Become a Bladder Boss
| Hi Collective, Ever feel like your bladder is bossing you around? Maybe you can’t make it through the whole movie without interruption or maybe your bladder is keeping you awake at night. The good news is there are steps you can take to take charge of your bladder and teach it who’s boss. Bladder health falls under the larger topic of pelvic health, the scope of which is far beyond a single newsletter. We cover pelvic health in much more detail in our 6-week signature workshop, but let’s discuss some things you can do if you’re experiencing urge incontinence or overactive bladder. We are definitely at the mercy of our bowels (never ignore the urge to poop!), but we must take charge of our bladders. Here are some tips to help you become a bladder boss: Never pee at the first urge. Build up to 3-4 hours between each trip. 8-10 seconds of stream is ideal. If you go more frequently, you’re teaching your bladder to be overactive. If you’re experiencing urgency, try several quick flicks of the pelvic floor muscles to relax the bladder. If the urge is very strong, don’t panic. Try deep breathing and distraction techniques. Deal with any constipation issues–there’s a lot of cross-talk between the bowel and bladder. NEVER bear down to pee. Don’t avoid fluid intake. This will increase your risk of constipation, bladder infection, and dehydration. Your bladder needs to be trained to do its job and can only do that when you drink enough. Avoid going “just in case”. Now, if you’re about to get in the car for a long road trip, then by all means. But begin to notice how often you go when you don’t really need to. Consider keeping a bladder diary and noting triggers. Common triggers include carbonated drinks, spicy foods, citrus, and dairy. Last year at this time, I was experiencing very strong urges around 11 pm each night. I would get up, pee just a little, only to have to get up and do it all over again 10 minutes later! Using these tips, I fixed this problem and haven’t had an issue since. Notice how active your bladder becomes as you walk into the bathroom (or even just pass by it). Our minds are very powerful! With some intention and practice, you can begin to teach your bladder who’s boss. Now, we didn’t cover bladder prolapse here, but 1 in 4 women have some kind of pelvic floor dysfunction. Don’t hesitate to seek out help if you suspect your issues stem from pelvic organ prolapse. Low back pain; a heavy, aching feeling in the pelvic area that gets worse as the day goes on; pain with sex, urination, or defecation; needing manual support to begin your flow are all signs you may need more than just the tips above. There are physical therapists that work just with pelvic issues and they can be an invaluable part of re-gaining pelvic health. As always, seek us out on our Facebook page if you have questions! We love to support you. Yours in sisterhood, Ashley and Heather |
