Unlike the team here at Arizona Urology, you probably don’t give your bladder much thought, even though it sends you to the bathroom many times a day.
As urology experts who routinely help patients navigate issues like urinary incontinence, urinary tract infections, and other bladder issues, we understand the importance of a healthy bladder.
Since November is Bladder Health Awareness Month, we’ve gone a step further and pulled together some best practices for maintaining the health of your bladder and your urinary tract. Let’s take a look.
Your kidneys love having plenty of fluids to work with as they filter your blood — and the byproduct of this filtration is urine. To keep your urinary tract functioning well, you must take in plenty of fluids, especially water.
You want to drink enough fluids that you’re hitting the bathroom every 3-4 hours to urinate (except at night), and your urine should be a light yellow color and not darker — the darker the urine, the more you should hydrate.
It’s imperative that you don't hold your urine unless it’s absolutely necessary. When you don’t urinate, you provide more opportunity for bacteria to reproduce in your bladder, which can lead to infections.
For the same reason, we want you to take the time each time you go to the bathroom to empty your bladder fully. Rushing through and leaving some urine behind can also set you up for bladder infections.
Your bladder relies on a strong pelvic floor to keep it in position and functioning well. So, it’s essential to maintain the strength of this group of muscles that forms a sort of hammock below your pelvic organs.
Absent this support, you can develop issues like urinary incontinence, which affects up to 45% of women and 34% of older men. The reason these numbers are higher in women is that hormonal fluctuations, pregnancy, and childbirth can all weaken the pelvic floor.
The best way to strengthen your pelvic floor is through Kegels, and here’s a great how-to for these exercises.
Carrying excess pounds can weaken your pelvic floor and lead to bladder issues. So, if you’re among the nearly three-quarters of the population in the United States who are either overweight or have obesity, losing some pounds can benefit your health on every level, including urinary function.
Both caffeine and alcohol are bladder irritants, so go easy on both.
Did you know that 10 out of 25 women will get at least one UTI, compared to 3 out of 25 men? So, if you’re a woman and you want to avoid UTIs, we suggest:
And, we’ll also go back to some of the other steps we already outlined, such as not holding your urine.
The bottom line is that a healthy bladder can undoubtedly make your life easier and more comfortable — everyone can benefit from the steps above.
If you have more questions about bladder health, please don’t hesitate to contact us at one of our offices in Phoenix, Goodyear, Gilbert, and Glendale, Arizona, today to schedule an appointment.
