Let’s talk about urinary frequency!
What is normal anyways?
Normal voiding habits
○ 6-8x / day
○ 0-1x / night
○ Anything more = overactive bladder
○ Anything less = underactive bladder
Habits that may contribute to overactive bladder:
“Just in case voiding” —> voiding prior to leaving the house, before a drive, or any time you don’t really have to go, but do…”just in case”
■ “Just in case” voiding can poorly train your bladder into thinking you have to void more frequently than you actually do
■ “Just in case” voids are usually small outputs — once again, poorly training the bladder into thinking you have to empty your bladder earlier than you actually do.
○ Voiding as soon as you feel the urge in attempt to avoid leakage
■ Think of this as awarding bad behavior. Our bladder has many sensors that send us signals when we have to void. The first signal is often just a gentle reminder that we may have to void in the near future, but not right away. Voiding as soon as we feel the urge poorly trains the bladder into thinking that your first gentle reminder signal actually means you have to go now.
○ Too little water intake.
■ A dehydrated bladder is an angry bladder — leading to more frequent, smaller, incomplete, unnecessary voids.
Habits that may contribute to underactive bladder:
○ Holding onto urine.
■ Due to a busy job, an occupied bathroom, or anxiety around voiding in public…all of these things can train the bladder to void less frequently.
■ Holding onto urine may cause a tight pelvic floor, urinary tract infections, painful voiding, bowel dysfunction…the list goes on and on.
○ Too little water intake.
■ Just as too little water intake can cause an angry overactive bladder, it can also cause a sad underactive bladder — leading to dehydration, infrequent voids, and higher risk for infections.
As you can see, the bladder is easily persuaded and trained by our habits and behaviors. The good news is that the bladder can be trained with positive, healthy habits that make for a happy bladder and happy life.
Interested in learning more about fixing your bladder habits? Concierge Physical Therapy Sandwich MA offers mobile and in-person physical therapy to improve your bladder habbits.
Comments