Top 3 Tips to Calm Your Bladder
Bladder Health Mini Series
Part One: Why do I feel like I have to pee all the time?
Part Two: Top 3 Tips to Calm Your Bladder
In part one of this bladder health series, we discussed the reasons behind that constant feeling of needing to pee, along with some common myths that might be making your bladder issues worse. In this post, we’re going to cover practical, effective tips you can start using right now to calm your bladder and regain control. Whether you’re dealing with urgency, frequency, or even bladder pain, these strategies can make a world of difference.
Tip 1: Keep the Concentration of Your Urine Low
Hydration is a key factor in calming your bladder. When you don’t drink enough water, your urine becomes more concentrated, which can irritate your bladder and increase the sensation of urgency.
To prevent this, here is how I help my clients calculate how many ounces of water they should be drinking per day:
Step one is to calculate your baseline water intake. Start with half your body weight in ounces—this is the minimum amount of water you need per day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, your minimum water intake is 75 ounces daily.
Step two is to add in lifestyle factors. For each lifestyle factor, add an additional 10 ounces of water to your minimum daily intake. Lifestyle factors include:
- living in a tropical climate
- sweating a lot
- exercising heavily
- pregnancy
- breastfeeding
- if you’re trying to heal something
- any sort of pain or injury
- any kind of physical, emotional, or mental stress
By keeping your urine diluted, you reduce its irritating effects, making it less likely that you’ll feel the need to rush to the bathroom constantly. Remember, concentration, not volume, is often the trigger for bladder urgency, so stay hydrated to keep that concentration low.
Tip 2: Reduce Pressure in Your Abdomen by Lengthening Your Waist
Another key factor in calming your bladder is reducing the pressure in your abdomen. This is especially important if you suffer from core muscle dysfunction, which can lead to increased intra-abdominal pressure and a lowering of your pelvic organs, both of which can make you feel like you need to pee more often.
One simple way to reduce this pressure is by lengthening your waist. Lift your rib cage up and away from your pelvis to create more space for your bladder. This simple postural adjustment helps to lift your pelvic organs and make more room for your bladder, reducing the feeling of urgency.
It’s a small change, but it can have an immediate impact. The next time you feel that urge coming on, try lengthening your waist and lifting your rib cage up away from your pelvis. You might be surprised at how much relief this brings.
Tip 3: Release Tension in Your Pelvic Floor Muscles
Pelvic floor tension is a common but often overlooked cause of bladder urgency. When your pelvic floor muscles are tight, they can mimic the sensation of needing to pee, even when your bladder isn’t full. The good news is that you can release this tension with a simple breathing exercise.
Take a slow, deep breath into your lower ribs. As you inhale, focus on expanding your diaphragm laterally—this means allowing it to spread outwards rather than just moving up and down. When your diaphragm expands and relaxes, your pelvic floor muscles will do the same, reducing tension and the associated urge to urinate.
This kind of deep, focused breathing not only relaxes your pelvic floor but also helps to calm your entire nervous system. Incorporating this practice into your daily routine can go a long way in managing bladder urgency.
Bonus Tip: Bladder Massage
If you’re looking for an extra tool to calm your bladder, consider trying a bladder massage. This technique is particularly useful if you’re dealing with issues like incontinence, frequency, slow or intermittent stream, difficulty voiding, or bladder pain.
To perform a bladder massage, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat, allowing your knees to rest together. You can do this massage over your clothes or directly on your skin with some massage oil. Spend 1-2 minutes gently massaging the area around your bladder, paying special attention to any spots of tension. The direction of your strokes is important- start at your pubic bone, and stroke upwards towards your belly button.
If you encounter an area that feels tight, slow down your strokes and focus on your breathing. You can even incorporate belly breathing into the massage, performing your strokes on the exhale to deepen the relaxation.
Take Charge of Your Bladder Health
By staying hydrated, adjusting your posture to reduce abdominal pressure, and using deep breathing to release pelvic floor tension, you can significantly reduce bladder urgency and start feeling more comfortable in your body.
The Core Recovery Method® Online Program offers a proven, doctor-formulated physical therapy program that teaches these strategies, along with other techniques that address the root of bladder issues, ultimately resulting in long-term healing and optimal bladder health.
If you suffer from bladder leaking, urgency, frequency, pain with urination, a slow stream, incomplete emptying, recurrent UTIs, or that dreaded “sneeze pee,” you don’t have to live with it forever. The Core Recovery Method® can help you address the root causes so you can heal for good.
