Stop Peeing Every 5 Minutes!
Okay, guys! We are in the midst of the holiday roll… Shopping for presents and decorating our trees and making plans with family and friends for the big upcoming Christmas weekend. Lauri Colwin said, “The table is a meeting place, a gathering round, the source of sustenance and nourishment, festivity, safety and satisfaction. A person cooking is a person giving; even the simplest food is a gift.”
Much of the holidays centers around food. Turkey and gravy and mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving. A roasted ham and cranberry sauce at Christmas. So many of our memories and bonding happen around the dinner table.
But… along with this upswing in our diets, sometimes comes a downswing for our bladder. Many of the foods we tend to eat (including drinks) this time of year can cause bladder irritation.
What is bladder irritation?
It is normal for most people to go to the bathroom six to eight times per day – maybe more if you drink a lot of water. IT IS NOT NORMAL for you to go to the bathroom more than every 2 hours UNLESS you have something that causes Bladder Irritation.
So what is Bladder irritation? This is where the inside lining of the bladder (this inside lining closely resembles the inside of your mouth) gets irritated and causes the bladder to contract. You will most likely feel one of the following things!
You have a strong urge to pee
You feel the need to go way more often
Sometimes with pain in your lower stomach
Because the bladder collects waste, it is very sensitive to what we put in our bodies. Foods that are too acidic or too sugary can upset the delicate balance upon which our bladders depend. You know when you eat pineapple and your mouth gets itchy? Yeas- same thing happens to your bladder when it gets irritated!
Some of these irritating foods and drinks include:
Alcohol, coffee, tea, and sodas
Fruits high in sugar and/or acidity (lemons, limes, bananas, peaches, cranberries, oranges)
Vinegar
Yogurt, milk and cheese
Chocolate
Artificial sweeteners
Preservatives & Salt (think Hot Dogs and really processed foods!)
How will I know what is irritating my bladder?
There’s a two-part process to culling out the foods irritating your bladder. The easiest way is to notice when you have urgency (like the huge need to pee) and determine what you ate/drank just before it. If it was LESS THAN 2 hours from when you ate/drank something from our Bladder Irritation list (see above), then that substance may be irritating to your bladder. Keep track of the next time you have it and see if it causes that same thing again!
The second is a process of elimination (and it is a much larger endeavor than the first): not all of the foods listed above will irritate your bladder. One helpful tool is a food diary. This helps you keep track of your symptoms when you have them and based off what you ate/drank. When you find the most irritating foods for you- you can then eliminate them. After 10 days, you can try to add those foods back in and see if they are still irritating for you. If they are- then you know that you will need to find an alternate version of that food/drink that isn’t irritating for your bladder!
Many studies have shown that keeping a food diary is one of the most effective ways to decrease bladder irritation.
It’s all good to cut out foods that irritate my bladder, but I can’t give up my coffee…
It can be hard to make lifestyle changes that become habitual – and often feel like the foundation of our routines…and life! We’re not asking you to go cold turkey on your daily cup (or cups) of coffee! It’s just about finding a decent substitute that doesn’t cause your bladder to go into work-a-holic mode. Some common substitutions include:
Low acid fruits like papaya, pears, and watermelon
Switch that coffee for Kava or Starbucks Cold Brew
Non-citrus and herbal sun brewed tea
Prelief is a supplement you can take to help balance out acidity in the bladder
If your bladder symptoms feel very severe, a strict diet can help in as quickly as 10 days…
Cut out everything that irritates your bladder
If you get relief after 10 days, start adding things back in — one by one
But the most important thing…
Whether you choose a low key approach to bladder irritation – or the more strict route – the most important thing is to drink water. Especially when you are at the stage of adding foods back into your diet. As with almost anything else concerning the pelvic floor, what goes in must come out. And drinking six to eight cups of water a day helps dilute things (makes them LESS irritating) on the way out.
So…get in the spirit this holiday season! Remember – a little moderation can go a long way. And your bladder will thank you for it!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!
<3 The RPT Team
Sources:
Reisch, R., Rutt, R., Dockter, M., & Sanders, S. (2018). Overactive bladder symptoms in female health profession students: bladder diary characteristics and impact of symptoms on health-related quality of life. Journal of Women's Health, 27(2), 156-161.
https://uihc.org/health-topics/bladder-irritants
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/14244-bladder-irritating-foods
Lawrence, K. & Hyde, J. "Microbiome Restoration Diet Improves Digestion, Cognition and Physical and Emotional Wellbeing." PLOS One, June https://www.beveragedaily.com/Article/2018/12/19/Americans-double-their-drinking-during-the-holidays-dampen-work-productivity