Who is in charge, you or your bladder?
Many people deal with bladder issues such as urgency, frequency, and leakage. The good news is that there are things you can do to promote good bladder habits. First, lets go through a few bladder facts.
BLADDER FACTS
- The bladder actually can hold about two cups of urine before it needs to be emptied.
- On average, a person should urinate 5-7 times a day. As we get older, of course, our bladder capacity decreases or diminishes and we may need to empty a little more frequently.
- Urine should flow pretty easily. You should not have to push to pee.
- You should not have any discomfort when you urinate.
- The bladder sends us the urge to urinate as it fills and stretches out.
3 TIPS FOR GOOD BLADDER HABITS
1. Take time while emptying your bladder
Take time to sit down, relax and pee. Many women are Power Pee-ers. They get into the bathroom, hover over the toilet, and push to pee.
When we hover over the toilet instead of sitting, this doesn’t allow our pelvic floor to be fully relaxed to pee. Instead, sit down, relax, and take some deep breaths to allow the pelvic floor to relax. Especially if you “Push to Pee,” instead try taking several deep breaths to start the flow and let the stream happen.
2. Don’t ignore the urge to go to the bathroom or go too infrequently.
We see this often in certain professions like nurses, doctors, and teachers where their day is so busy that they don’t have time to stop and pee.
The trouble is if you consistently ignore the urge to go it can cause your bladder to stretch out over time. This may lead to to difficulty emptying in the future. We ideally should be urinating every 2-5 hours during the day. If you feel the urge to urinate during that time frame, it is best not to ignore the urge.
3. Don’t go Just in Case
We have all definitely been there. Many of us have been taught this habit of going “just in case” from childhood. Think about it. The family is getting ready to leave to go somewhere, and what does mom say? “Everyone go to the bathroom before we leave the house, we aren’t stopping once we get on the road.”
The trouble with going to the bathroom “just in case” as a habit is that it sets your bladder up to send you false urges down the road.
If you are a Just In Case pee-er, here is something to try to stop it. Next time you are about to step into a bathroom, ask yourself “do I have the urge to go pee?” If the answer is NO, don’t go!
Hopefully these tips are helpful for you. If you are dealing with bladder issues, check out our free guide: 9 Quick and Easy Ways to End Bladder Leakage. Or, if you would like help quicker for your bladder issues, reach out to us directly at 636-225-3649.
