Do you suffer from an overactive bladder?
Have to take frequent trips to the bathroom? Have trouble
sleeping through the night without having to get up to use
the bathroom? Do you ever have accidents, or have difficulty
holding it? Try these six tips to strengthen your urinary
tract and find natural relief from frequent urination.
1. Do Kegel exercises.
Kegel exercises help to restore muscle tone and strength
to the pelvic floor. These are the muscles responsible for
starting and stopping the flow of urine. Pregnancy, childbirth,
or obesity often result in weaker pelvic muscles or the
muscles can simply get out of shape as we age. Regular exercise
can restore these muscles resulting in greater bladder control.
To help you find the right muscles, try to stop the flow
of urine. If you succeed, you are working the right muscles.
Now, sitting or standing comfortably, try to contract and
release these muscles ten times a day, gradually working
up to three sets of ten or more every day. As these muscles
become stronger you will find that you have better control
of your bladder.
2. Do not try to reduce water consumption.
Many people suffering from excessive urinary frequency try
to solve the problem by drinking less water. This is not
a good idea! Water is very important to your health. You
should be drinking about one half of your body weight in
ouces every day. So, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should
be drinking 75 ounces of water daily.
3. Stay away from coffee, alcohol,
and soft drinks.
These beverages don't count toward your daily water intake
and in fact can make frequent urination worse. Caffeine
and alcohol act as a diuretic causing you to need to go
to the bathroom even more frequently.
4. Empty your bladder completely
when you go to the bathroom.
Take the extra time to relax completely and fully empty
your bladder. Breathe and relax, wait a moment after you
are finished and try again. Completely emptying your bladder
will extend the time between trips to the bathroom.
5. Go to the bathroom right before
you go to sleep.
Empty your bladder directly before bed. This helps train
your body to remember that this is the time to urinate.
It will also help you to sleep through the night if you
avoid snacks before bed, which raise your blood sugar levels
making it harder to sleep.
6. Try these tricks to help you
sleep more soundly.
Wear socks to bed. Cold feet keep you in a lighter state
of sleep, thus making you more aware of pressure in your
bladder. Staying warm helps you sleep deeper, thus making
it easier to sleep through the night. Another trick is to
sleep in complete darkness. Light causes your body to cease
production of melatonin and serotonin, two hormones that
help you sleep. And avoid watching television right before
you turn in for the night. TV stimulates your brain, making
it harder to drift away peacefully and making your dreams
more active.
7. Take Flotrol.
Flotrol is an all natural bladder control support formula.
It contains pumpkin seed and soy germ extracts that have
been studied in clinical trials and shown to improve urinary
tract health and overall quality of life in subjects suffering
from poor bladder control. In clinical trials, results begin
to appear after a week, and improvement continued throughout
the sixth week. Flotorol will help support and maintain
a strong, healthy bladder. By Annette Rogers
