An Overview Of Frequent Urination- Causes, Symptoms, And Treatment
An overview of frequent urination- Causes, symptoms, and treatment
Frequent urination, as the name suggests, is the recurrent urge to pass urine more often than usual. An individual’s everyday normal routine and sleep cycle can be disrupted by this condition. Frequent urination may be a sign of an underlying medical condition.
Medically known as frequency, many people live with frequent urination. Polyuria is a condition in which a person urinates more than three liters of urine a day.
Below is some information about the causes of frequent urination, symptoms, and treatment options.
What are some frequent urination facts?
- Urinary frequency is the need one feels to urinate many times during the day and night. It is different from urinary incontinence.
- Most people urinate six to seven times in 24 hours and urinating more than this may be referred to as frequency.
- Frequency can be easily treated with exercises but only if there isn’t any underlying health condition, such as diabetes.
What are the possible causes of frequent urination?
Urination involves various systems in the body. A variety of changes can cause the urinary system to become more active. Some of the common causes of frequent urination are:
- Lifestyle-based causes like drinking a lot of fluids, mainly, alcohol and caffeine
- Frequent urination can also become a habit
- Ureter or kidney problems
- Urinary bladder problems
- Medical conditions like pregnancy, prostate gland cancer, diabetes mellitus, or diabetes insipidus
- Anxiety
- Certain types of medicines, such as diuretics
- Brain or nervous system conditions
- Stroke
- Urinary tract infection (UTI)
- Mass or tumor in the pelvic region
- An overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome
- Bladder cancer
- Kidney or bladder stones
- Urinary incontinence
- Urethral stricture
- Colon diverticulitis
- A sexually transmitted infection (STI) like chlamydia
- Colon diverticulitis
What are the signs and symptoms of frequent urination?
One of the primary symptoms of polyuria is urinating frequently. In case of other symptoms, they might indicate a more serious health condition. Nocturia is the need to urinate at night, it can be a symptom of diabetes mellitus or diabetes insipidus. Other signs and symptoms, which may indicate a need to see a doctor, are:
- Lower back and side pain
- Pain or discomfort while urinating
- Nausea or vomiting
- Urine that is cloudy, bloody, or having an unusual color
- Loss of bladder control gradually or urinary incontinence
- Fever or chills
- Difficult in urinating even while feeling the urge
- Discharge from the penis or the vagina
- An increase in thirst and appetite
What are the treatment options for frequent urination?
- Kegel exercises – These exercises help to tone the pelvic floor muscles, improve bladder control, and reduce urinary urgency and frequency. They are only effective if done regularly.
- Bladder retraining – Bladder retraining involves increasing the time intervals between urinating over a course three months. As the name suggests, it helps in retraining the bladder to hold urine for longers and reduce the frequency of needing to urinate.
- Monitoring fluid intake – Staying hydrated and drinking enough fluids is important to prevent constipation and over-concentration of urine; however, one should avoid drinking too much of liquids before bedtime, as this can lead to the frequent need to urinate at bedtime.
- Diet modification – An individual suffering from frequent urination must avoid any food items that irritate the bladder or function as a diuretic. These food items include spicy foods, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, alcohol, carbonated drinks, chocolate, and tomato-based products. Additionally, it is important to eat fiber-rich foods as constipation can worsen the symptoms of OAB syndrome.
