Thousands of people around the globe have to deal with an overactive bladder daily. However, many people accept this condition as something normal and leave with it. The truth is that overactive bladder can be cured and to do that, people need to learn more about this health condition.
What Causes Overactive Bladder?
An overactive bladder is a condition that can be caused by spasms in the muscles of the bladder. Unlike a normal bladder, an overactive bladder can experience spasms even when if it contains a very small amount of urine. You don’t have to feel these physical spasms like the ones you feel in the back. They are usually unnoticeable.
However, people often feel these cramps as a need to empty the bladder. There are many things that we do in our everyday lives that can contribute to making these symptoms worse. For instance, certain foods irritate the bladder.
In addition, overactive bladder can be supported by some of our actions. For instance, if you frequently visit the toilet “just in case”, this might affect your bladder’s ability to hold urine and you will soon need to go to the toilet more often.
So, although there is more than one answer to the question of how does overactive bladder starts, the fact is that there is a solution regardless of the cause.
Overactive Bladder Symptoms
There are a few obvious overactive bladder symptoms that you should not ignore. Here’s a short list of some of the most common ones:
- A sudden and unexpected urge to urinate. This urge cannot be controlled.
- Involuntary loss of urine, a short time after you have urinated.
- Frequent urination in any part of the day and waking up more than two times during the night because of urination.
The fact is that all these symptoms don’t lead to pain or any significant problems, but it is also true that they can hurt your daily activities.
Why is an Overactive Bladder Worse at Night?
The urge to urinate at night is known as nocturia. This is one of the symptoms of an overactive bladder. In many cases, people usually urinate regularly during the day but have to wake up two or more times during the night. In some cases, the reason is excessive fluid consumption before bedtime.
However, this specific form of overactive bladder can be caused by some serious conditions including edema in the legs, diabetes, bladder infection, or congestive heart failure. Certain medications can lead to this condition too.
Even people who experience overactive bladder throughout the day, notice that the situation is worse at night. The main reason for that is the fact that this is the time of the day when we can’t control our thoughts and this is also the time when the body processes all the foods and drinks we consume during the day.
List of Foods to Avoid with Overactive Bladder
Avoiding excessive fluid intake is one of the first things that cross our mind when we want to stop overactive bladder symptoms. However, experts claim that taking fewer fluids than recommended leads to highly concentrated urine which will certainly worsen the situation, so you might also notice a change in the color of urine. That’s why, our main focus should be placed on the types of drinks and foods we consume not the amount.
Increased amounts of carbon dioxide trigger reactions in the bladder and this is why we should avoid soft drinks. In addition, if the drink contains caffeine (teas and coffees) the situation will get worse. The same goes for alcohol which acts as a diuretic.
When it comes to foods, people should avoid processed tomatoes because they create acids in the body and the bladder becomes more sensitive. It is highly recommended to avoid sauces and toppings made from this vegetable.
Spicy food should be avoided too because it makes the bladder more sensitive.
Finally, it was proven that milk chocolate increases the urge for urination. On the other hand, dark chocolate is perfectly safe for people suffering from overactive bladder.