Living With Overactive Bladder
Living With Overactive Bladder
You're sitting in a meeting when you have the sudden urge to pee. Immediately. Or you can't sleep because your bladder wakes you up. Maybe you've canceled plans because you don't always make it to the bathroom on time. And you're embarrassed to talk about it.
No need to feel shame, says Maude Carmel, MD, assistant professor of urology at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. "OAB [overactive bladder] is very common, and there are solutions." It affects nearly 4 in 10 women, according to the Urology Care Foundation.
Why Do I Pee So Much at Night?
Does your bladder nag you out of bed overnight? If you have to go to the bathroom more than once during 6-8 hours of Zzz's, you might have nocturia.Your body may make too much urine, or your bladder can’t hold enough. Sometimes it's both.There are many possible causes. Some need medical treatment, others you can manage on your own.
Read the Why Do I Pee So Much at Night? article > >
OAB is not a disease but a treatable condition, distinguished by peeing often (more than eight times in 24 hours and more than one time at night), sudden urges to empty the bladder, and, for some women, incontinence. When you have OAB, your bladder contracts at the wrong time, sending signals to the brain telling it to empty before it's really full, Carmel explains.
Certain medications, neurological diseases, and aging can raise your risk of OAB. Here's what you can do:
Rethink your drink. "Anyone with OAB should probably limit herself to one or maybe two caffeinated drinks per day," Carmel says. Caffeine -- in coffee, green or black tea, chocolate, and sodas -- irritates the bladder and is a diuretic, "so it really just makes everything worse."
Limit alcohol (another diuretic) and artificial sweeteners, which also irritate the bladder, increasing how often you pee and feelings of urgency to do it.
Write it out. Keep a bladder diary—a log of what you drink, when you pee, and how much. It's a great tool for looking at how much you're drinking and when your OAB symptoms are worse, Carmel says.
Do kegels. When done right, these pelvic floor exercises strengthen the muscles that hold the bladder and help reduce OAB symptoms in women, says Carmel. "But you need to do them properly." Try stopping your urine mid-stream to learn the proper muscles. Then do 10 contractions two to three times a day, holding each contraction for 5 to 10 seconds.
Pee on a schedule. "Bladder retraining is very important," Carmel says. "It helps your bladder hold more urine before sending a signal to your muscles that it's time to go."
No need to feel shame, says Maude Carmel, MD, assistant professor of urology at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. "OAB [overactive bladder] is very common, and there are solutions." It affects nearly 4 in 10 women, according to the Urology Care Foundation.
Recommended Related to Urinary Incontinence/OAB
Why Do I Pee So Much at Night?
Does your bladder nag you out of bed overnight? If you have to go to the bathroom more than once during 6-8 hours of Zzz's, you might have nocturia.Your body may make too much urine, or your bladder can’t hold enough. Sometimes it's both.There are many possible causes. Some need medical treatment, others you can manage on your own.
Read the Why Do I Pee So Much at Night? article > >
OAB is not a disease but a treatable condition, distinguished by peeing often (more than eight times in 24 hours and more than one time at night), sudden urges to empty the bladder, and, for some women, incontinence. When you have OAB, your bladder contracts at the wrong time, sending signals to the brain telling it to empty before it's really full, Carmel explains.
Certain medications, neurological diseases, and aging can raise your risk of OAB. Here's what you can do:
Rethink your drink. "Anyone with OAB should probably limit herself to one or maybe two caffeinated drinks per day," Carmel says. Caffeine -- in coffee, green or black tea, chocolate, and sodas -- irritates the bladder and is a diuretic, "so it really just makes everything worse."
Limit alcohol (another diuretic) and artificial sweeteners, which also irritate the bladder, increasing how often you pee and feelings of urgency to do it.
Write it out. Keep a bladder diary—a log of what you drink, when you pee, and how much. It's a great tool for looking at how much you're drinking and when your OAB symptoms are worse, Carmel says.
Do kegels. When done right, these pelvic floor exercises strengthen the muscles that hold the bladder and help reduce OAB symptoms in women, says Carmel. "But you need to do them properly." Try stopping your urine mid-stream to learn the proper muscles. Then do 10 contractions two to three times a day, holding each contraction for 5 to 10 seconds.
Pee on a schedule. "Bladder retraining is very important," Carmel says. "It helps your bladder hold more urine before sending a signal to your muscles that it's time to go."
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