Having an overactive bladder (OAB) is like having an unpredictable sidekick who loves to shake things up, turning work meetings and social hangouts into surprise bathroom sprints! One of my goals with my OAB clients is to bring more predictability and fewer symptoms into their lives so they can put away their running shoes. To do this, I’ve developed a toolbox to help with overactive bladder treatment.
In this blog post, you’ll learn some of my favorite tools for decreasing, managing, and treating overactive bladder symptoms.
What Is an Overactive Bladder
OAB is a syndrome that affects your urgency and how often you need to pee. When you have OAB, one minute you feel fine, and the next you need to pee NOW! Then, you’ve got to dash to the closest bathroom. And this sudden urge isn’t a one-time thing. It happens all the time, even at night! It’s frustrating, embarrassing, and stressful.
Finding an overactive bladder treatment that works for everyone has been impossible. That’s why, when working with those with OAB we work together to find solutions that work for you. One of the first things we’ll chat about is managing stress.
Stress Management
Having OAB is stressful, and it’s not just in your head. Research has shown that those with OAB experience significantly greater stress than those without it. I’m sure this is no surprise to you.
My clients often ask me, “Can stress cause an overactive bladder?” When considering stress and OAB, we know that dealing with OAB is stressful. And it seems that stress can make OAB worse. It’s a chicken or egg type question - what comes first, the stress or the OAB? That’s why having tools to help with stress management can help you feel better.
Two main tools shown to reduce stress in people with OAB are slow-paced breathing and mindfulness exercises. Let’s take a look at them.
Slow-Paced Breathing
Maybe you’ve taken a deep breath and counted to ten when you’ve felt stressed. That’s one type of slow-paced breathing. One study that used a slow-paced breathing tool showed that people who used it over 12 weeks had less perceived stress than those who used a similar tool that played music without the breathing pacing.
What does this mean for you? That slow breathing may help reduce your stress.
How do you do it? Breathe in for a count of two to four seconds, then breathe out for four to six seconds. Some people find it more relaxing to hold their breath for two to four seconds between breathing in and out and again between out and in. Try different rhythms and see what feels best to you. Repeat the slow-paced breathing four to six times (or more if you want!).
Mindfulness Exercises
Mindfulness has been a buzzword for a few years and is used for a lot of things, including reducing stress and anxiety. Sound familiar? There are a lot of ways to practice mindfulness. The basics are that you focus on being fully present in the moment - not worrying about the past or future. Just focus on right now.
While mindfulness may seem “woo woo,” its ability to rescue stress is backed by research. One study on mindfulness in those with OAB showed that participating in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program significantly reduced incontinence episodes and improved quality of life. That’s so exciting!
What does this mean for you? Including mindfulness exercises, even for just a couple of minutes a day, can help reduce stress and improve your overall quality of life.
How do you do it? There are several types of mindfulness exercises you can do. Here are a couple to start with.
Body scan: Sit quietly or lie down somewhere comfortable. Take a couple of deep breaths to center yourself. You can also start with a few rounds of slow-paced breathing if you want. Next, starting at your toes, focus for a breath or two on each part of your body - toes, feet, ankles, calves, and so on until you reach the top of your head.
Meditation: If meditation makes you think about a monk sitting on a mountaintop, it’s time to change that image. Meditation is easy but powerful. All you have to do is sit comfortably and focus on your breathing. You can focus on where you feel the air moving in and out of your body or on the rise and fall of your chest or tummy. If you feel something or a thought distracts you, that’s OK! Just let the thought go and re-focus on your breathing. You can start with one or two minutes and work up to five or ten-minute sessions.
While these stress management tools can help quiet your mind, sometimes more help is needed. That’s where cognitive behavior therapy comes in.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy
If you get stuck in your head and that little voice keeps saying, “Everyone thinks you go to the bathroom too much,” then Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) may help.
CBT helps you recognize unhelpful ways of thinking and correct them. For example, when that 3rd-grade memory pops into your head for no reason, CBT gives you the tools to confront and discredit unhelpful thoughts and even ways to let it go so it doesn’t keep harassing you. Sounds pretty good, right?
Traditionally, CBT has been shown to help those with anxiety and depression. It has even been shown to help those with drug-resistant OAB. In one study, people with OAB who added CBT to their other treatments had greater improvements than those who didn’t add CBT.
What does this mean for you? Learning about and using CBT can make dealing with OAB easier and help with depression and anxiety, which go hand-in-hand with OAB for many people.
How do you do it? If you can, find a licensed mental health provider who specializes in using CBT. Don’t have access to mental health providers? That’s OK! Many studies have shown that learning and doing CBT through self-help books or online treatments can be effective, too. Don’t let not having a professional available stop you from learning about CBT. Find a self-help book or two (many libraries have them), or look for online CBT programs. There are a lot of options out there.
With CBT, you’re learning new ways of thinking to help your OAB. Sometimes, your body needs some help, too.
Pelvic Floor Therapy
Pelvic Floor Therapy is a special type of physical therapy that helps you learn how to engage your pelvic floor muscles. The pelvic floor is a set of muscles that connect your pelvic bone to your coccyx (your tailbone). It supports your bladder and bowel and supports the womb.
Pelvic floor therapy helps improve leakage, discomfort, and overall quality of life. They may also work with you on bladder training, which can also improve leakage and help you not have to pee as often.
When you work with a pelvic floor therapist, they’ll start by assessing your pelvic floor and bladder functions and then give you pelvic floor exercises for overactive bladder. If they think bladder training or other therapy will help, they’ll help you get started with additional exercises.
What does this mean for you? Strengthening your pelvic floor can improve your OAB symptoms and help you enjoy your life more.
How do you do it? Check with your insurance to find a physical therapist specializing in pelvic floor therapy. Then, make an appointment and get started.
While pelvic floor therapy for OAB has been around for a while, acupuncture for OAB is newer and shows promise.
Acupuncture
What treatment has been around for 2,500 years or even longer? Acupuncture! It has been used in Eastern medicine to treat many things, from pain and headaches to nausea and menstrual cramps. Some have been trying it for OAB, too.
While the studies don’t definitively say acupuncture works for everyone, some people do get improvement in their OAB using acupuncture. It may even help more when combined with other treatments.
One of the best things about acupuncture is the low risk of side effects. It also supports the body’s natural healing process and can help provide an overall feeling of well-being.
What does this mean for you? Acupuncture may be worth trying to see if it helps improve your OAB.
How do you do it? Search for a qualified practitioner in your area, ideally one with experience with OAB. Some insurance companies are covering acupuncture now, too. When you have an appointment, your needs will be assessed, and you’ll work with the practitioner to develop a treatment plan. They’ll most likely focus on acupuncture points on the bladder meridian (a meridian is an alignment of areas of the body with organs, body systems, and functions).
Being a dietitian, I use different tools than an acupuncturist. Together, we will work on dietary changes that may help your OAB.
Dietary Changes
Making changes to your diet may help reduce your OAB symptoms. Just like any other treatment tool, you’ve got to try making changes and see which ones work for you. There isn’t one overactive bladder diet that works for everyone (that would make life so much easier for all of us, wouldn’t it?).
In my practice, I’ve found the Mediterranean diet is a great place to start. It isn’t as restrictive as some other OAB diets out there and still helps improve OAB symptoms. This diet focuses on plant-based foods (you know - fruits and veggies) and whole grains. It also focuses on using quality olive oil as the main source of fat.
I’m not going into much detail on diet here because I’ve got another blog where you can get all the details.
While these five tools are some of the main ones I use with clients, I’ve got an exciting new masterclass coming your way to help you learn more about ways to get relief from your OAB symptoms and break up with your toilet for good!
Get relief from OAB by 2025
Join me Wednesday, October 9th at 7pm ET for a FREE masterclass called Discover OAB Freedom!
Here’s what I’ll be covering during the live event:
The most common mistakes I see people with OAB making on a daily basis that delay their relief (and how you can avoid them)
The top 3 things you need to do NOW to get relief from OAB by 2025
My unique, science-backed framework that will get you long-lasting relief
If you want relief from OAB just in time for the holidays, click here to register for this masterclass for FREE! (If you can’t make the live session, still register so you can watch the replay!)
About the Author
Callie Krajcir, MS, RD is a Registered Dietitian specializing in bladder health. Her passion is interstitial cystitis, but she also enjoys helping people with conditions like overactive bladder, chronic UTI’s, and incontinence. She is the founder of Callie K Nutrition, the IC You podcast, and social media accounts (@callieknutrition) that have helped hundreds of people with bladder pain, frequency, and urgency get relief from their symptoms through diet and lifestyle changes. Callie currently serves on the Medical Advisory Council for the Interstitial Cystitis Association. Learn more about Callie and Callie K Nutrition.
Comments