Frequent urination can prove to be one of the most disturbing and socially awkward conditions that you can have. It adversely affects your work hours and your social life, while also tarnishing the pleasure of your leisure activities.
Frequent urination is simply the need of urinating more frequently than an average person would and also urination at night. The condition is either related to polyuria or excess urine production, or involuntary urinary leakage and urinary urgency, which pertain to the bladder storage or emptying problem.
Frequent urination is considered a symptom, instead of a medical condition.
Image by : Polyuria
Source by : wikimedia
Frequent Urination Causes
There are several medical conditions that could cause frequent urination as a symptom.
However, we can categorize these causes by the characteristics of frequent urination accompanied with urinary tract disturbance and frequent urination without urinary tract disturbance.
Frequent Urination Without Urinary Tract Irritation
Enlarged Prostate & Prostate Cancer
In males, an enlarged prostate causes constriction of the urethra. This irritates the bladder wall and it would contract to cause urination even when it is a few drops of urine. This results in very irritating frequent urination. Prostate cancer can cause frequent urination as well. The radiation therapy used to treat prostate cancer is also known to trigger this symptom.
Image by : Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Source by : wikimedia
Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes Mellitus occurs when the metabolism fails to sufficiently break down sugars, resulting in high sugar levels. The body gets rid of excess glucose through the urine, making frequent urination a key symptom of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Pregnancy
Pregnant women experience frequent urination due to the hormonal changes occurring in their bodies. The pressure endured by the bladder during childbirth is another reason for increased urination.
Taking Diuretics
Taking diuretics or drugs which are used to treat blood pressure or to expel excess fluid from the body, especially the kidneys, could possibly lead to frequent urination. Food sources acting like diuretics like coffee, chocolate and alcohol could increase the need to urinate too.
Frequent Urination With Urinary Tract Irritation
Urinary Tract Infection
The bacterial infection of the urinary tract and the lining of the urethra can cause this condition that involves frequent urination with irritation.
Image by : Urinary tract infection
Source by : wikimedia
Prostatitis
It is the inflammation of the prostate gland and can cause frequent urination with irritation.
Overactive Bladder Syndrome
This condition involves urgency of urination, even when the bladder is not full, and nocturia or waking up at night for urinating. Overactive bladder may or may not involve losing control over bladder movements.
Interstitial Cystitis
A major reason of frequent and urgent urination, Interstitial Cystitis is a chronic condition characterized by urinary tract pain, irritation, nocturia and painful urination and sexual intercourse.
Neurological Disorders or Stroke
Control over bladder movements can be lost as a result of nerve damage or stroke. This results in frequent urination or incontinence.
Bladder Cancer
This condition involves the uncontrolled growth of cells in the urinary bladder. Frequent and painful urination are among the symptoms of the condition, though bleeding is considered a major symptom.
Bladder tumor in FDG PET due to the high physiological FDG-concentration in the bladder, furosemide was supplied together with 200 MBq FDG. The uptake cranial to the lesion is a physiological uptake in the colon.
Source by : wikimedia
Bladder Dysfunction
Not a very common cause of frequent variation, bladder dysfunction results in increased need of urinating.
Frequent Urination Treatments
Frequent urination is more of a symptom of a number of other underlying conditions. Given the myriad of conditions that cause frequent urination, the treatment focuses on relieving this symptom by attacking the root of the problem.
Regulating Blood Sugar Levels
For diabetes patients, controlling the blood sugar levels is the best way to reduce frequent urination.
Changes in the Diet
A natural way to control urination is modifying your diet by avoiding food that causes irritation to the bladder. Foods that work like diuretics to your metabolism can irritate your bladder and trigger uncomfortable urination. You can avoid food sources such as alcohol, coffee, chocolate, carbonated drinks and spicy meals. On the other hand, eating a high fiber diet can prove useful in this regard.
Regulate Hydration
Proper hydration is necessary for healthy bodily functions and metabolism and this is how you can avoid several risks. However, drink water in moderation and avoid doing so right before bed so that you don’t have to wake up in the middle of the night to urinate.
Kegel Exercise
Kegel exercise is a work out for pelvic muscles involving controlled flow of urination that is practiced for up to five minutes daily. The exercise results in better control over the urinary bladder and helps alleviate the painful symptoms of frequent urination.
Kegel exercises diagram
Source by : wikimedia
Bladder Retraining
You could retrain your bladder by deliberately delaying your visits to the toilet. This way you would gain better control over your bladder muscles and could overcome the problem of frequent urination or incontinence.
Medication
There are a number of medicines used to relieve patients suffering from frequent urination. These include Oxytrol, Detrol LA, Tofranil, Enablex and Ditropan to name a few.
