Natural Cures for an Overactive Bladder

One fairly simple lifestyle change you can make to benefit your bladder is to eliminate any potential irritants from your diet. Foods known to irritate the bladder and increase frequency of urination include caffeine (found in tea, coffee, certain soft drinks and chocolate), alcohol, spicy foods, acidic foods (such as citrus fruits and pickles), artificial sweeteners, tomatoes, and alcoholic beverages. Certain types of prescription and over-the-counter medications can also irritate the bladder. Check with your doctor if you think any of these may be contributing to your problem.

You should be eating plenty of fiber-rich foods, such as whole grains, beans, fresh vegetables, and fruits. These items help to keep you regular, as constipation can increase pressure on the bladder. A healthy diet will also keep your weight down. The heavier you are, the more prone you will be to experiencing bladder problems. Moderate exercise will tone your muscles and add to overall physical well-being.

You can take corn silk supplements to detoxify and relaxing your bladder. It has been used to treat recurrent bladder infections, and it also seems to have an anti-inflammatory effect on the bladder, which may decrease urinary frequency. Buchu, a plant grown in South America and in Africa, may also be used to treat bladder infections, and its mild antiseptic properties are thought to promote overall bladder health. Saw palmetto may be of use if you are a man suffering from overactive bladder symptoms, as it can reduce urinary frequency due to an enlarged prostate. Pumpkin seeds promote urinary health in both men and women, as the essential fatty acids they contain are beneficial for the bladder as well as the prostate. Cranberry, blueberry juice and supplements are also very beneficial to your urinary system as they actually seem to prevent harmful bacteria from attaching to the bladder walls.

Bladder retraining exercises can help you to lengthen the intervals between trips to the bathroom. If you wish to pursue this method, you should first spend some time just keeping track of how often you use the toilet. Keep track of what times of day you go. Keep a "bathroom diary," then calculate the average interval between visits. Try to lengthen the intervals between bathroom visits by a few minutes each day. Start by adding an extra 5 to 15 minutes to your average time, so your bladder gradually stretches to allow you to go a full hour before needing to empty again. Then keep adding 15-minute intervals until you can go for two, three or even four hours. It may sound impossible, but if you take baby steps, your bladder should eventually be able to accommodate larger amounts of urine without causing you undue discomfort. Think what you can do with all the extra time you won't have to spend hunting for a bathroom!

Kegel exercises can really help you to control your bladder, particularly if you are overweight or a woman who has experienced childbirth as both conditions can greatly weaken your pelvic floor muscles. The weaker your pelvic floor muscles, the more likely you are to experience urine leakage when you laugh, cough, sneeze, or exercise. Even if you do not experience this type of leakage, known as "stress incontinence," tightening those pelvic muscles makes it easier to hold your urine until you can make it to a bathroom so you reduce the risk of accidents. In order to do kegels, you must first locate the muscles. You can do this by starting to urinate, then stopping the flow mid-stream. Start and stop again. Do this a few times until you get the hang of it. Do this even when you are not urinating. Now you're doing your kegel exercises. Try to hold the muscles for 10 seconds at a time, then rest for 10 seconds. Do 10 repetitions of this exercise several times a day. It may take a few weeks or even months for you to feel significant improvement, but you will definitely improve your pelvic muscle tone, which will help to alleviate your overactive bladder symptoms.