Most people who get the urge to go to the bathroom often believe they have a small bladder and that is the reason they can’t hold urine. But oftentimes this urge incontinence is actually rooted in a habit of always going as soon as you get the urge, not fully emptying the bladder and not properly hydrating.
I’ll break this down. If we go pee as soon as we get the urge the bladder will shrink down to hold that amount of urine which will in turn make it so we have to go when we have a small amount of urine in our system. If we aren’t properly hydrating it limits the amount of liquid the bladder is accustomed to and will increase the acidity of the urine in the bladder creating a more intense urge.
If when we are using the restroom and we fail to release all of the urine in the bladder that remaining amount will become more acidic causing the urge again even though “I just went to the bathroom”
So how do you stop feeling like you’re about to pee your pants? If you want to stop peeing every hour I recommend.
- Training your bladder, when you feel the urge to go, delay it for 5 minutes and build up in 5 minute increments.
- Stay hydrated, I will never tell you to stop drinking coffee or seltzer but I will say for every beverage you drink add a glass of water. So if you have coffee, drink water. This will keep your urine from being extra acidic.
- Don’t go to the bathroom “just in case” this habit will decrease the amount of urine you can comfortably hold because you are emptying before the urge.
- Shake your bladder out, I know this sounds funny but if you perform this move when you finish using the restroom it will help get any excess urine out of the bladder that was left behind after the initial stream Here’s a Video Demo
If after implementing these tips you are still struggling with urge incontinence the next step would be to see a Pelvic Expert Physical Therapist at Body Motion PT. Pelvic floor therapy addresses the 3 layers of the pelvic floor and eliminates any adhesions or scar tissue within these muscles. If you’ve had children vaginally or via c-section, ever had an infection or STI adhesions will be present in the pelvic floor. Or if you have a tight pelvic floor which is common for individuals who deal with stress or are active. Adhesions restrict blood flow to these muscles and that will reduce the strength and can affect bladder location and add stress to the bladder causing that urge incontinence.
