Is Your Brain Prank-Calling Your Bladder?
If you base your daily schedule around bathroom breaks, map your travel routes around restroom locations or choose social functions with potty proximity in mind, you may suffer from an overactive bladder.
Common but underreported by those who suffer from it, overactive bladder is twice as likely to affect women as men. Up to 40 percent of women will experience the condition at some point in their lives.
“The most common symptom is the sudden, uncontrolled and repetitious urge to urinate,” says Dr. Nicholas Laryngakis, a board-certified urologist on the medical staff of Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital. “It’s as if your bladder is prank calling your brain to tell it you have to pee, but you really don’t have to go.”
In addition to urgency, other telltale signs include frequency and accidental leakage. “Urinating more than eight times during the day or more than once a night can indicate overactive bladder,” says Dr. Laryngakis.
Bladder Chatter
Aging, medical conditions, bladder obstruction and weak pelvic muscles can spur overactive bladder, which affects an estimated 50 million Americans. Being overweight, consuming certain foods or taking some medications also can aggravate the situation. Constipation can put pressure on the bladder. And in men, long-standing prostate conditions can cause similar symptoms. Sometimes, the cause simply is unknown.
Depending on the severity, overactive bladder can create chronic and even debilitating quality-of-life issues, inhibiting everything from one’s work and travel to their exercise, sleep and sex life. The constant urge to urinate combined with the fear of wetting oneself lead some to social isolation and depression. Their reluctance to leave home can severely limit their independence. Others opt for absorbent pads or underwear, dressing in dark clothes to hide any accidental wetting that may occur.
Unfortunately, too many simply suffer in silence. “Some patients are embarrassed,” says Dr. Laryngakis. “Others believe overactive bladder is just a normal result of aging or having children. Maybe they had a parent or a family member who ‘just dealt with it’ in the past.
Often, their primary care physicians are unaware of the problem because most don’t ask about overactive bladder, and patients don’t bring it up.”
Some just learn to live with it, adjusting their lifestyle to accommodate multiple trips to the toilet. “I tell my patients, if it doesn’t bother you, it doesn’t bother me,” says Dr. Laryngakis. “But if you find yourself constantly worrying about your bladder, avoiding exercise or social situations, or can’t sleep through the night without visiting the bathroom, it’s time to talk with your doctor.”
Restroom Resolutions
“There is no need to suffer,” adds Dr. Laryngakis. “Overactive bladder and urinary incontinence can be easily treated with simple lifestyle changes and relatively noninvasive therapies.”
As we age, our bladders become more irritable and sensitive. Spicy foods, citrus, fizzy drinks, alcohol and caffeine can bother the bladder, as can too little dietary fiber. Drinking liquids four hours before bedtime can prompt nighttime bathroom runs. For some, changing their diet, cutting caffeine, limiting bedtime beverages and adding fiber for better bowel habits can make a big difference.
If lifestyle modifications don’t work, your doctor can prescribe medication to relax the bladder. Physical therapy and urge-suppression techniques like pelvic floor exercises offer yet another option.
More severe cases of overactive bladder may demand further medical treatment. Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) combines an acupuncture-type therapy with electrical current to modulate bladder function. Botox injections work to relax bladder muscles. Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) therapy depends on a rechargeable implanted device that addresses both urinary and fecal incontinence by restoring normal communication between the brain, bladder and bowel. Most of these procedures can be done right in the doctor’s office.
“So many of my patients are surprised when they find out they aren’t alone in their suffering and relieved when they discover there are so many ways we can help them,” says Dr. Laryngakis. “They love being able to be spontaneous again and to go on longer car rides without plotting out every restroom along the way. Addressing their overactive bladder issues opens up their world again.”
