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Frequent Urination: “Do you pee JIC?”

 By Stacey Knowles, PT,MS, CFMT, FAAOMPT | January 26, 2020 | Frequent Urination | Urinary Incontinence| Pelvic Pain

 

Your bladder is an organ but more importantly a sack that is surrounded with muscles with several sensors to alert you when you have to go to the bathroom.  When you are going to the bathroom before your bladder completely fills you may be training your bladder to only hold that small volume that was in it instead of waiting until your bladder was completely full. Just like any other muscles in the body we have to train our bladders. Granted if you have an infection, are taking medications or have some other underlying pathology there are exceptions to this rule. But ask yourself before you go running to the bathroom to “JIC”  or “Just In Case” pee if you truly have to go to the bathroom or can you hold it a bit longer before you go? However it is important that you know where the bathrooms are, do not wait until you have pain or you simply cannot hold it any longer.

Drinking Less Water Is Not the Solution
It is important to drink water as our bodies composed of 50-75% water. Our blood, muscles, bones and fatty tissues are comprised of water. Hence not drinking water will not only deplete these tissues but also may irritate your bladder resulting in an increase your urgency (feeling you need to urinate) and frequency (actual urine production).  Dark urine or strong smelling urine are typical signs of dehydration.
 
Drinking When Your Thirsty
Typically when you are thirsty, your body is signaling that you are dehydrated. Thirst is your body’s way of signaling  you to increase your fluid intake. When we guzzle down an entire glass of water when we are thirsty,  your body cannot absorb the water. Too much fluid all at once can make you urinate more often. In fact you should drink smaller amounts throughout the day at each meal and between meals allows the body to stay hydrated.
 
Getting Up At Night To Urinate
Many people report they tend to shy away from drinking fluids because their sleep is often interrupted by having to urinate. Slow down your drinking a couple of hours before bedtime so that you can have a chance to empty your bladder before bedtime naturally. Avoid caffeinated, sparkling and sugary beverages as well as acidic and spicy foods if your bladder is more sensitive and highly reactive to food or drink. If you do not know what may be the trigger of your bladder symptoms try writing down the time of day, volume of fluid urinated (in seconds or small, medium large amount) and type of fluids and foods you are drinking and eating for 3 days. And for all you men who stand and ladies who squat when you urinate try sitting!  Yeah I said it,  sit with your feet on the floor or propped up on a step stool (we discuss this one in more detail in a later blog). This will optimize the position of your urethra (duct that urine exits your body) for more efficient emptying of your bladder.

 

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