Symptoms of overactive bladder (OAB) start affecting your life over time. They can disturb your plans to go out, during work and even affect your sleep quality.
OAB can take place due to several reasons. These include medial conditions such as bladder obstruction, Parkinson’s disease, weak pelvic muscles and age-related changes.
Every health condition can be improved and even treated by changes in food habits. OAB is also no exception.
Some foods should be eaten while some others should be avoided to control your overactive bladder apart from consulting an overactive bladder treatment expert from My Continence, for example.
Image Courtesy: mycontinence.com
Here is some useful information.
What to Eat or Drink?
Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids which are anti-inflammatory. It has been found in a study that pumpkin seed oil rectifies abnormal urinary function and lessens OAB symptoms.
As per another Japanese study, pumpkin seeds together with soyabean seed extract significantly decreased incontinence.
Kohki Tea
Kohki tea is the essence of a subtropical plant that occurs in southern China. It’s sweet to taste and is packed with antioxidants. It’s also been found to have protective effects on bladder.
According to a study done on rabbits with partial bladder obstruction, kohki tea showed a remarkably protective effect on the function of bladder and contractile responses.
Other drinks that should be consumed for bladder health are:
- Plain water
- Cranberry juice
- Diluted squash
- Caffeine-free teas such as fruit tea
- Barley water
- Soya milk which may be less nauseating than cow’s or goat’s milk
- Less acidic fruit juices like pear or apple
Eating to Reduce or Treat Constipation
Constipation can exert extra pressure on your bladder. Constipation can be prevented with regular exercise and taking more fibre in diet.
High-fibre foods include fruits, vegetables, whole-wheat bread and beans.
Image Courtesy: mycontinence.com
What to Avoid?
You may wish to drink less liquid so that you don’t need to urinate as frequently, but you should make sure you are hydrated.
Bladder can be irritated with more concentrated urine that typically looks darker in colour and this can cause frequent urination.
Foods and drinks contributing to OAB symptoms include:
- Artificial sweeteners
- Citrus fruits
- Chocolate
- Coffee
- Alcohol
- Tomato-based foods
- Tea
- Spicy foods
- Soda
It’s better to test which foods or drinks irritate your bladder by removing them first from your diet and then reincorporating them one-by-one 2 to 3 days at a time.
Then you can permanently eliminate certain foods or beverages that worsen your symptoms.
Other Irritating Factors
You can also do or avoid certain things to avoid irritating your bladder. For example, you can avoid drinking 2-3 hours before you sleep to reduce the frequency of getting out of bed.
It’s also recommended to stop smoking. Smoking can irritate your bladder muscle and cause coughing, which usually adds to incontinence.
What if this doesn’t Work?
If there is no improvement in your symptoms after adding or avoiding the above foods or drinks, you should talk to your doctor and tell them about them.
This will help your doctor to find an appropriate treatment for you like overactive bladder treatment in Australia by PTNS. The treatment may include OAB medications or surgery.
Fight OAB with courage and appropriate medical assistance.