What Behavioral Changes Can I Make To Help With Overactive Bladder
There are many techniques and changes to your typical behavior that you can try to help with an overactive bladder. These can include:
Keeping a log: During a typical day, write down your fluid intake, the number of times you urinate, the number of accidents and when they occur. Make a note about what happened when the accident happened, like when you:
- Cough.
- Laugh.
- Were unable to reach the bathroom in time.
Monitoring your diet: Eliminate or decrease foods or beverages that may worsen your bladder symptoms. These could include:
- Tea.
- Spicy and acidic foods and drinks.
- Foods and drinks that contain artificial sweeteners.
Maintaining bowel regularity: Constipation can place added pressure on the bladder and have a negative effect on your bladder function. By keeping healthy bowel habits, you may be able to avoid constipation and help to lessen bladder symptoms. The following are some suggestions for maintaining bowel regularity:
- Increase your fiber intake by eating foods like beans, pasta, oatmeal, bran cereal, whole wheat bread, and fresh fruit and vegetables.
- Every morning, take 2 tablespoons of this mixture: 1 cup apple sauce, 1 cup unprocessed wheat bran, and ¾ cup prune juice.
- Exercise regularly to maintain regular bowel movements.
Maintaining a healthy weight: Being overweight can add pressure on your bladder, which may contribute to bladder control problems. If you are overweight, weight loss can reduce the pressure on your bladder.
What Causes Overactive Bladder
An overactive bladder can be caused by several things, or even a combination of causes. Some possible causes can include:
- Weak pelvic muscles: Pregnancy and childbirth can cause your pelvic muscles to stretch and weaken. This can cause the bladder to sag out of its normal position. All of these factors can cause leakage.
- Nerve damage: Sometimes signals are sent to the brain and bladder to empty at the wrong time. Trauma and diseases can cause this to happen. These can include:
- Pelvic or back surgery.
- Stroke.
Often, there may be no specific explanation for why this is occurring.
Other Potential Mechanisms Involved In Cranberry Efficiency Against Utis
Emerging evidence shows that the gut microbiota has a key role in homeostasis, regulating health and disease at distal sites throughout the body . Although microbial profiles and microbial metabolites of the gut and other organs might influence the urinary microbiota, the relationship between these actively metabolizing organisms and urogenital health is yet to be completely elucidated . It is now widely accepted that the urinary tract harbours a complex microbial network which is substantially different from the gut populations . Any imbalance in specific bacterial communities is likely to have a profound effect on urologic health owing to their metabolic output and other contributions. Contrary to the urine of an asymptomatic healthy individual, an altered microbiome with specific dominating urotypes was lately reported in subjects with functional disorders of the urinary tract . On the other hand, non-modifiable host factors seem to have a role in the UTIs colonization, probably through its influence in intestinal microbiota . Other host factors, such as the response to fibrinogen depositing at the infection site has been found to be critical to establishing catheter-associated UTIs .
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Prunes Have Positives And Negatives
There’s an upside and a downside to prunes. They may be useful if you have constipation, but they may cause bladder irritation and increase overactive bladder symptoms. If you eat them as a constipation aid but they cause unwanted effects on your bladder, swap prunes out for more high-fiber foods. Peas and carrots are a good choice to help keep you regular.
What Works Best To Help Men With Overactive Bladder
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Jan. 14, 2020 — Learning how to control the urge to urinate may be all the therapy men need to treat an overactive bladder, a new study suggests.
A combination of drugs and behavioral therapy seems to work better than drugs alone, but behavioral therapy alone also worked better than drugs, the researchers found.
The trial of 204 men with overactive bladder suggests behavioral therapy may be a good way to start treatment, the study authors said.
“The study provides good evidence that for the group of men with overactive bladder, symptoms without obstruction from an enlarged prostate can be successfully managed with behavioral therapy alone,” said Dr. Manish Vira, who was not involved with the study, but reviewed the findings. He’s vice chairman of urologic research at Northwell Health’s Arthur Smith Institute for Urology in Lake Success, N.Y.
Many medications typically prescribed for overactive bladder have significant side effects, especially in older men using multiple medications, Vira added.
For the trial, Kathryn Burgio, associate director of research at the Birmingham VA Medical Center in Alabama, and colleagues randomly assigned men to six weeks of behavioral therapy alone, drug therapy alone, or combined drug and behavioral therapy. After the initial six weeks, all of the men received combination therapy for another six weeks.
Show Sources
JAMA Internal Medicine
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Do Cranberries Help Or Hurt
Cranberries are a mixed bag when it comes to your bladder. You may notice drinking cranberry juice helps ward off urinary tract infections, but the beverage may make you pee more often. Cranberries and cranberry juice are acidic and potential bladder irritants. Pay attention to how you feel when you ingest cranberries or cranberry juice. If they give you overactive bladder symptoms, you may need to back off. Decreasing your intake of acidic foods may also help decrease heartburn symptoms.
Can Drinking Cranberry Juice Cure A Urinary Tract Infection
Drinking cranberry juice is good for your body. Cranberry juice is a great beverage, with important antioxidants that help reduce your risk of heart disease. Antioxidants also strengthen your immune system, allowing your body to fight off infections. However, according to the Urology Clinic at UAMS, cranberry juice cannot cure a urinary tract infection on its own.
The myth about cranberry juice may have started because the juice helps alleviate some of the discomfort and pain of a urinary tract infection. In addition, studies have shown drinking cranberry juice can help reduce your risk of getting a UTI. However, if you have an infection, your doctor will need to prescribe antibiotics to clear up the condition. Drinking cranberry juice, as well as other liquids, while you have an infection will help flush the bacteria from your system and speed healing.
To learn more about the personalized care provided by our doctors using state-of-the art diagnostic and treatment techniques, please visit our Medical Services section.
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What Vitamin Helps With Bladder Control
Vitamin C from fruits and vegetables is associated with decreased urinary urgency. However, supplemental vitamin C, especially at high levels, is associated with worsening symptoms. Studies have found that vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased urination. So, getting enough vitamin D may be protective.
Cranberries Help Urinary Tract Infections But Not As Juice
Dashing out for a bottle of cranberry juice when a urinary tract infection hits may not be so helpful after all. Research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology suggests it could just be an old wives tale.
A urinary tract infection can affect any part of the urinary system, kidneys, bladder or urethra.
More than 3 million Americans, mostly women, experience a UTI every year.
Symptoms include frequent, painful urination, pelvic pain and traces blood in the urine. The infection does not normally last long, and most patients self-diagnose.
For many, the first port of call is a box of cranberry juice. However, new research suggests that while cranberry capsules can help, cranberry juice may be little more than a panacea.
Dr. Timothy Boone, PhD, vice dean of the Texas A& M Health Science Center College of Medicine in Houston, and colleagues wanted to know if cranberries can really help.
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Is Cranberry Juice Good For Overactive Bladder Or Not
Cranberry juice is a popular beverage which is well-known as a natural remedy for urinary tract infections . This has led some people to ask whether cranberry juice is also good for other problems such as overactive bladder.
So, if you suffer from overactive bladder, is drinking cranberry juice a good idea or not? We will aim to answer this question later in the article, but first, lets take a look at the difference between overactive bladder and UTIs.
Losing Weight May Help To Improve Your Bladder Control
Excess weight puts extra stress on your pelvic floor muscles and contributes to an overactive bladder and loss of bladder control. If you can lose even a small amount of weight, it will help with bladder control.
The best weight loss plans are always those that set realistic goals combined with healthy eating habits and physical activity. Fad diets, although often successful short-term, rarely achieve sustainable weight loss, because once you tire of the diet, you often revert to ingrained unhealthy eating habits.
Check out our Obesity and Weight Loss guide for more information.
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Aged Cheeses May Be Problematic
Dairy products can be bladder irritants. Sour cream and aged cheeses may be especially bad offenders. Luckily for you, there are tasty alternatives if your bladder can’t handle real dairy products. Try imitation sour cream or nut cheeses. You could try processed cheese that is not aged. Your body may tolerate these choices better.
Overactive Bladder Or Uti
Many of the symptoms of overactive bladder are similar to the symptoms of a UTI. However, the causes are very different. The symptoms that overactive bladder and UTIs have in common include:
- Needing to urinate more often than usual
- Needing to urinate suddenly and urgently
- Waking up to urinate during the night
- Finding it difficult to empty your bladder fully
However, UTIs can also cause some symptoms which are not usually seen in overactive bladder. These include:
- Sharp or burning pain when passing urine
- Abdominal or lower back pain
- Blood in the urine
- Cloudy or smelly urine
Another major difference between UTIs and overactive bladder is that UTIs tend to come on suddenly and clear up completely with treatment. Overactive bladder, on the other hand, is a long-term condition which is more difficult to manage.
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The Facts About Cranberries And Utis
More than 20 national and international studies were examined, including randomized controlled research trials, considered the gold standard for evaluating effectiveness of a treatment. These studies evaluated the role cranberries play in preventing or treating a urinary tract infection among a variety of populations, including children, adults, men, women, pregnant women, and those with certain medical conditions.
As of 2020, the current research shows cranberry products provide very little or no benefit in the prevention or treatment of a UTI when compared to a placebo.
Can You Get Rid Of A Uti With Cranberry Pills
Capsules of cranberry juice. The results of a review of 10 studies involving more than 1,000 women showed that taking cranberry juice or cranberry capsules reduced UTIs by one-third over a year, according to Geerlings. The most benefit was seen by women under the age of 30 and those with repeat UTIs.
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Vitamins That Irritate The Bladder
While some vitamins can help with bladder health, its important to know that others can worsen your symptoms if you have bladder troubles.Nonetheless, some vitamins you may wish to avoid are:
- Vitamin C many patients with interstitial cystitis report that taking a Vitamin C supplement causes bladder flares and trigger a need to go in women. However, Vitamin C found naturally in food doesnt appear to cause issues
- Iron supplements excess iron can cause constipation, which puts pressure on the bladder, causing leaks and discomfort1
- -cryptoxanthin this is a vitamin found in food such as tangerines, red peppers and pumpkin.2 In a 2016 study, it was found to worsen voiding symptoms in individuals with lower urinary tract symptoms3
- Any vitamin buffered with aspartame may increase urinary frequency and urgency4
iD would recommend you speak to a doctor before making changes to your diet or taking supplements.
What Can Make You Pee A Lot
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Vitamin C For An Overactive Bladder
Vitamin C is a powerful water-soluble antioxidant, which helps to strengthen the immune system and also protect the bladder from any damage or impairment caused by harmful free radicals in the body. Experts believe that vitamin C can decrease bladder inflammation, relieve bladder pressure, and prevent bladder infections. The recommended daily intake of vitamin C for adults is 1000 mg. Some vitamin C rich foods include cranberries, blackberries, strawberries, kiwi, grapefruits, oranges, pineapples, broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, and tomatoes which you can eat in plentiful for combating the problem of an overactive bladder.
Smoking May Increase The Urge To Urinate
Smoking irritates the lining of the bladder, and also makes you cough, both of which are unhelpful if you have an overactive bladder.
It is a good decision for both general health reasons and overactive bladder reasons to stop smoking. Work with your health care provider to start a formal “Quit Smoking” program, which may involve smoking cessation medications and group support for the most successful outcome.
Learn more: Our Quit Smoking center also has some helpful advice.
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Carefully Manage Your Fluid Intake
Drinking too much fluid puts pressure on your bladder, and makes you need to urinate. Drinking too little means your urine becomes concentrated, which irritates your bladder, and leads to urinary urgency.
However, it’s important to maintain your fluid intake to avoid dehydration. You can drink slowly and throughout the day to maintain adequate hydration.
- Aim to drink four to eight 8 ounce glasses of water a day.
- Look at your urine and aim for a light yellow color. Dark urine is a sign that you are not drinking enough. Colorless urine is a sign of drinking too much.
- Try to drink only during the day and stop a couple of hours before you go to bed.
- Drink mainly water avoid caffeine and carbonated drinks night.
Cranberry Juice Will Not Do The Trick
However, the researchers point out that since a cranberry capsule provides the equivalent of 8 ounces of cranberry juice, a patient would need a lot of pure cranberry to prevent an infection.
Dr. Boone explains: It takes an extremely large concentration of cranberry to prevent bacterial adhesion. This amount of concentration is not found in the juices we drink. Theres a possibility it was stronger back in our grandparents day, but definitely not in modern times.
He adds:
Cranberry juice, especially the juice concentrates you find at the grocery store, will not treat a UTI or bladder infection. It can offer more hydration and possibly wash bacteria from your body more effectively, but the active ingredient in cranberry is long gone by the time it reaches your bladder.
He also cautions that a UTI and an overactive bladder may show similar symptoms, and people should seek medical advice if any adverse symptoms appear, to prevent UTIs from developing into kidney infections.
Treatment of UTIs can be complicated. Approximately 20-30% of women have recurring UTIs, and concerns about antibiotic resistance mean that both doctors and patients may be unwilling to use such medication.
Dr. Boone points out that there are many benefits of probiotics, although more research is still needed.
Our Knowledge Center article features more information about the health benefits of cranberries.
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How Do I Stop Constant Urge To Urinate
What Are Common Bladder Irritants
Before you find out what products to buy, it is important to learn more about the bladder itself. After all, most of us dont know enough about organs and their functions. The bladder is a muscular sac in the pelvis located right above and behind the pubic bone.
When its empty, the bladder resembles a pear in shape and size. On the other hand, when its full your bladder expands. The inner lining of the bladder tucks into the folds and it expands to accumulate the fluid i.e. urine.
Kidneys make urine which then travels to the bladder via tubes called ureters. The urine is stored in your bladder. During urination, muscles in the bladder squeeze, and two sphincters open to allow urine out. On its way out of the bladder, the urine goes through the urethra, a tube that carries it out of your body. Men have a larger urethra than women because it passes through their penis.
Weak bladder control is a frequent problem that happens due to a wide array of causes. Some of the most common causes of weak bladder control include:
- Diabetes
- Stay hydrated drink enough fluids, particularly water
- Take enough time to empty your bladder completely
- Urinate after sex
- Wear loose-fitting clothes and cotton underwear
Bladder control requires some lifestyle adjustments, but sometimes you need more than that. This is where bladder control products step in. They help you get rid of the unpleasant symptoms and urgent urination in an entirely natural manner.
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