Top Tips to Ensure a Healthy Bladder
Women are especially vulnerable to conditions that affect their bladder function.
These conditions include:
- Urinary incontinence
- An overactive bladder
- Suffering from a prolapse
Going through the menopause or giving birth can make the symptoms of these conditions more of a problem.
More information about these three conditions
A prolapse occurs when one of the internal organs drops down into the vagina - this is caused by weakened muscles and ligaments in the pelvic floor.
Urinary incontinence can occur when you laugh, cough, sneeze, lift objects or exercise - or when you have sudden uncontrollable urges to urinate. Aging, being overweight, childbirth, an overactive bladder and pregnancy can all be contributing factors.
An overactive bladder means sudden, uncontrollable urges to urinate.
How can you help to find solutions for these problems?
1. By avoiding beverages that stimulate or irritate your bladder. For example caffeine (found in coffee, tea and even some energy drinks) is a bladder stimulant, giving you the urge to urinate. It is also a diuretic, increasing your production of urine as well as dehydrating your body. Alcohol is another bladder stimulant and diuretic. Try to avoid or reduce your use of these.
2. By avoiding foods that irritate your bladder. These foods can irritate your urinary system and the lining of your bladder and include oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit and tomatoes. Try to avoid or reduce your consumption of these.
3. By losing excess weight and maintaining a healthy weight. Any extra weight can increase the pressure in your abdomen, weakening your pelvic floor muscles and applying greater pressure on your urinary system and possibly leading to urinary incontinence and/or an overactive bladder. Try to include regular exercise and follow a healthy diet to lose weight.
4. By staying hydrated. When urine becomes too concentrated, it can irritate your bladder. Try to stay hydrated by drinking approximately eight glasses of water, or other hydrating fluids, every day. Even If you you have an overactive bladder, it is still important to stay hydrated as reducing your fluid intake too much will concentrate your urine, irritate your bladder and make your symptoms worse.
5. By exercising your pelvic floor. Carry out pelvic floor exercises to strengthen the muscles that support your bladder, rectum and vagina. They are a recommended treatment for women for all three of those bladder issues listed above. In addition, regular pelvic floor exercises can also help prevent these conditions from developing in the first place.
A word of warning...
If you experience any symptoms of bladder problems, such as leaking urine, sudden, uncontrollable urges to urinate, or a bulge or pulling sensation in your vagina, it is still important to seek medical advice.
Written by Jane Chitty
Jane writes for Healing Natural Oils, a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as a range of beauty products. Apart from writing about those various conditions, she also covers general health, environmental and other subjects of interest. She has lived in Kenya as well as Cape Town, South Africa and spent time in San Diego, USA. She now lives in Somerset, England with regular visits from her far-flung children and grandchildren. She is a keen gardener and enjoys growing fresh fruit and vegetables with her husband on their joint allotment. As a result, there is something available to use in the kitchen virtually all year round. Her regular posts can be found on our blog.