Top Things to Know About an Overactive Bladder
Having an overactive bladder means having to get up frequently and often unexpectedly to use the restroom. This means at any moment – during a movie, on a run, or at the store – you could suddenly need to find the nearest restroom. This can lead to you isolating yourself or limiting your activities because you don’t want to get caught somewhere when you need to go.
While all of us use the bathroom each and every day, an overactive bladder is particularly frustrating, as it can hinder your social life. But there is hope. Learn more about overactive bladders – from what causes them to how to manage them – in this blog post.
The Basics
An overactive bladder is defined by the sudden, frequent urge to urinate. It’s often difficult to stop, but could also be defined by the involuntary loss of urine, or “urge incontinence” as it’s called. An overactive bladder is a huge hindrance, as it makes everyday life much more challenging. It’s not only a physical ailment, it can really create mental frustrations, leading to a feeling of embarrassment and a limited social and work life.
Management
To manage an overactive bladder, there are a few places to start before taking medication. While your doctor will discuss these in much more depth, some places to begin are the intake of fluid throughout the day, timing your urinations, and learning to hold your bladder using your pelvic floor. Some of these words might seem intimidating, but they’re often quite manageable.
If these efforts don’t work, your doctor may prescribe medication, especially depending on your specific condition.
Symptoms
As we already mentioned, some of the symptoms of an overactive bladder include a sudden urge to urinate that’s difficult to control, as well as the involuntary loss of urine immediately following the urge. This is the part of this ailment that causes such isolation and embarrassment, and your doctor will work with you to manage this first and foremost.
Beyond that, you may also urinate frequently, eight or more times in 24 hours. Waking more than once or twice in the night to urinate is another symptom that something could be amiss when it comes to your bladder. The truth is that even if you don’t have urge incontinence – which means involuntary urination – frequently needing to go and being woken up often are hindrances all the same.
Causes
There are many reasons for an overactive bladder to occur. Before we go on, let’s discuss how it all works in the first place. Your kidneys produce urine by draining liquid into your bladder. From there, urine passes through your bladder through an opening and comes out of your urethra when you use the restroom.
As your bladder fills, nerve signals are sent to the brain alerting you that you need to go. Eventually, you’ll get up to use the bathroom, and your brain will coordinate the relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles and muscles of the urethra. The muscles of the bladder tighten and push the urine out.
Overactive bladders occur when those nerves and muscles are going haywire in some way or another. These muscles begin to contract involuntarily, even when the volume of urine in the bladder is low. This causes your brain to believe you need to go, even when you don’t necessarily. There are plenty of overarching causes, from abnormalities in the bladder like stones to excess caffeine or alcohol to even neurological disorders. It’s best not to panic and instead consult a urologist.
Risk Factors
The biggest risk of getting an overactive bladder is age. As you age, you’re much more likely to get an overactive bladder, because you’re also at risk of many other conditions that can cause overactive bladders, such as diabetes and an enlarged prostate.
Many times after a cognitive decline due to a stroke or Alzheimer’s disease, an overactive bladder is common. Again, in many cases, even when your overactive bladder is the result of a cognitive decline or other issues, your doctor will work with you to solve this problem with fluid schedules and programs.
Complications
Incontinence affects your overall quality of life, no matter how severe. If your overactive bladder symptoms are causing a major disruption, there’s also a chance it could lead to emotional distress or depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and even issues with sexuality. There’s also a symptom called stress incontinence, wherein physical activity can cause the urge to go, hindering you from exercise.
In old age, people may experience a combination of bladder problems and issues. The bladder can cause the urge to go, but won’t empty well. A urologist can help.
When to See a Doctor
It’s time to see a doctor when any of the above symptoms negatively affect your overall quality of life. Frequent urination and an overactive bladder are incredibly frustrating ailments and can become irksome even if they’re only slight. Your urologist can help them become manageable. If you’re uncertain about any symptoms above, contact us today. Even if you’re perfectly healthy, it’s never a bad call!
