Overactive bladder, a condition that affects 33 million Americans, causes a sudden urge to urinate. According to the National Association for Continence, this urge can happen even when your bladder is not full and cause you to urinate many times a day, roughly eight times in 24 hours. Nocturia, a form of overactive bladder, can make you wake up two or more times a night to urinate.
Urge incontinence is similar but different from an overactive bladder. Overactive bladder is when you have a sudden need to urinate and involuntarily leak urine. Urge incontinence occurs when the bladder contracts when it shouldn’t, and you can leak urine even when your bladder is not full.
Who Is Most Likely to Be Affected?
Overactive bladder is likely to affect women more than men. Older adults (people 65 or older) can also have an overactive bladder. However, it is not a typical result of aging. Cedars Sinai, a top-ranking hospital in the U.S. located in Los Angeles, found that certain neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease, bladder cancer, or prostate cancer, can increase the risk of overactive bladder.
What Are the Causes of the Condition?
There are several causes of overactive bladder:
- Weak pelvic muscles, often as a result of pregnancy and childbirth
- Hormone changes, such as estrogen deficiency after menopause
- Infection, such as a urinary tract infection (UTI)
- Side effects of medication
- Drinking too much fluid
- Not completely emptying the bladder when urinating
- Nerve damage
- Being overweight or obese
What Lifestyle Changes Reduce Overactive Bladder Symptoms?
Lifestyle changes can help reduce the symptoms of overactive bladder.
- Limiting foods and drinks that irritate the bladder. Drinks that encourage the body to make more urine include alcohol, coffee, tea, soda, and other carbonated drinks. Foods that can irritate the bladder include spicy foods, chocolate, citrus juices, fruits, and tomato-based foods. Milk, sugar, cranberries, and products containing corn syrup can also irritate the bladder, so it is best to avoid these if possible.
- Maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight if necessary. Being overweight can add pressure on your bladder, which can cause bladder control issues. Losing weight may reduce the pressure on your bladder.
- Emptying your bladder twice. When you urinate, wait for a few seconds and then try to urinate again.
- Waiting to urinate, even when you have to go to the bathroom. You may want to start by waiting for a few minutes and work your way up from there.
- Timing when you need to urinate and when you might leak urine. Recording these patterns helps you anticipate when you will need to go to the bathroom. Timing when you urinate can also mean that you follow a daily schedule and go to the bathroom at the same time every day.
- Doing Kegel exercises. These exercises involve tightening and holding the pelvic muscles, which are the muscles that support the bladder, bowels, and uterus (in women). To do Kegel exercises, pretend you are trying to stop yourself from urinating. That contracts the pelvic floor muscles. Hold the “squeeze” for five seconds, and then relax. You can repeat this ten times to complete a set, and do five sets a day. Women can also use small weights while doing Kegels to help tighten the pelvic muscles.
What Urinary Incontinence Product Options Are Available for This Condition?
In addition to lifestyle changes and treatments, there are many urinary incontinence products available to manage an overactive bladder.
- Adult briefs and adult diapers can provide discrete comfort and relief from leakage. Adult briefs have tabs on the side so that they can be put on or taken off without having to undress fully. For caregivers, this makes it easier to change a loved one when they are lying down. Different types of briefs include overnight, daytime use, re-fastenable, and non-re-fastenable.
- Incontinence underwear, unlike briefs, is worn like regular underwear, meaning you must remove pants to put them on. The sides are tearable for quick opening. They do not refasten, though.
- Incontinence pads are thin pads that attach to underwear. They do not provide full coverage like adult briefs or incontinence underwear and manage light leakage. There are incontinence pads made specifically for men and women.
What Are the Treatment Options?
If lifestyle changes do not help, there are several treatment options available for an overactive bladder, such as prescription medications. Some medications prevent the bladder from squeezing when it’s not full. Others relax the bladder and increase the amount of urine it can hold. Some medicines do both in case one option does not work on its own.
Botox injected directly into the bladder muscle, calms the nerves that cause over-stimulation. The effects can last up to eight months. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that Botox treatment occur at least 12 weeks apart. Botox can help people who didn’t have results with bladder relaxation medications. These are only a few of the treatment options available. Please consult your doctor to determine the best treatment option for you.
If you are affected by an overactive bladder, know that you are not alone and can talk to your doctor or healthcare provider about what options can help manage your condition.