An overactive bladder causes frequent and uncontrollable urges to urinate, often causing leakage. This can cause extreme discomfort and lead to embarrassing situations. While medications can help with the symptoms, one should incorporate lifestyle changes to manage an overactive bladder. Here are a few steps that can help.
1. Keep a check on the diet
One should consume plenty of fibrous foods to manage the symptoms of an overactive bladder. Fruits like apples, bananas, coconuts, and grapes and vegetables like green veggies, carrots, and cauliflower can boost bladder health. One should also keep a check on their daily fluid intake and also the kinds of drinks they choose. For instance, sodas can irritate the bladder and are best avoided. Similarly, people with an overactive bladder should steer clear of spicy and sugary foods and drinks.
2. Stay hydrated
Taking in too much fluid will increase the frequency of urination, but it’s important to stay hydrated. One should moderate their fluid consumption and take smaller amounts if they feel thirsty. Too little fluid in the body will lead to waste buildup, so one should remember to drink some water at regular intervals.
3. Do Kegel exercises
Kegel exercises can help manage the symptoms of an overactive bladder by strengthening the pelvic floor muscles and improving bladder capacity. These exercises involve squeezing the pelvic floor muscles for 3 seconds before relaxing and repeating it a few times.
4. Lose the extra pounds
Losing weight is a helpful lifestyle change to manage an overactive bladder as excess body weight can put immense pressure on the bladder and make it feel full, leading to frequent urges to urinate. Obesity can also lead to other problems like weaker muscle control, which can contribute to this condition.
5. Train the bladder
Bladder training refers to changing one’s bathroom habits. This can take up to a few weeks to develop and show effects for people with an overactive bladder, and one can start by delaying an urge to urinate by just 5 minutes and extend this duration over time. We recommend talking to a doctor about it before starting.
6. Avoid cigarette smoking
Smoking cigarettes negatively affects bladder health as it can irritate the bladder and make it difficult to manage the symptoms. People who smoke should try to reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke per day and work toward gradually quitting the habit. One can consult a doctor and seek treatment if things seem to be getting out of hand.
7. Cut out caffeine
Caffeine can worsen overactive bladder-related symptoms and cause leakages. So, limiting one’s caffeine intake and switching to herbal teas is an effective lifestyle change to manage an overactive bladder.
An overactive bladder can cause significant distress, but following these simple lifestyle changes along with taking medicines can help manage the symptoms effectively.
