Overactive bladder patient information
Having an overactive bladder can also be referred to as having urgency. It causes you to have a sudden urge to go to the toilet and sometimes lose control of your bladder resulting in urinary leakage.
Several things can affect this condition. One is your fluid intake – the amount you drink and the type of fluid that you drink.
Drinking too much fluid quickly can overwhelm your bladder creating an urgent need to pass urine. Even if you drink more due to exercising or because you work outdoors, you do not need to drink a large amount all at once. You should drink smaller amounts throughout the day, stopping around two hours before you go to bed. Drinking too little fluid can lead to a build up of body waste products in your urine and this leads to concentrated ‘darker’ urine, which can be quite offensive and irritate your bladder.
Certain drinks and foods can irritate your bladder and can affect people differently from person to person. The following are just a few of the popular irritants below:
Coffee, tea and hot chocolate – If these drinks have caffeine in them, they will increase the bladder activity and need to pass urine. Drinking caffeinated drinks will make you feel a need to urinate more frequently. Reducing or eliminating caffeine by switching to decaffeinated alternatives will decrease the symptoms, and for some people, solve their urinary problems significantly.
Herbal teas – Some herbal teas have different properties and herbs that can irritate the bladder and act as a diuretic, which make you produce more urine.
Acidic fruits and other fruits – Fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, limes and lemons can irritate the bladder and cause overactivity. Other fruits also include pineapple, strawberries, kiwi, plums and sour grapes. Try switching to blueberries, pear, apples or bananas that are less acidic.
Alcoholic beverages – Alcohol is a diuretic which will make you need to go to the toilet more after drinking. It reduces the hormone vasopressin, which ultimately halts the kidney’s natural response to reabsorb water, and instead it flushes out through the bladder. It acts on the kidneys to make you urinate out more than you take in.
Fizzy beverages – Drinking too many fizzy drinks can be a major cause of your bladder issues not just because of the caffeine and sweeteners but since it is carbonated. Carbonation is a bladder irritant and can make you go to the toilet more often. Diet fizzy drinks have artificial sweeteners that irritate the bladder and cause over activity.
Tomatoes – These are citrus fruits which can irritate the bladder. This can make the bladder more overactive. You may need to look at cutting out foods such as pastas, pizza sauce, ketchup or salsa which all contain tomatoes.
Spicy foods – Spicy peppers and hot sauces will irritate your bladder just as they can irritate your eyes and lips.
Processed foods (i.e. microwave meals) – These contain a lot of artificial ingredients such as flavourings and preservatives, which can worsen symptoms of an overactive bladder. Try eating a healthy well-balanced diet with natural and fresh foods to reduce bladder overactivity.
Onions – Onions are acidic, which can increase the urge and frequency to urinate. If raw unions are cooked before eating, this can reduce the negative effect on the bladder.
Cranberries – Although cranberries can relieve symptoms of a urine infection, they can also have a negative effect as they are acidic.
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