12 Treatments & Remedies for Overactive Bladder

An overactive bladder, which causes you to urinate more often than usual, can be a sign of serious medical concerns. Even in more mild circumstances, it can cause depression and social isolation, as there is a stigma around having an overactive bladder that prevents many adults from seeking treatment. However, this condition is very common and plenty of treatment options are available. 

With how prominent this condition is amongst Americans, it’s no wonder that there are many treatment options, such as the following…

1. Keeping a Bladder Diary

Keeping a bladder diary can be a great way to make your first steps to fixing your overactive bladder. It lets you track how often you urinate so you can use it to make more informed medical decisions.

Why Keeping a Bladder Diary Can Help

It can be hard to tell if your bladder is overactive or not. Having a diary lets you track your urination to find out how often it actually occurs. Not only that, but you can track things like incontinence, diet, and other related experiences. This information helps you to narrow your overactive bladder triggers and find better ways to treat your condition.

Another treatment plan you can try is timed urination…

2. Timed Urination

Most people typically urinate on an as-needed basis. For those with an overactive bladder, this need can be more often than is comfortable. Timed urination, therefore, sets a schedule for when you can urinate. 

Why Timed Urination Can Help

Urinating when you need to is the best way to avoid overactive bladder symptoms.

This step is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to changing your urination habits, though…

3. Changing Your Urination Habits 

When we live with an overactive bladder, it can start to control our lives, and our urination habits become dictated by the frequent and sudden urges to urinate. Changing these habits can subsequently help make this condition milder. 

Why Changing Your Urination Habits Can Help

Strategies like waiting a short amount of time after an urge strikes can go a long way to helping you control your bladder. 

Another aspect of your life that can be controlled (and help an overactive bladder) is your diet…

4. Changes to Your Diet

Our diets have huge impacts on our health. By changing what we eat and drink, we can help calm an overactive bladder. 

Why Changes to Your Diet Can Help

There are many foods that can make an overactive bladder worse. Diuretics—that is, foods and beverages that promote urination—can be lowered or eliminated to calm an overactive bladder. These foods include alcohol and caffeine. 

If you’ve been keeping a bladder journal, you can track which foods make your symptoms worse and which foods help you regain control. 

Speaking of gaining control, exercise is a great way to build up bladder strength…

5. Exercising Your Pelvic Muscles

Your pelvic muscles help you control urination. Exercising your pelvic muscles can therefore help you have more control over your bladder. 

Why Exercising Your Pelvic Muscles Can Help

Some cases of overactive bladder can be either caused or made worse by weak pelvic muscles. Doing pelvic exercises, such as Kegels, can strengthen your muscles. Another exercise known as quick flicks—where you squeeze and release your pelvic floor muscles—can help you gain control over the “got to go” feeling. 

In addition to methods you can do yourself, there are also prescription medications your doctor can provide…

6. Prescription Medications

Some cases of overactive bladder can benefit from prescription medications. These drugs can help you manage your overactive bladder, depending on what has caused your particular condition.

Why Prescription Medication Can Help

Overactive bladders are medical conditions. Depending on what has caused your particular case, there can be some effective medicines to treat your condition. Overactive bladders caused by infections, for example, can be treated with antivirals or antibiotics.

Another way a doctor can help you with your overactive bladder is with…

7. Nerve Stimulation 

Many cases of overactive bladder are caused by problems with the nerves that connect the bladder to the brain. Nerve stimulation sends electric charges to these nerves in an effort to restore their functionality.

Why Nerve Stimulation Can Help

Nerve stimulation helps promote and restore nerve connections between your bladder brain. Many instances of overactive bladder are caused by these connections being unreliable. When these nerves are stimulated, the connections they create can have some functionality restored.

Another technologically advanced therapy is biofeedback…

8. Biofeedback Therapy

If you want a high-tech way to treat your overactive bladder, then biofeedback therapy might be the right choice for you. This treatment uses scientific monitoring equipment to give you direct data about how your body is operating. 

Why Biofeedback Therapy Can Help

The more information you have, the better. Biofeedback therapy can give you some truly concrete information about how your bladder is operating. This data lets you and your doctor make stronger decisions about your treatment. 

A less high-tech way, but one that is very effective, to treat some of an overactive bladder’s worst symptoms are the following…

9. Absorbent Pads

One of the most difficult parts of living with an overactive bladder is the urine leakage and incontinence. These symptoms can create difficult social situations, which can lead to depression and isolation. Absorbent pads can help with this issue. 

Why Absorbent Pads Can Help

Absorbent pads give you the freedom to enjoy your life without worrying as much about urine leakage and incontinence. These pads are discrete and absorb small amounts of urine, which protects your clothing. This treatment makes a great supplement to other strategies to help you get your life back on track. 

Another change you can make that will help give you more control is the following…

10. Quitting Smoking

Smoking is bad for your health, so it’s no surprise that smoking aggravates an overactive bladder. Quitting smoking can subsequently help an overactive bladder calm down. 

Why Quitting Smoking Can Help

Smoking increases bladder activity and creates other medical conditions that aggravate an overactive bladder. When you quit smoking, you can give yourself some advantages when it comes to managing an overactive bladder. Quitting smoking also improves your overall health, which gives you more resources to handle an overactive bladder. 

Another change you can make over time is bladder training…

11. Bladder Training

Overactive bladders become “trained” to urinate on a chaotic schedule. The muscles of the body and, indeed, our minds, become used to urinating whenever the urge strikes. This issue can be confronted by retraining the bladder.

Why Bladder Training Can Help

Bladder training can change urine frequency. Remember to listen to your body and don’t be afraid to decrease the time again if your overactive bladder gets worse.

The last tip on our list is both a great way to handle an overactive bladder and an all-around health tip…

12. Staying Hydrated

When individuals have an overactive bladder, they can be tempted to intentionally dehydrate themselves. This behavior doesn’t prevent overactive bladder symptoms; it can aggravate some of the underlying causes.

Staying hydrated boosts your overall health. This boost helps fight back against many of the causes of an overactive bladder, such as infections. So, stay hydrated and talk to your doctor about some of the effective, long-term treatments on this slideshow. 

[related_posts]

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the site owner or any brands and companies mentioned here. Any content provided by our bloggers or authors are of their opinion, and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything. This article is purely for reference purposes and does not constitute professional advice and may not be reflective of the best choice for your unique situation. This site strives to provide as much accurate information as possible; however, sometimes products, prices, and other details are subject to change. Therefore, this site does not verify for the accuracy of the information presented in this article. This site does not assume any liability for any sort of damages arising from your use of this site and any third party content and services.