
-      for proto in pm.peerStore.getWakuProtos():
-        let protoDirConns = pm.getNumConnections(dir, proto)
-        let protoDirStreams = pm.getNumStreams(dir, proto)
-        waku_connected_peers.set(protoDirConns.float64, labelValues = [$dir, proto])
-        waku_streams_peers.set(protoDirStreams.float64, labelValues = [$dir, proto])
+    for proto in pm.peerStore.getWakuProtos():
+      let (protoConnsIn, protoConnsOut) = pm.getNumConnections(proto)
+      let (protoStreamsIn, protoStreamsOut) = pm.getNumStreams(proto)
+      waku_connected_peers.set(protoConnsIn.float64, labelValues = [$Direction.In, proto])
+      waku_connected_peers.set(protoConnsOut.float64, labelValues = [$Direction.Out, proto])
+      waku_streams_peers.set(protoStreamsIn.float64, labelValues = [$Direction.In, proto])
+      waku_streams_peers.set(protoStreamsOut.float64, labelValues = [$Direction.Out, proto])
 
 proc start*(pm: PeerManager) =
   pm.started = true