Changing your lifestyle may help with bladder problems. Losing weight, quitting smoking, saying “no” to alcohol, choosing water instead of other drinks, and limiting drinks before bedtime can help with some bladder problems. Preventing constipation and avoiding lifting heavy objects may also help with incontinence.
Frequent urination is the need to pee more often than average (seven to eight times) throughout the day. It can happen to anyone, but it's more common in people over the age of 70, pregnant people and people with an enlarged prostate. The most common cause is urinary tract infections.
Key takeaways: The only over-the-counter medication approved for overactive bladder (OAB) is Oxytrol for Women (oxybutynin).
It's considered normal to have to urinate about six to eight times in a 24-hour period. If you're going more often than that, it could simply mean that you may be drinking too much fluid or consuming too much caffeine, which is a diuretic and flushes liquids out of the body.
Frequent urination in the elderly at night is called nocturia. It can be the result of diabetes, chronic kidney failure, insomnia – or even simply drinking too much water before bed.
Advancing age
Most people over 60 do not urinate more often than others. However, if a person wakes up to pee more than twice every night, they might consider consulting a doctor.
Kegel Exercises
Kegel exercises help in strengthening the muscles of the pelvic region. They are also helpful in strengthening the urinary bladder. Therefore, they can be beneficial for frequent urination, which might occur due to weakened muscles of the urinary system.
Every woman goes on her own schedule, but generally, peeing 6-8 times in 24 hours is considered normal for someone who is healthy, and isn't pregnant. If you're going more often than that, you may be experiencing frequent urination. Frequent urination can happen on its own and isn't always a sign of a health problem.
If your frequent urination is a factor of aging, it's good to keep in mind that adults older than 60 should expect to use the bathroom at least once every night. If you're between 65 and 70 and going more than twice a night, you should make an appointment with your doctor.
Anticholinergics. These medications can calm an overactive bladder and may be helpful for urge incontinence. Examples include oxybutynin (Ditropan XL), tolterodine (Detrol), darifenacin (Enablex), fesoterodine (Toviaz), solifenacin (Vesicare) and trospium chloride. Mirabegron (Myrbetriq).
The Bottom Line on Supplements for Nocturia
Among women, melatonin, cranberry, D-mannose and a specific product called AZO Bladder Control with Go Less, might improve nocturia caused by conditions such as overactive bladder or UTIs. Supplementing with vitamin D or probiotics is not known to help.
Normally, the amount of urine your body produces decreases at night. This allows most people to sleep 6 to 8 hours without having to urinate. Some people wake up from sleep more often to urinate during the night. This can disrupt sleep cycles.
Drink plenty of fluids during the day (especially water), but limit fluids 2-4 hours before you go to sleep. Be sure to limit alcohol and caffeine (soda, tea and coffee). Manage your use of diuretics. If you have to take a diuretic, then do so at least 6 hours before you go to sleep.
Urinary Tract Infection
It's the most common cause of frequent peeing. Bacteria infect your kidneys, bladder, or the tubes that connect them to each other and to the outside world. Your bladder swells and can't hold as much urine, which may be cloudy, bloody, or strange-smelling.
Bananas and other high-fiber foods can be good for urinary tract health and preventing urinary tract infections by encouraging regular bowel movements and relieving pressure on urine flow.
Water. Water is almost always the best drink to reach for. Drinking water can bring so many benefits to the body, including: Flushing the bladder of bacteria.
You may pass urine more often than usual because of: Infection, disease, injury or irritation of the bladder. A condition that causes your body to make more urine. Changes in muscles, nerves or other tissues that affect how the bladder works.
This also applies to normal urinary frequency. For most people, the normal number of times to urinate per day is between 6 – 7 in a 24 hour period. Between 4 and 10 times a day can also be normal if that person is healthy and happy with the number of times they visit the toilet.
Most people need to pass urine about six to seven times in a 24-hour period. Peeing more than seven times a day when drinking about 2 liters of fluid is considered urinary frequency. Needing to pee 20 times a day would be considered frequent urination.
Bladder training requires following a fixed voiding schedule, whether or not you feel the urge to urinate. If you feel an urge to urinate before the assigned interval, you should use urge suppression techniques — such as relaxation and Kegel exercises.
What foods calm the bladder? The American Urological Association also recognizes some foods as potentially having a calming effect on sensitive bladders. These foods include pears, bananas, green beans, squash, potatoes, lean proteins, whole grains, nuts, bread, and eggs.