5 Simple Habits For A Healthier Bladder

Do you feel like you have a small bladder? Do you have to rush to the bathroom when you pee because you get hit with such a strong, sudden urge? Do you leak throughout the day but aren’t entirely sure when or why?

If yes, this post is for you.

Bladders can be finicky, but they're also trainable. How you treat your bladder can make a major impact on how your bladder treats you. Common bladder symptoms like urinary leakage, urinary urgency and urinary frequency are often aggravated by these faulty bladder habits. So while working with a pelvic floor physical therapist to address any underlying strength, tone and muscular control issues may help, consider where you can make simple changes to your daily routine.

Here are 5 habits for a happy bladder:

1. Drink more water.

2. Pee when you need to.

3. Stop peeing "just because."

4. Don't power pee.

5. Limit bladder irritants.

Let’s break down each category.

Drink more water

Most people should drink about half their body weight in ounces of JUST water. This may need to increase on heavy workout days or when spending time in the heat.

Pro tip: The way you drink matters. Sip, don't chug. Sipping throughout the day improves hydration and allows your bladder to slowly fill overtime as compared to chugging which dumps a large amount of water all at once.

Pee when you need to

Go when you need to go. I'm looking at you, nurses and teachers. Your bladder has little receptors that send signals to your brain as your bladder starts to fill, letting you know when you need to pee. Ignoring your urge to urinate trains those receptors to ignore your filling bladder, making them less sensitive and messing with your brains ability to send pee signals in the future.

Stop peeing “just because”

Go when you need to go but don't go when you don't need to! If you're getting into a car for a road trip... fine. But consistently peeing when you don't need to can train those same receptors to become too sensitive, contributing to future urinary urgency and frequency.

Pro tip: You probably don't have a small bladder! Feeling like you have to pee all the time is often a combo of suboptimal habits + pelvic floor muscle tension.

Don’t power pee

When you sit down on the toilet, breathe, relax, wiggle... but don't push. Peeing is supposed to be passive. The muscle surrounding your bladder contracts while your pelvic floor muscles relax, allowing you to empty your bladder. Pushing increases stress on your pelvic floor and increases pressure in your abdomen when it's completely unnecessary! If you have a hard time emptying your bladder without pushing, you may have pelvic floor muscle tension.

Limit bladder irritants

I hate to break it to you, but alcohol, caffeine, bubbly water & spicy foods may be the reason your bladder is angry. And while I don't expect you to give up your morning cup of joy, drinking less of these things and more water can lead to a healthier, happier bladder. Pro tip: Consider drinking a cup of water with your cup of coffee or glass of chosen bladder irritating elixir to help dilute the irritant.

And as always, if you’re struggling with bladder, bowel or sexual symptoms, remember that working with a pelvic floor PT can make all the difference. Call us at 512-766-2649 or send us a message here to work with one of our amazing pelvic floor physical therapists.