Three things for a better bladder & bladder norms By Dr. Hailey Jackson
What a great Friday to discuss normal bladder health and habits your bladder will love.
First & foremost, stay hydrated. Your bladder LOVES water, but usually when people are in my office with bladder dysfunction, they eliminate water thinking that will help their urinary leakage, urinary urgency, or pain with urination. Shoot for 60-80 ounces of water per day, unless you’re sweating excessively (who isn’t in this heat) or breastfeeding, then increase by 20 oz/day for each.
Next, try to avoid “just in case” peeing. Bladder norms include urinating every 2-4 hours, without leakage, and no urgency walking to the bathroom. Just incase peeing is urinating every time you leave the house, stop at a gas station on a road trip, when you wake up during the night though you don’t actually need to go, or between each class period (teachers and nurses I’m looking at you).
Lastly, try to avoid excessive consumption of bladder irritants like coffee, tea, carbonated beverages, alcohol, and juices. If you are drinking a lot of these, do your best to include water around consumption of the irritant.
Remember– urinary leakage, bladder pain, excessive urination, and urinary urgency do not have to be your normal. There is often a musculoskeletal or neuromuscular component to this. I’d love to help! Give us a call at 903-962-2600 to get on the schedule.
