High Urinary Frequency and Possible Causes
If you need to go to the toilet more often than usual, then you may have what is known as “urinary frequency”. For many it can become a stressful situation as you often don’t know when you next need to rush to the bathroom. This can cause anxiety and even exacerbate the symptoms further.
There are many reasons you may have urinary frequency, it could be an overactive bladder, a urinary tract infection (UTI) or pelvic floor weakness and dysfunction.
This article is here to offer practical steps to help you regain control.
You don’t have to settle for discomfort.
With the right tools and changes, you can manage urinary frequency and feel more in charge of your day.
So, let’s dive in and see how you can regain control.
Try to Optimise Your Hydration Levels
When you drink too little, you risk dehydration; this can irritate your bladder, leading to more frequent and urgent trips to the restroom.
But if you drink too much at once, it can overload your bladder’s capacity, making you run to the bathroom even more often.
So, what’s the sweet spot?
Drinking enough water to keep your body functioning well, without overwhelming your bladder.
The key is to spread your fluid intake throughout the day, rather than gulping down large amounts in one go.
Keep an eye on your hydration needs and try to avoid drinking too much before bed. You don’t want to be up all night either.
Aim for a pale, light yellow urine color as a sign that you’re hydrated without overdoing it.
A Bladder Diary Can help You Transform Your Symptoms
If you’ve ever wished for a way to track your bladder habits, a bladder diary might just be your new best friend.
By tracking your fluid intake, bathroom visits and any moments of leakage you will start to gain insight into the triggers into high urinary frequency and begin to see patterns that you can start to influence. For example, drinking alcohol or too many fluids after dinner could mean you are rushing to the bathroom many times during the night. A bladder diary can also help you spot triggers like certain foods or times of day that make your symptoms worse.
If you’re a woman, tracking your symptoms alongside your menstrual cycle can be eye-opening, too. Your period might bring changes in your urinary frequency that you hadn’t even noticed.
Use Mindfulness Techniques to Stretch the Time Between Bathroom Visits
Instead of rushing to the bathroom next time you feel the urge, try this simple approach. Take a deep breath and focus on something in the space around you, like the sunlight coming through the bedroom window counting to one hundred. By taking this approach you can begin to gradually increase the time between bathroom visits. Add a minute or two to begin with and then gradually build up the time each day forward. Calf raises are another good trick, even 5 can change your focus and delay the urge.
Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor and Bladder Control with Hypopressives
Hypopressives is a combination of breathing exercises and body positions that focus on how the body restores itself from the inside. These postpartum pelvic floor exercises work by lowering intra-abdominal pressure, building core strength from the inside out, and strengthening muscles like the pelvic floor and transversus abdominis.
The vacuum effect generated by this breathing technique not only activates the diaphragm but also engages key deep core muscles such as the transverse abdominis, pelvic floor and multifidus muscles located in the lower back region. Working together these muscle groups provide stability and strength to support optimal functioning of the pelvic area.
Improved strength and functioning of the pelvic floor leads to more control over bladder function and reduced instances of involuntary leakage.
Getting Started With Hypopressives to Improve Urinary Frequency
For the Hypopressives classes it is important that you learn the Breathing/Apnea technique properly so that you can get the most out of the classes and the time you invest in yourself.
Each week Simone runs Fundamentals sessions on Zoom where she explains the technique and guides you through all the steps. She will also give you feedback to make sure that you’re doing it correctly. For some, the technique may come more quickly than others. Some of her clients, who are tighter in the ribs and thoracic spine do tend to take a little longer.
And here’s the golden rule – for impactful change, Simone recommends at least three 15 to 20-minute workouts per week. Consistency is your best friend on this journey towards wellness.
