Your bladder — a hollow organ that holds urine from your kidneys — is one of those body parts that you probably don’t think about until it stops working properly. Certain problems affecting your bladder can cause painful urination or urine leakage at unwanted times. These simple lifestyle changes and exercises can help ensure that your bladder keeps doing its job — and doesn’t call attention to itself.
Urinate Completely to Avoid Urinary Tract Infections
Women are especially prone to urinary tract infections, which can also involve the bladder. One way to reduce your risk is to make sure that you urinate completely, says Gopal Badlani, MD, of the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and a specialist in bladder issues. If you tighten your muscles to stop urinating too soon, the urine that didn’t quite escape will head back to your bladder, which can bring bacteria into your system.
9 Smart Ways to Manage a Leaky Bladder
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Drink Plenty of Fluids to Flush Out Bacteria — But Don’t Overdo It
Drinking plenty of water — six to eight glasses daily — can flush bacteria out of your urinary tract and help prevent bladder infections. But many people drink more than that these days, having heard that drinking water frequently is healthy, Dr. Badlani says. If you’re bothered by a constant need to empty your bladder and you’re drinking fluids throughout the day, cut back on your intake. Also, avoid caffeinated sodas and coffee — they’ll only make you urinate more.
Walk Regularly to Avoid Retaining Fluids
Some people, like those who are sedentary or have heart disease, may develop fluid buildup in their legs during the day. At night, this fluid causes them to need to empty their bladders frequently. If you have fluid retention in your legs that’s causing an active bladder overnight, try walking around more throughout the day. If you can’t walk, flex your calf muscles and raise your legs to waist level.
Avoid Tobacco to Help Prevent Bladder Cancer
Every year, more than 50,000 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Tobacco use is a major risk factor, Badlani warns: Smokers are at least three times as likely to get bladder cancer as nonsmokers. If you’re still smoking or using other forms of tobacco, it’s important to stop for bladder health and other reasons as well. Talk to your doctor about how to quit smoking.
Learn How to Do Kegel Exercises to Prevent Urinary Incontinence
Kegel exercises are done to strengthen the muscles that allow for better bladder control. Weak muscles can contribute to urine leakage, called urinary incontinence. But most people do Kegels the wrong way, Badlani says. If you’re having bladder control issues, talk to your doctor or a specialist who can teach you how to properly do these exercises.
Clean Your Genital Area Before and After Sex to Prevent Bladder Infections
Sexual intercourse can contribute to bladder infections in women. A woman’s urethra — the tube leading from the bladder out of the body — is located in a spot where bacteria are naturally found. As a result, cleaning your genital and anal area before intercourse may help prevent these infections. Also, urinate before and after sex to help flush any bacteria out of your system so they don’t spur a bladder infection.
Watch What You Eat and Keep a Food Diary
A condition called interstitial cystitis, which is much more common in women than men, can cause bladder pain, an urgent, frequent need to urinate, and sexual dysfunction. Some people find that certain foods worsen their bladder symptoms, Badlani says. Acidic foods, such as tomatoes and orange juice, may be linked to flare-ups. Keep a diary of your symptoms and see if you can connect them to any foods. If you can, steer clear of these foods and see if you notice any improvement.
Drink Fewer Fluids at Certain Times to Prevent Incontinence
If you have strong urges to urinate at inopportune times, or if you have urinary incontinence, you may need to drink fewer fluids at certain times. If you’re getting up too much at night to empty your bladder, avoid fluids for two hours before bedtime, Badlani suggests.
Keep a Bladder Diary if You’re Urinating Too Often
If you feel that you’re urinating too often, keep a bladder diary of how often you visit the restroom and how often you’re drinking throughout the day, Badlani suggests. Also, keep this diary if you have episodes of urinary incontinence to show your doctor what factors might be involved in the problem.
Stand Up to Prevent Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms
One study looked at 69,795 healthy middle-aged men over the course of two and a half years and recorded the amount of time they spent sitting, their physical activity, and whether they had lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). The results? Those who spent five or more hours per day sitting, as well as those who had low physical activity levels in general, were more likely to develop LUTS (incomplete emptying, urinary frequency or urgency, a weak urinary stream, or having to get up to urinate at night).
The fix? If you have to sit all day for work, stand up and walk or move around for five minutes every hour. Or get a standing desk.
Igor Kagan, MD
Medical Reviewer
Igor Kagan, MD, is an an assistant clinical professor at UCLA. He spends the majority of his time seeing patients in various settings, such as outpatient clinics, inpatient rounds, and dialysis units. He is also the associate program director for the General Nephrology Fellowship and teaches medical students, residents, and fellows. His clinical interests include general nephrology, chronic kidney disease, dialysis (home and in-center), hypertension, and glomerulonephritis, among others. He is also interested in electronic medical record optimization and services as a physician informaticist.
A native of Los Angeles, he graduated cum laude from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) with a bachelor's in business and economics, and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He then went to the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC) for his medical school education. He stayed at USC for his training and completed his internship and internal medicine residency at the historic Los Angeles County and USC General Hospital. Following his internal medicine residency, Kagan went across town to UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine for his fellowship in nephrology and training at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center. After his fellowship he stayed on as faculty at UCLA Health.
Eric Metcalf, MPH
Author
Eric Metcalf, MPH, is an Indianapolis-based medical writer, editor, and health educator. He is passionate about helping a national audience make healthier choices in their lives.
Metcalf has written and contributed to dozens of books on health and fitness, including Almost Addicted (with Harvard psychiatrist J. Wesley Boyd), Almost Anxious (with Harvard psychologist Luana Marques), and The New Prescription (with Cynthia Haines, MD). He has written for leading magazines and websites, as well as custom publications and public radio (Sound Medicine). He also developed a series of worksite wellness publications.
Metcalf has a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a master's degree in public health. You can find him performing improv comedy in his spare time.