Does Coffee Cause Bladder Infections

How Does Decaf Coffee Differ And How Does It Affect The Body

Contrary to popular belief, decaf coffee is not 100% caffeine free. The decaffeination process removes around 97% of the caffeine in the coffee, leaving about 7mg in a cup of decaf coffee, compared to 70-140mg in a cup of regular coffee.9 For comparison, a cup of black tea contains, on average, 47mg of caffeine.10

In terms of impact on the body, the effects from caffeine mentioned above are naturally less if you drink decaf coffee because the amount of caffeine you are consuming is a lot smaller. Furthermore, there are even some health benefits associated with drinking decaf coffee, including:

• prevention of heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes, thanks to the antioxidants and nutrients in decaf coffee
• positive effects on age-related mental decline
• reduced heartburn symptoms compared to caffeinated coffee11

When it comes to bladder problems, the negative impact is unfortunately still present when you drink decaf coffee. Its certainly correct that its less likely to increase the urgency or frequency of your peeing, as it contains very little caffeine. However, its still very acidic, which can irritate the bladder12, and may cause other issues, such as bladder leaks. If you or your loved one are experiencing urineleaks, then try iDs range of continence products. Discreet, comfortable and odour-controlling, you can shop our range here.

Avoid Thinking You Can Quit The Prescribed Antibiotics Early

The particular antibiotic prescribed for your type of infection must be in your system for the full length of the period prescribed by your doctor in order to entirely eliminate the threat. Although you will probably start to feel better after just one or two days from the start of the antibiotic treatment, that does not indicate that the antibiotics have completely eliminated the infection.

You Don’t Drink Enough Water

“One of the worst habits that increases the risk of getting a UTI is not drinking enough water,” Fletcher says. “Drinking water actively flushes the urinary tract. This pushes out bacteria in the bladder which can cause a UTI.”

So if you keep getting UTIs, think about how much water you drink throughout the day. According to Mayo Clinic, you’ll know you’re getting enough and are properly hydrated if you don’t feel thirsty, and if your urine is colorless or light yellow in appearance.

Also Check: Botox Procedure For Overactive Bladder

When To See A Health Care Providerand What To Expect

If you have any of the signs of a bladder problem or urinary tract infection, talk to your healthcare provider. Read advice on talking to your doctor about sensitive subjects, like bladder problems.

When you see your healthcare provider, he or she may perform the following tests to try to figure out what might be causing your bladder problem:

• Give you a physical exam to look for any health issues that may cause a bladder problem. For women, the physical exam may include a pelvic exam. For men, the physical exam may include a prostate exam, which is usually done with a rectal exam.
• Take a urine sample to check for a bladder infection.
• Examine the inside of your bladder using a cystoscope, a long, thin tube that slides up into the bladder through the urethra. This is usually done by a urinary specialist.
• Fill the bladder with warm fluid to check how much fluid your bladder can hold before leaking.
• Check a bladder scan using ultrasound to see if you are fully emptying your bladder with each void.

What Is The Impact Of Coffee On The Body

Many of us enjoy our morning cup of joe and even rely on it to wake up and get going. Its believed that 2.2 billion cups of coffee are consumed in the world every year and fun fact, in Europe, Finns have the highest per capita consumption, drinking 12kg of the stuff annually!1 But what is the caffeine in coffee doing to your body?

Caffeine is a nervous system stimulant2, meaning that it increases the levels of certain chemicals in the brain, causing a rise in alertness, attention, energy and physical activity3. As such, consuming too much caffeine has lots of different effects on the body, including:

• increased heart rate
• increased blood pressure4

Read Also: What Can Happen If A Bladder Infection Goes Untreated

How To Make Honey Lemon Water:

Ingredients:

1/2 fresh organic lemon

A Few Notes:

I recommend using spring water for the best results. Still if thats not feasible, dont let it stop you from using regular tap water youll still experience great benefits.

You must use raw unfiltered honey not the processed honey on the grocery store shelf.

This is the brand I use: Raw HoneyYou should also use real lemons, not lemon juice in a bottle Its just not the same when its not fresh. In a pinch, you can use lemon juice, but you probably wont get the same benefits, plus theres more additives that you really dont want.

I use this citrus press from Pampered Chef and its super quick and easy to use.

Instructions:

Add about a tablespoon of raw honey to your mug.

Squeeze your lemon juice in and stir.

I usually fill my mug half 3/4 full with hot water, then add a few ice cubes to quickly cool it.

Drink it down!

Ive found it works best if you enjoy your honey lemon water when you first wake up on an empty stomach.

I challenge you to try honey lemon water each morning and see what happens. You may not even realize the benefits as your body gradually perks up, but theyll be there!

And if youre not quite ready to quit caffeine? Try honey lemon water for the other benefits. You may find yourself needing less coffee without even trying!

What To Drink For A Uti

Can you treat a UTI by drinking cranberry juice? The answer behind the infamous cranberry juice cure is mixed. In some clinical studies , the consumption of pure cranberry juice, cranberry extracts, or cranberry supplements helped reduce the risk of repeated UTIs. In any case, however, the benefit to drinking cranberry juice for a UTI is small. So, what should you drink for a UTI instead? Water is by far the best beverage choice for someone with a UTI. Drinking at least 12 8-ounce cups of water each day while you have an infection will help flush the bacteria from your system and can speed up the healing process.

Also Check: Non Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Guidelines

Things To Avoid: Sugar & Utis

Adjusting your diet for a UTI involves more than introducing certain foods and drinks it also means abstaining from things. Not sure where to start? Heres a simple rule of thumb to follow: Avoid sugar for a UTI. Sugar is laced in an overwhelming amount of commercial foods and drinks these days. Unfortunately, it can also aggravate an infection. To cut back on these sugary delights and boost your care plan for a UTI, avoid:

• Carbohydrates
• Alcohol
• Artificial sweeteners

Although theres no evidence that artificial sweeteners can worsen a UTI, they have been shown to exacerbate bladder symptoms for individuals with chronic interstitial cystitis, so you may want to avoid them. Other foods and beverages to avoid with a UTI include:

• Spicy foods. Certain spicy foods can irritate the bladder. Instead, try sticking to a bland dietlike the BRAT dietwhen you have a UTI.
• Citrus. Although theyre high in immunity-boosting vitamin C, highly acidic fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits can irritate your bladder and aggravate UTI symptoms.
• Caffeinated drinks. Its important to stay hydrated when you have a UTI, but stay away from coffee and other caffeinated beverages. When in doubt, choose water!

Do You Have A Pee Problem

So whats a normal amount of times to pee in a day? If youre not actually leaking or coming close to it, does that mean you dont have a problem?

Ideally, you should be able to wait 2-4 hours between trips to the bathroom, Bri says. Can you sit through a whole movie? If not, you may need to cut back on the caffeine. Some people are going 15-20 times a day, when 6-8 is probably more normal. And for women, wiping that often can damage delicate tissue, making it more vulnerable to infections.

Read Also: Florida Bladder Institute Patient Portal

It Acidifies Your Body

The high acid in coffee will contribute to heart burn and reflux and have a negative cascading effect on metabolism, hormone balance, mineral absorption, bladder health, blood pressure and inflammation.

So if coffee is out, what should you drink instead? Replace it with something that comforts or energizes you, so you dont miss it as much.

Tea is hot, comforting and caffeinated. The caffeine in tea can help move bowels. It also has many healing properties to speed your healing process and address pathogens. It has more antioxidants than coffee.

You can lower your coffee consumption slowly. Reduce by half and replace it with tea. Keep reducing and replacing slowly until you are drinking only tea.

But Does Coffee Affect Utis At All

Yes, actually, it can.

So this is where that rumor comes from.

Coffee is inflammatory in nature. So if you have an inflamed bladder, inflammatory foods are only going to make it worse. This means symptoms like the pain and burn can be aggravated.

Avoid coffee during your UTI healing process. And its not just the coffee. Anything with caffeine can irritate your bladder this includes sodas and caffeinated teas.

If you are worried about caffeine withdrawls bringing headaches, take a few sips to help take the edge off in the morning and then leave the rest of the cup alone. Perhaps you could choose to do this with a green tea instead.

Bonus: that will show you how to Treat & Prevent UTI’s quickly.

During this healing time, you also need to avoid other inflammatory drinks and foods like:

• Alcohol
• Spicy food
• Citrus
• Sugar

This also means that if you have chronic or recurrent bladder infecitons, you may want to lay off the coffee in general while you are in the process of healing your urinary tract. Not because the coffee will give you another infection, but because it can inflame the area thats already been inflamed time and time again.

Recommended Reading: How To Flush Bladder Infection

You Eat A Lot Of Sugar

Bacteria that cause UTIs love feeding on sugar, so you run the risk of providing a feast for them whenever your sweet tooth strikes. Kalas V, et al. Structure-based discovery of glycomimetic FmlH ligands as inhibitors of bacterial adhesion during urinary tract infection. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1720140115

If you eat tons of added sugars and get a real surge in your blood sugar, you may end up with some of that sugar in your urine, says Mary Jane Minkin, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Yale School of Medicine.

Some foods and beverages, like coffee, booze, and chocolate, can also irritate your delicate urinary tract and exacerbate an existing UTI.

Lowering Stress Can Help With Utis

Stress plays a role in so many of our bodily conditions, so its not surprising it may be involved with recurrent UTIs. A review published in February 2017 in Current Opinion in Urology points to this potential link between emotional stress and bladder symptom.

Here, too, aromatherapy may help, because soothing scents can calm the stress response down, Clesla says. Good oils for de-stressing include lavender, sandalwood, and vetiver, alone or in combination.

Also Check: Immediate Relief For Bladder Infection

Take A Break From Coffee To Ease Bladder Infection Symptoms

Sure, your morning cup of java perks you up, but it may also make your UTI symptoms act up again. Caffeine is known to irritate the bladder and worsen bladder infection symptoms. A study of people with interstitial cystitis found that people who drank coffee experienced worsened symptoms. Try a mug of noncaffeinated herbal tea to replace your morning coffee ritual until you are UTI-free.

Teas And Their Healing Benefits

I discovered the tea straw in Argentina, which makes drinking loose leaf tea a breeze. Just put one teaspoon in a cup, add hot water and sip it through this easy to clean, metal straw. The straw filters out tea leaf debris.

Buying loose leaf tea in bulk can be cheaper, better quality, fresher, open up a wider selection and you can control the strength .

Argentinian tea straws are inexpensive and available here.

Recommended Reading: Essential Oils For Bladder Infection

The Best Essential Oil Blends To Prevent Utis

If youre wondering how to use essential oils for UTIs, the best approach is to apply them to the areas of your body most affected, Chesla says.

People prone to recurrent UTIs can try to stave them off by applying a blend of oils to the skin of their lower abdomen and lower back, she says. Youll want to mix the oils into a carrier oil before you do this.

The blend Chesla recommends are a few drops, in equal parts, of the essential oils cypress , juniper berry , and cedarwood . The cypress and juniper berry help to move fluid through your system, while the cedarwood helps kill germs. Rub a small amount of the blend onto your lower abdomen and lower back twice each day, in the morning when you wake up and two hours before bed.

Youve Got A Cold The Flu Or Allergies

You may be tempted to curse your seasonal sneezes, a cold, or the dreaded flu for making your life even more miserable with a UTI, but these ailments arent the cause. The meds you take to manage symptoms could be.

Though theyre the bomb at keeping your runny or stuffy nose in check, antihistamines and decongestants might make you go less by causing urinary retention. And see No. 6 that may lead to a UTI.

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Can You Still Drink Coffee If Youre Suffering From Uti

If you want to get rid of UTI fast, the best thing to do is to steer clear of caffeine until you get it treated completely. You may as well avoid coffee, as well as other caffeine products like tea, chocolates, even ice cream.

Hydrate yourself by drinking clear liquids like water and cranberry juice. Livestrong says:

Cranberries are an antioxidant that can help prevent bacteria from sticking to the walls of your bladder. Liquids are important in helping to cleanse and flush your kidneys naturally. Clear liquids can help to dilute your urine, making urination more comfortable.

Fact Or Myth: Utis Can Be Treated With Essential Oils

Essential oils can be used to both support healing and make you feel better when you have a UTI. You dont want to use them in place of a drug, Chesla says. But essential oils are uniquely helpful because chemical constituents within the aromatic oils create physiological responses in the body, and because theres a direct connection with the sense of smell and the limbic system in the brain, where your emotions arise, she says.

Essential oils have not been scientifically studied for UTIs. However, some small studies have shown they can help battle other types of bacterial infections. For example, a review published in December 2019 in Complementary Therapies in Medicine on topical aromatherapy for the skin infection MRSA found significantly lower level of new MRSA emergence compared to routine care.

RELATED: All You Need to Know About Essential Oils and Cancer

Also Check: Drugs That Cause Bladder Cancer

Cranberry Juice Know The Facts

It has long been thought that cranberry juice can help prevent urinary tract infections but in fact leading urologists say that there isnt any evidence to suggest that cranberry juice does have properties that stop bacteria from sticking to the bladder wall.

Cranberry juice is also naturally very acidic, which could lead to bladder irritation. Anyone who is diabetic or taking Warfarin medication should speak to their doctor first.

Can Coffee Cause Uti

Coffee has been a staple in the everyday life of 64 percent of Americans. In fact, coffee has become a morning routine for many that the National Coffee Association reported this: Americans have been at the peak of their coffee-loving selves since 2012.

Its not too hard to fathom why this is so coffee comes with a whole heap of benefits. From giving you that familiar morning perk, helping you achieve better brain performance, boosting your metabolism and even improving sports performance.

But when you get used to having one too many cups a day, in fact even more than youre supposed to, then it becomes a double-edged sword. Coffee can also cause adverse effects like migraines, an upset stomach, and the feeling of being tired.

And for some people, drinking coffee is linked to another not-so-pleasant experience Urinary Tract Infection .

But does coffee really cause UTI?

Also Check: Questions To Ask Doctor About Bladder Cancer

Too Much Caffeine Can Cause Bladder Problems

Of course the operative words here are too much. WebMD reports that having too many cups of joe may lead to detrusor instability. It means that the bladder contracts involuntary, causing one to rush to the bathroom or worse random peeing .

According to a study of over 250 women evaluated for urinary continence, drinking more than four cups of coffee a day increases the likelihood for detrusor instability:

In a study of more than 250 women who were being evaluated for urinary incontinence, researchers from Rhode Island found that those who downed more than four cups of coffee per day were 2.5 times more likely than those who consumed little or no caffeine to have an unstable bladder condition called detrusor instability. Those who drank two to four cups of coffee per day were about 1.5 times more likely to have the condition.

Up to 40 percent of women over 65 may have an unstable bladder problem, as may nearly 30 percent of younger women.