Top 3 Tips for Reducing Bladder Urgency!
Are frequent trips to the bathroom interrupting your life? Or have you been diagnosed with an overactive bladder? Here are our top three tips for reducing bladder urgency!
- Deep Breathing
We take around 25,000 breaths per day and the way we breathe can have a huge impact on our bladder, pelvic floor and nervous system. Diaphragmatic breathing in particular helps to activate our parasympathetic nervous system (rest & digest response), relieves intra-abdominal pressure and helps the pelvic floor relax.
Give it a try!
- Begin by lying on your back in a comfortable position with your knees bent, place your hands on the sides of your lower ribs
- Slowly inhale through your nose, trying to fill the lower parts of your lungs, allowing your ribcage to expand into your hands
- Slowly exhale through your mouth, feeling your hands sink in and towards each other
- The key is that your breaths are slow and controlled, no need to rush. Aim for an inhale and exhale that lasts at least 4 seconds each
Once you get the hang of it, try to incorporate diaphragmatic breathing into your daily routine – during your commute, before a meeting, and especially when you feel bladder urgency!
- Addressing Core Dysfunction
There are many ways our core can be dysfunctional and contribute to bladder urgency.
With bladder urgency we typically find that the pelvic floor muscles are overactive or tight. Sometimes the pelvic floor is working in overdrive to compensate for other muscles in the core that are weak. When this is the case, we want to focus on exercises to lengthen the pelvic floor and increase mobility in the hips, in combination with strength exercises for core muscles that are weak. Your pelvic floor physiotherapist can help you identify exercises that might be appropriate for you!
- Retraining the Bladder (Urge Inhibition Techniques)
Typically, you should empty your bladder every 2.5 to 3 hours throughout the day. If you find yourself having to go more frequently than this, there are a few simple strategies that you can try to delay or ignore the urge to go.
Most of the following techniques work by distraction and taking our mind off the feelings of urgency – remember this sensation can often be felt when the bladder is not really full. Here are a few strategies for retraining the bladder:
> Diaphragmatic breathing – see tip #1. Try taking 5 breaths and seeing if the urgency decreases.
> Visualization – try imagining yourself enjoying the scenery at your favourite vacation spot or spending time with a loved one.
> Distract yourself/keep yourself busy – try replying to an email, pay a bill, dive into a book or count backwards from 100 by 2.7.
> Sensory distraction – push the tip of your nail into your thumb or pinch your arm.
These are just a few of the many possibilities for addressing bladder urgency. Your pelvic floor therapist can work with you and get creative to figure out what works best for you.