At times, your bladder may not to do what it&rsquo;s supposed to do (hold onto urine until you&rsquo;re ready to relieve yourself), leading to anxiety-ridden accidents and embarrassing leakages. The formal diagnosis for this is <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/urinary-incontinence/what-is-urinary-incontinence" target="_blank">urinary incontinence</a>. And while it may feel like you&rsquo;re the only one suffering from this bladder curse, in reality you&rsquo;re not alone. Urinary incontinence, or involuntary urination, affects about 25 million people in the U.S. Of that number, a whopping 75 to 80 percent are women.

Because of urinary incontinence&rsquo;s embarrassing nature, you may curtail activities you would normally enjoy doing&mdash;whether it&rsquo;s socializing or working out&mdash;for fear of an accident. Fortunately, there are remedies. Discover what&rsquo;s keeping you from getting to the toilet on time&mdash;and learn what you can do to find relief.&nbsp;

1. The problem: You pee when you run 
Involuntary or uncontrollable leakage of urine, formally known as stress urinary incontinence, is the most common form of incontinence in women, affecting one in four women ages 25 through 44 and one in three women ages 45 through 64. Unfortunately, leakage isn&rsquo;t restricted to exercise-activities. Stress incontinence can strike when the slightest amount of pressure is applied to the abdomen. You can spring a leak when you sneeze, cough, laugh&mdash;even when you have sexual intercourse.

What&rsquo;s Behind It:&nbsp;The pelvic muscles that control your urine flow are weakened. This may be caused by childbirth, injury to the urethra, some medications and (for men) pelvic or prostate surgery.

Find Relief:

Experts recommend that you try these lifestyle changes:

<ul>
	<li>Drink less fluid (if you drink more than average amounts).</li>
	<li>Add more fiber to your diet to avoid constipation (which can worsen incontinence).</li>
	<li>Avoid bladder irritants such as citrus, spicy foods and caffeinated and carbonated drinks.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Don&rsquo;t hold it in. Go when you first feel the urge; it could help lessen leaks.</li>
</ul>

If you need to shed a few pounds, this may give you added incentive: Less weight means less pressure on your bladder and pelvic floor. <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/urinary-incontinence-treatment/how-kegel-exercises-urinary-incontinence" target="_blank">Kegel exercises</a> can strengthen the muscles around your urethra. Your doctor may prescribe a medication if you have mild to moderate incontinence. But if lifestyle changes and medication don&rsquo;t work, your doctor may recommend surgery.

Damage Control: &nbsp;For women, wear a panty liner or sanitary napkin, depending on how much you tend to leak.

2. The problem: You dribble constantly&mdash;sometimes without noticing 
This unpleasant occurrence may be caused by <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/urinary-incontinence/what-are-types-overflow-incontinence" target="_blank">overflow incontinence</a>. Try as you might to empty your bladder, you just can&rsquo;t go. In some instances, you manage to pee, but the flow is weak and slow. Because your bladder didn&rsquo;t fully empty you might even dribble right after going to the bathroom&mdash;talk about frustration! Surprisingly, overflow incontinence occurs most often in men.

What&rsquo;s Behind It: &nbsp;In some cases there may be an obstruction that makes it difficult for you to empty your bladder, so the overflow leaks out. Even worse, you may not get the message that it&rsquo;s time to head to the head. For men, an enlarged prostate may be causing the blockage. For men and women both the cause may be a kidney stone, constipation or a narrowing of the urethra that blocks or slows the flow. Another possible cause may be nerve or muscle damage that keeps the bladder muscles from squeezing enough to empty the bladder.

Find Relief: Catheterization is the go-to treatment for overflow incontinence. Both men and women can use a <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/urinary-incontinence-treatment/how-catheter-reduce-overflow-incontinence" target="_blank">catheter</a>, a thin tube that helps drain urine, to help emptythe bladder. There are different types of catheters, so speak to your doctor to see which may be right for you. Another tactic that may help includes keeping a <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/overactive-bladder/bladder-diary-tell-doctor" target="_blank">bladder diary</a> that you can share with your doctor. This can help your doctor pinpoint the causes behind the bad bladder behavior.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/urinary-incontinence/medications-treat-overflow-urinary-incontinence" target="_blank">Prescription medications</a> may help, but in some cases <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/urinary-incontinence/how-surgery-treat-overflow-incontinence" target="_blank">surgery may be required</a> to remove an obstruction or repair other causes of overflow incontinence.

Damage Control: Be prepared in social situations. Consider wearing absorbent pads or take extra clothing when you&rsquo;re out.

3. The problem: You have a sudden urge to go&mdash;right now 
Are you constantly hit with a sudden, out-of-nowhere need to pee but can&rsquo;t make it to the bathroom in time? You may suffer from <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/urinary-incontinence/what-is-urge-incontinence" target="_blank">urge incontinence</a>. We&rsquo;ve all had those moments when we&rsquo;ve waited too long to go&mdash;sometimes with unfortunate results. But with urge incontinence you may feel the need to go to the bathroom constantly, upwards of eight to nine times a day, and even two to three times at night. The sound of running water doesn&rsquo;t help things and bladder pain or discomfort may exist as well.

What&rsquo;s Behind It: You get the urge, but before you can make a move to the nearest bathroom the bladder muscles spasm or contract, causing urine to flow. Some causes of urge incontinence include bladder inflammation or infection, brain or nerve problems, bladder cancer, or an enlarged prostate (for men). But in most cases, it&rsquo;s unclear why the condition develops.

Find Relief: <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/overactive-bladder/does-going-before-control-bladder" target="_blank">Bladder retraining</a> is usually the first step to controlling an overactive bladder. The goal is to train your bladder to hold more urine and stay relaxed so you can make it to the restroom accident-free. In addition to bladder retraining, your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes such as drinking less than 8 ounces of liquid at a time; avoiding carbonated drinks; and cutting out foods that could irritate your bladder, such as spicy foods, citrus fruits and other highly acidic foods. Kegel exercises and medication may help. More unusual relief methods may include electrical stimulation to contract bladder muscles; vaginal cones to strengthen pelvic floor muscles; and biofeedback to control pelvic muscles. A small 2005 study found that acupuncture might help relieve symptoms too.

Damage control: For women, wear panty liners; men and women can focus on lifestyle changes to help control leakage.

Medically reviewed in September 2020.

3 Embarrassing Bladder Problems and How to Plug the Leaks

See how the bladder functions in a patient living with an overactive bladder in this revolutionary, three-dimensional video from Sharecare&rsquo;s Virtual Reality Lab.

Medically reviewed in December 2019.

What's Really Happening in the Bladder When You Have OAB

Overactive bladder, or OAB, is characterized by having a frequent and sometimes uncontrollable need to urinate. In this video, Lynne shares her struggle with OAB and urges other OAB patients to seek help for this bladder condition.

My Story: Lynne and OAB

Remember Adam Sandler in Billy Madison? Bill Paxton in True Lies? And, most poignant, Jeremy Blackman in Magnolia? In those movies it&rsquo;s the males who, finding themselves in some supposedly amusing or heart-felt situations, fail to hold their water (so to speak) and relieve themselves onscreen.

But peeing in your pants because of a <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/video/dr-oz/womens-health/what-causes-a-urinary-tract-infection">urinary tract infection</a> (UTI) is not funny&mdash;and is overwhelmingly more common in women than men. Half of all women experience one episode by age 32. Among middle-age folks, women are 30 times more likely to have a UTI than men. And of the 9 to 10 million people each year who see a doctor for those burning, stinging, infections, 84 percent are women.

The standard treatment is antibiotics, but although effective, they can <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/video/sharecare-experts/robynne-chutkan/how-can-antibiotic-use-affect-bacteria-balance-in-the-stomach-gut-flora">damage your gut biome</a> and fuel antibiotic resistance. And antibiotics don&rsquo;t keep the infection from returning.

But there&rsquo;s an easier, healthier way to fight off UTIs. Research from the University of Miami School of Medicine shows that instead of avoiding liquids, you should increase your fluid intake (water is best) to at least 48 ounces daily.

In the study&rsquo;s group of 140 healthy, premenopausal women, those who upped their water intake to that level reduced the incidence of UTIs by almost 50 percent over the course of a year&mdash;also reducing their use of antibiotics by around the same amount.

Medically reviewed in August 2019.

Need an Escape From UTIs? Wash it Out With Water

Urinary incontinence is the medical term for bladder leakage. It is most common in women, because pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause can affect the muscles surrounding the bladder. However, incontinence can also happen to men. Although it can occur in young people, it is more likely to become a problem as a person ages. Other risk factors include diabetes, being overweight, an enlarged prostate, certain surgical procedures, and side effects of some medications.

The types of urinary incontinence: 
There are several different types of urinary incontinence, which have different causes. These include:

<ul>
	<li>Urge incontinence. Also called overactive bladder (OAB), this type of incontinence occurs when you feel an urge to urinate even if your bladder isn&rsquo;t full. The urge to urinate is often strong, and a loss of urine can occur before you&rsquo;re able to get to a bathroom. This is caused when muscles in the bladder contract at the wrong time, typically due to a miscommunication between nerve endings and the brain.</li>
	<li>Stress incontinence. This type of leakage typically occurs when you laugh, cough, sneeze, or exercise, although it can sometimes occur without any movement. This type of incontinence occurs when there is stress or pressure on the bladder, often due to a structural issue where the bladder is not in its normal position.</li>
	<li>Overflow incontinence. This happens when your bladder doesn&rsquo;t empty completely which causes uncontrollable leakage. You may use the bathroom and find that it still feels like you have to go. This may be the result of bladder stones, diabetes, or certain medications. This type of incontinence is more common in men.</li>
	<li>Functional incontinence. This type of leakage happens when your urinary tract system is functional, but you are unable to get to a bathroom in time due to an unrelated physical or mental health issue such as arthritis or dementia.</li>
</ul>

Diagnosis 
Although some people feel embarrassed, it is important to discuss urinary incontinence with your healthcare provider. Some topics of discussion may include:

<ul>
	<li>How often you empty your bladder</li>
	<li>How often you leak urine</li>
	<li>Your family history</li>
	<li>Your medical history (for example, past surgeries or procedures)</li>
	<li>Eating and drinking habits</li>
	<li>Bowel movement habits</li>
	<li>Medications you take</li>
</ul>

Your healthcare provider may do some of the following exams or tests in order to find an accurate diagnosis:

<ul>
	<li>Physical exam, to look for signs that might cause incontinence</li>
	<li>Urinalysis, to test your urine for blood or other abnormalities</li>
	<li>Ultrasound, to take pictures of your bladder, urethra, and kidneys</li>
	<li>Bladder function tests, to determine how well your urinary tract system works</li>
	<li>Blood tests, to test for infections or abnormalities</li>
	<li>Cystoscopy, to check your bladder for inflammation or bladder stones</li>
</ul>

Your HCP may also ask you to keep a bladder diary in order to record when you empty your bladder and experience leakage, as well as what you ate or drank or what medications you took.

Treatment 
Your treatment plan will depend on the type of incontinence you are experiencing as well as other health problems. Possibilities include:

<ul>
	<li>Retraining your bladder to avoid leakage</li>
	<li>Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles</li>
	<li>Making changes to your diet and lifestyle</li>
	<li>Nerve stimulation</li>
	<li>Medications</li>
	<li>Surgery</li>
	<li>Medical devices</li>
</ul>

Remember that urinary incontinence can have a number of different causes. If you are experiencing symptoms, make an appointment with your healthcare provider to get an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Medically reviewed in February 2021

Sources: 
Office on Women&#39;s Health (womenshealth.gov). &quot;Urinary incontinence.&quot; 
MedlinePlus.&nbsp; &quot;Urinary Incontinence.&quot; 
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. &quot;What is Urinary Incontinence (UI)?&quot; 
Harvard Health Publishing. &quot;Types of urinary incontinence.&quot; 
Urology San Antonio. &quot;Do You Know the 5 Types of Urinary Incontinence?&quot; 
Cleveland Clinic. &quot;Overactive Bladder.&quot; 
Urology San Antonio. &quot;Urinary Incontinence.&quot; 
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease. &quot;Diagnosis of Bladder Control Problems (Urinary Incontinence).&quot; 
Stanford Health Care. &quot;Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis.&quot;

Understanding the Different Types of Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence refers to a person&rsquo;s inability to control when they release urine&mdash;in other words, your bladder leaks before you are able to get to a bathroom. This happens because the muscles around the bladder are not working properly. While incontinence can occur for a short time due to some medications, it can also continue indefinitely because of a weak bladder, urinary tract infections, damage to nerves due to diabetes, or pelvic prolapse.

There are several different types of incontinence:

<ul>
	<li>Urge incontinence, the inability to &ldquo;hold it&rdquo; until reaching a restroom.</li>
	<li>Stress incontinence, the leakage of urine during exercise, sneezing, or other activities that involve pressure on the bladder.</li>
	<li>Functional incontinence, leakage as a result of the inability to reach a restroom due to other physical conditions.</li>
	<li>Overflow incontinence, when the bladder is unable to hold anymore urine and leaks.</li>
</ul>

While urinary incontinence is more common in older people and women, it can happen to anyone.

If you suspect you have bladder incontinence, it is important to visit a healthcare professional. Your healthcare provider will ask questions about your medical history regarding when and how often you experience leakage. They will also perform a physical exam to determine which type of incontinence you are experiencing. The exam might include a bladder stress test, urine cultures, a bladder ultrasound, or other relevant tests.

There is also a significant link between dietary habits and bladder control. Certain foods and drinks as well as the time of day a person eats and drinks can have an impact on uncontrollable urges or leakage. If you are experiencing bladder incontinence, it is highly recommended you discuss treatment options with a doctor. However, there are some changes you can make to your day in order to better manage symptoms.

<ul>
	<li>Limiting your fluid intake to certain times. For example, don&rsquo;t drink anything before going out or a few hours before bedtime. It&rsquo;s important not to limit your fluid intake too much&mdash;your body needs adequate amounts of water to stay healthy. Drinking too little can also cause urine to become too concentrated, which can irritate the bladder.</li>
	<li>Avoid foods and drinks that irritate the bladder. These include alcohol, caffeine, citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes (including tomato-based sauces and foods), carbonated drinks, chocolate, and spicy foods.</li>
	<li>Maintain a healthy weight and exercise daily. If you are overweight or obese, talk to your healthcare provider about safe and sustainable ways to lose weight.</li>
	<li>Quit smoking (if you smoke). Smoking can irritate the bladder, and urinary incontinence is more common among smokers and ex-smokers. Smoking can also lead to coughing, which can contribute to stress incontinence.</li>
</ul>

Some medications can also aggravate incontinence and your healthcare provider should be aware of all medications that you are taking. Bring a list of all medications you take to your appointment with your healthcare provider, including prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and supplements (including herbal supplements).

Remember that urinary incontinence can have a number of different causes. If you are experiencing symptoms, it is important to see a healthcare provider.

Medically reviewed in February 2021.

Sources: 
Harvard Health Publishing. &quot;Urinary Incontinence.&quot; 
National Institute on Aging. &quot;Urinary Incontinence in Older Adults.&quot; 
Stanford Health Care. &quot;Types of Urinary Incontinence.&quot; 
Christine Khandelwal and Christine Kistler. &quot;Diagnosis of Urinary Incontinence.&quot; American Family Physician, 2013. Vol. 87, No 8. 
Merck Manual Consumer Version. &quot;Urinary Incontinence in Adults.&quot; 
Stanford Health Care. &quot;Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis.&quot; 
George A. DeMaagd and Timothy C. Davenport. &quot;Management of Urinary Incontinence.&quot;&nbsp; Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 2012. Vol. 37, No. 6. 
Takashi Kawahara, Hiroki Ito, Masahiro Yao and Hiroji Uemura. &quot;Impact of smoking habit on overactive bladder symptoms and incontinence in women.&quot; International Journal of Urology, 2020. Vol. 27, No. 12. 
Urology Care Foundation. &quot;7 Urologic Conditions Impacted by Smoking.&quot;

Habits that Impact Bladder Control

Clear as urine. That&rsquo;s not the expression, but perhaps it should be, at least when urine is healthy. A normal, healthy urine color tends to be a pale, straw color or a clear yellow.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&ldquo;A lot of people don&rsquo;t realize that when you&rsquo;re well-hydrated, your urine should be close to running water,&rdquo; explains urologist Arthur Crowley, MD. &ldquo;People are confused about that. They&rsquo;ll say it looks great but it&rsquo;ll be dark.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Urine gets its yellow color from a pigment called urochrome. &ldquo;It has to do with the way the kidneys break things down,&rdquo; says Dr. Crowley. In addition, healthy urine has a slight, mild smell.&nbsp;

But what if your pee has a strong odor, or isn&rsquo;t a mellow yellow? What if it&rsquo;s pink? Or red? Though chances are the cause is innocuous, there are times when your body may be telling you something about an underlying medical condition.&nbsp;

Why does my pee stink?&nbsp; 
Healthy urine odor should be unobtrusive, but there are several reasons why you might notice a stronger odor wafting up from the bowl. Dehydration can cast a distinct aroma if your urine isn&rsquo;t as diluted as usual, signaling that you need to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/wellness-healthy-living/slideshow/ways-drink-more-water">drink up</a>. Vitamins&mdash;namely vitamin B6&mdash;and certain foods are other common suspects. &ldquo;Vitamin B6 has a strong odor, almost like old urine,&rdquo; says Crowley. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s more a nitrogen-type smell.&rdquo; Garlic can make your pee as stinky as your breath, and asparagus is well known for scenting your urine, giving off a sulfur-like smell.&nbsp;

Sometimes, though, the smell may be a sign of trouble. People with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/type-2-diabetes/slideshow/what-you-need-to-know-type-2-diabetes">diabetes</a>&nbsp;often have sweet-smelling urine due to the presence of sugar. A urinary tract infection (UTI) is another condition that brings along a strong smell, &ldquo;almost like gunpowder,&rdquo; says Crowley. &ldquo;The bacteria that causes a UTI will split the urea molecules in urine apart, releasing the smell.&rdquo;&nbsp;

(Not so) pretty in pink&nbsp; 
Red or pink are generally not healthy urine colors because they could indicate the presence of blood, but don&rsquo;t panic just yet. Blueberries and rhubarb can do it. So can beets. Certain medications, such as senna laxatives or even ibuprofen, can cause blood in the urine. Crowley says if a lab analysis reveals no red blood cells in your urine sample, it&rsquo;s probably something you ate.&nbsp;&nbsp;

If it&rsquo;s not your diet, blood in the urine may be a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/womens-health/slideshow/nearly-women-utis-how-avoid">symptom of a UTI</a>, bladder stones and cancer of the kidneys or bladder. It may also be due to long-distance running (joggers&rsquo; hematuria) or other strenuous exercise. If you haven&rsquo;t recently chowed down on veggies that may be behind the color change, see&nbsp;a healthcare provider&nbsp;and have a sample taken.&nbsp;

Very dark urine&nbsp; 
If you&rsquo;ve thought all along that dark urine is the norm, think again. Severe dehydration is the best-case scenario for urine that&rsquo;s amber or orange in color. Fortunately, it&rsquo;s the most common diagnosis, according to Crowley. The fix is easy enough: Drink more water. If you still&nbsp;notice&nbsp;dark&nbsp;urine, you might need to replenish your electrolytes as well. Sports drinks and Pedialyte can help.&nbsp;

But if dehydration isn&rsquo;t causing the dark hue, it could be something more serious. &ldquo;Cirrhosis of the liver and hepatitis are possibilities,&rdquo; says Crowley. With liver issues, a pigment called bilirubin is turning the urine dark. &ldquo;Bilirubin results from the breakdown of old red blood cells and normally can be converted to a water-soluble substance by the liver,&rdquo; Crowley says. If the liver is damaged, the bilirubin does not get broken down and passes through the bladder as a dark discoloration.&nbsp;

Medically reviewed in September 2020. Updated in March 2021.

What Your Urine's Color and Odor Says About Your Health

Do you visit the bathroom two or more times a night? Here&#39;s something to consider: a checkup.&nbsp;

Frequent urination at night can increase with age&mdash;and quite often it&#39;s nothing to worry about. But a study suggests it may be best to rule out&nbsp;any potential underlying problems&nbsp;In the study,&nbsp;frequently waking up to pee at night was linked to possible health issues.&nbsp;

A sign of something serious?&nbsp; 
In the study, men and women age 70 and older who got up two or more times a night to urinate had a higher mortality rate in the coming three years compared with the people who visited the latrine just once nightly. And the researchers suspect that, for some, peeing a lot at night could be a sign of underlying health issues that need to be addressed, like cardiovascular disease,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/type-2-diabetes/slideshow/what-you-need-to-know-type-2-diabetes">diabetes</a>, sleep apnea or other sleep disorders, kidney problems or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/womens-health/slideshow/nearly-women-utis-how-avoid">urinary tract infections</a>. The good news? All of these problems are treatable. &nbsp;

Don&#39;t panic&nbsp; 
<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/overactive-bladder/article/overactive-bladder-what-you-need-to-know">Frequent urination</a>&nbsp;at night could&mdash;and probably does&mdash;mean nothing for the majority of folks. So don&#39;t panic if this sounds at all familiar. Just be sure to bring it up at your annual well visit.&nbsp;

Medically reviewed in August 2019. Updated in March 2021.&nbsp;

What Frequent Urination at Night May Mean

Learn more about the human bladder and its functions with Sharecare&#39;s revolutionary virtual reality technology.

How Your Bladder Actually Works

Overactive bladder (OAB) affects approximately 33 million Americans, though the number of people with symptoms is thought to be significantly higher. The condition, defined by an abrupt, strong need to urinate, isn&#39;t usually considered a serious health problem, but it can be annoying, messy and emotionally difficult. Victims are often left anxious and depressed, and many have tough times with work and relationships.&nbsp;

Who&#39;s at risk for overactive bladder?&nbsp; 
There&#39;s no single illness or&nbsp;reason for&nbsp;overactive bladder; a range of things can contribute to your risk, and many more conditions and behavioral habits may exacerbate symptoms. Here are a few&nbsp;risk&nbsp;factors&nbsp;for overactive bladder.&nbsp;

Age&nbsp; 
Our chances of developing OAB increase as we age, and about one in five Americans over age 40 display symptoms. Part of this is simply because our bodies might not function as well as they used to. Bladder muscles frequently lose strength and flexibility with the passing of time. Our cognitive function may decline, as well, slowing communication between the bladder and the brain. That&#39;s not all; as years go by, we&#39;re more likely to develop illnesses connected to OAB, like diabetes.&nbsp;

Gender&nbsp; 
Though some studies find men and women develop OAB at equal rates, others have discovered rates are somewhat higher in women, especially if they&#39;re post-menopausal. After menopause, it&#39;s believed that hormone shifts, particularly estrogen loss, causes the bladder and urinary tract to weaken. People who have had multiple babies are also at an increased risk for OAB, since pregnancy does a number on pelvic floor muscles, which help control urination.&nbsp;

Neurological conditions and nerve damage&nbsp; 
People are likelier to experience OAB when abnormal nerve signals tell the bladder to contract suddenly when it&#39;s not full. This can be a result of an injury affecting your brain, nerves or spinal cord, or a consequence of an ailment affecting neurological function, like diabetes, dementia, Parkinson&#39;s disease, stroke or multiple sclerosis.&nbsp;

Obesity&nbsp; 
Studies show that the more you weigh, the greater your chance of OAB, likely due to increased pressure on the bladder. Obesity may also stretch pelvic muscles, reduce blood flow and decrease nerve sensation, which contribute to leakage and feelings of urgency. That&#39;s why, when treating OAB, one of the first lines of treatment is slimming down.&nbsp;

Prostate conditions and other blockages&nbsp; 
Urine must have a clear path if the bladder is to function correctly. When something is blocking that conduit, whether it&#39;s an enlarged prostate, bladder stones, constipation&mdash;or less frequently, a tumor&mdash;OAB can be the result. Certain surgeries, including prostate or pelvic surgery, may also contribute to the obstruction of urine flow.&nbsp;

In addition to these risk factors&nbsp;for overactive bladder, the following habits are thought to exacerbate the symptoms:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Smoking, which may irritate the bladder&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Certain&nbsp;medications, which can cause you to urinate more often&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Too much caffeine or alcohol, which may cause you to urinate more often&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Mobility issues, including arthritis, which may prevent you from finding a bathroom in time to urinate&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

If you believe you may be displaying symptoms of OAB, see your health care provider, who can diagnose your condition and begin a course of&nbsp;treatment.&nbsp;

Medically reviewed in December 2019. Updated in the March 2021.&nbsp;

5 Big Reasons You Pee So Much

Some of your favorites can irritate your bladder and worsen symptoms.

9 Foods and Drinks to Avoid for a Better Bladder

If you find yourself having to pee often, planning trips around bathroom access or getting up in the middle of the night to empty your bladder, you may have an overactive bladder (OAB). But depending on your other symptoms, it might be more than OAB. There are a dizzying number of&nbsp;things that can cause you to urinate a lot, from benign causes like drinking too much fluid, to the truly worrisome, like stroke and neurological damage.&nbsp;

&ldquo;The number of different possibilities is just enormous,&rdquo; says urologist Heather&nbsp;Wargo, MD, with Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County. &ldquo;In order to treat, you have to get at the root cause.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Do I have an overactive bladder?&nbsp; 
First, how many times a day is it normal to urinate? &ldquo;I was taught that normal was five to eight times a day,&rdquo; says Dr.&nbsp;Wargo. &ldquo;But Americans generally drink more now than they did when I was in training, so normal may very well exceed eight.&rdquo;&nbsp;Wargo&nbsp;says more than eight times a day is still most likely worth looking into.&nbsp;

&ldquo;When someone comes in and they say they pee all the time, I ask them what they mean by &lsquo;all the time,&rsquo;&rdquo; says&nbsp;Wargo. &ldquo;I have them guess, and then keep a diary.&rdquo;&nbsp;Wargo&nbsp;says she wants to&nbsp;know how often the person is going, and how much at a time. Going 8 to 12 ounces at a time&mdash;a normal bladder volume&mdash;for example, will provide a urologist different clues than going 2 to 4 ounces at a time.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Polyuria means that person would usually urinate normal or large volumes frequently. Overactive bladder refers to someone who urinates frequently with generally small volumes and with urgency,&rdquo;&nbsp;Wargo&nbsp;says.&nbsp;

Possible causes&nbsp; 
Some issues that cause you to pee a lot are benign and easily treatable, while others signal a serious condition. In order to treat, says&nbsp;Wargo, &ldquo;You have to get at the root cause, or at least break it down between polyuria and overactive bladder. If I give someone a medication to calm down their bladder, but it turns out they&rsquo;re urinating frequently because their volumes are high, that medicine won&rsquo;t work.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Drinking lots of fluid.&nbsp;This is probably the simplest cause. &ldquo;The more you drink, the more you&rsquo;ll have to go,&rdquo; says&nbsp;Wargo.&nbsp;

A mass or obstruction.&nbsp;Bladder cancer can irritate the bladder, obstruct the urethra or thicken the bladder wall and decrease its elasticity. An enlarged prostate can also cause both obstructive and irritating symptoms, resulting in increased frequency of smaller volumes, and thickening the bladder wall and decreasing elasticity. Pelvic masses like tumors or cysts can obstruct or irritate the bladder. And urethral issues can cause incomplete bladder emptying or irritation, resulting in increased frequency.&nbsp;

Diabetes.&nbsp;Excessive urination is one of the hallmarks of diabetes. When you have diabetes mellitus, you have too much sugar in your blood. &ldquo;If the&nbsp;sugar&rsquo;s&nbsp;not controlled, the body gets rid of the excess sugar in urine. The sugar drags water along with it so you produce more urine,&rdquo; says&nbsp;Wargo. That&rsquo;s why the urine of someone with diabetes often smells sweet. With diabetes insipidus, the kidneys excrete large amounts of dilute urine. There are many causes of diabetes insipidus, ranging from problems in the brain to the kidneys to the placenta to medications, all of which can cause you to pee a lot.&nbsp;

Neurological conditions.&nbsp;A stroke can also cause you to urinate a lot. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s feedback between the sensation of fullness in the bladder and control from the brain,&rdquo;&nbsp;Wargo&nbsp;says. If the stroke happens in a part of the brain that affects bladder control, your brain could tell your bladder to empty too often or cause incontinence. &ldquo;Often with stroke, there&rsquo;s initially nonfunctioning of the bladder, and then five to six weeks later the bladder becomes hyperactive,&rdquo; she adds. Among the other neurological conditions that can affect the bladder include multiple sclerosis, Parkinson&#39;s disease, brain tumor and spinal cord injury.&nbsp;

Medications and diet.&nbsp;Some medications can increase urinary frequency. Diuretics signal the kidneys to remove excess salt and water. Both of these will be secreted as urine. Foods such as caffeine, carbonated beverages, alcohol, spicy foods, citrus, sugar, chocolate and artificial sweeteners can also make you urinate more often.&nbsp;

Nighttime urination causes.&nbsp;Wargo&nbsp;calls out two conditions that could cause frequent urination at night specifically: heart failure and sleep apnea. With congestive heart failure, fluid builds up in the tissues, but drains out and becomes urine when you&rsquo;re lying down (like when you&rsquo;re&nbsp;sleeping). Sleep apnea, during which&nbsp;your breathing is restricted or you stop breathing when you sleep,&nbsp;can trigger a reaction that signals the kidneys to produce more urine.&nbsp;

Bowel problems.&nbsp;Another cause of urinary frequency is bowel problems. &quot;I always ask about their bowel habits, as this can certainly effect the urinary pattern,&quot;&nbsp;Wargo&nbsp;says.&nbsp;

Get checked out&nbsp; 
The best way to battle&nbsp;whatever is causing you to pee a lot&nbsp;is to treat the underlying condition. That means you&rsquo;ll need to visit your primary care provider or a urologist to determine why you&rsquo;re having symptoms. &ldquo;We want to make sure there&rsquo;s no blood in the urine, you don&rsquo;t have an infection, there&rsquo;s no excessive sugar and the kidney function&rsquo;s OK, no mass around the ovaries or uterus,&rdquo; says&nbsp;Wargo. &ldquo;It might be as simple as going to your doctor, giving a urine sample and getting lab work.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Medically reviewed in December 2018. Updated in March 2021.&nbsp;

Do I Have an Overactive Bladder or Something Else?

You hear people say all the time that passing kidney stones is one of the most painful things they&#39;ve ever experienced&mdash;and in some cases, worse than childbirth. And even though stones propel more than 500,000 people to the emergency room annually, many who show up there don&rsquo;t have a clue what&rsquo;s causing their pain&mdash;or they attribute it to something else like appendicitis.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&ldquo;Once you&rsquo;ve had a kidney stone, though, you will surely recognize the characteristic pain if it happens again,&rdquo; says Anita Mehrotra, MD, a transplant nephrologist at Our Lady of Lourdes Organ Transplant Center in Camden, New Jersey.&nbsp;

And chances are it will happen again. Not only are kidney stones relatively common, affecting around 10 percent of people at some point in their lives, recurrences are likely&nbsp;too&mdash;50 percent of people experience another within 10 years.&nbsp;

The scoop on stones&nbsp; 
Many factors determine who gets kidney stones, says Dr. Mehrotra. Family history and conditions like obesity, diabetes and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/ulcerative-colitis/article/what-need-know-ulcerative-colitis">inflammatory bowel disease</a>&nbsp;can predispose you to developing them. But dietary habits, particularly how well hydrated you are, top the list.&nbsp;

Stones form when minerals or salts, most frequently calcium and oxalate, build up in the urine. Over time, they join together to create crystals in the kidneys that gradually increase in size, creating a solid mass called a kidney stone.&nbsp;

After forming, a stone may stay in the kidney or travel down the urinary tract in the ureter, the tubes that connect the kidney to the bladder. Precisely what causes it to become dislodged isn&rsquo;t known, reports Mehrotra. What is known, she says: &ldquo;The more stones you have, the more likely it is that one of them will eventually cause a problem.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Kidney stones on the rise&nbsp; 
That&rsquo;s troubling, since a 2018 study found a huge uptick in the number of diagnoses of kidney stones&mdash;they jumped more than fourfold among women and more than twofold among men between 1984 and 2012. The reason women&rsquo;s numbers seemed to grow much more than men&rsquo;s is because they started out quite a bit lower 30 years ago.&nbsp;

Why the surge in the prevalence of kidney stones? The increased use of radiological imaging techniques like CT scans and ultrasound at least partly explains the study results. &ldquo;A lot of stones may be diagnosed as incidental findings done on patients who aren&rsquo;t having any symptoms,&rdquo; says Mehrotra. &ldquo;And those found incidentally are left alone until people start experiencing symptoms.&rdquo;&nbsp;

&ldquo;The worst pain ever&rdquo;&nbsp; 
Which brings us back to pain, the most common symptom of a kidney stone on the move.&nbsp;What does&nbsp;passing&nbsp;a kidney stone feel like?&nbsp;It usually begins suddenly and without warning and is classically described as a sharp, shooting pain that extends from the flank around to the abdomen and down into the groin on the side of the kidney stone. As the stone continues to move toward the bladder, shooting pains may be felt in the scrotum or labia. Typically, the&nbsp;kidney stone&nbsp;pain gets worse, then better, as the ureter constricts and relaxes as it tries to push urine and the stone forward, but it doesn&rsquo;t go away completely.&nbsp;

Waves of this severe pain, known as renal colic, usually last 20 minutes to an hour. &ldquo;Most people say it&rsquo;s the worst pain they&rsquo;ve ever had, aside from women who&rsquo;ve birthed children without epidurals that is,&rdquo; says Mehrotra.&nbsp;

Some people get lucky and have stones that are so small they move out of the body in the urine without them even knowing it or with just mild discomfort, but that&rsquo;s unusual. &ldquo;They&rsquo;d have to be really tiny for that to happen&mdash;less than 1 millimeter (.04 inches),&rdquo; says Mehrotra. &ldquo;Stones greater than 1 millimeter will definitely be felt.&rdquo;&nbsp;

In addition to pain, other possible symptoms include:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Blood in the urine: This will occur for most people who experience stones; it might not be visible or apparent, or it may be tinted red or pink. It can be unsettling, and usually results from irritation of the ureter.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Nausea or vomiting: This is mostly due to the severe pain itself or side effects of pain medications&mdash;in particular, opioid drugs like Percocet (oxycodone/acetaminophen), says Mehrotra.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Urination issues: You may experience pain with urination or an urgent need to pee. If you really feel the urge to go, it&rsquo;s important to rule out an infection, since people with blockages in their urinary tract are more likely to get&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/womens-health/slideshow/nearly-women-utis-how-avoid">urinary tract infections&nbsp;(UTIs)</a>.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Fever: The most concerning symptom is fever, which means that you may have an infection in addition to a kidney stone. Another sign of infection: chills and shivering.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

When to seek medical attention&nbsp; 
Eighty percent of stones that are 4 millimeters or less can be passed on your own, but the same is true for only about 20 percent of those greater than 6 millimeters (1/4 inch). &ldquo;At that size, you&rsquo;ll be in a lot of pain and may need some type of surgical intervention to break the stone or make it smaller to get it out,&rdquo; says Mehrotra.&nbsp;

Since you can&rsquo;t tell the size of your stones, how do you know if you should head to the hospital or call your healthcare provider (HCP)? If you experience any of the above symptoms the <a href="http://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/kidneystones">National Kidney Foundation</a> advises that you seek medical attention as soon as possible to confirm kidney stones are the source and to determine their size and number.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The most likely scenario is that you&rsquo;ll be sent home with pain medication and instructions to drink a lot of water, says Mehrotra. &ldquo;Staying hydrated is the most important thing to do in order to propel the stone forward,&rdquo; she explains. If you&rsquo;re vomiting or too nauseous to keep water down, you may require intravenous fluids or anti-nausea medication. Healthcare providers can also prescribe medication that relaxes the ureter so the stone can pass more quickly with less pain.&nbsp;

If your stone is small,&nbsp;you&#39;re&nbsp;able keep food and water down&mdash;and you can stand the pain&mdash;you can try passing kidney stones at home. Taking over-the-counter acetaminophen or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) like ibuprofen can help manage pain, but you should avoid NSAIDs if you have heart disease, hypertension or a history of kidney disease or damage. Speak to an HCP before taking any new medication.&nbsp;

If you don&rsquo;t pass kidney stones within two days or you have a fever or chills at any time, seek medical attention, says Mehrotra. &ldquo;Stones that don&rsquo;t pass on their own may need surgical intervention and a fever or chills could be a sign of an associated UTI, a potentially life-threatening condition which should be treated right away,&rdquo; she adds. There are a couple of minimally invasive ways a stone can be removed or broken into smaller pieces, including using shock waves or a laser.&nbsp;

For people with recurrent kidney stones or first-timers who may be at risk for additional stones, tests to help determine whether a condition is causing kidney stones may be in order. Your HCP may also have you strain your urine to recover the stone for analysis or ask you to collect your urine for 24 hours after the kidney stone has passed or been removed. Knowing the composition of the stone or the mineral levels in your urine can help determine what predisposes you to stones and plan treatment or dietary changes to help prevent recurrences.&nbsp;

How to prevent kidney stones&nbsp; 
The best way to prevent a kidney stone (or a second or third one) is to drink enough fluid&mdash;this will dilute your urine so it&rsquo;s less concentrated with substances that promote the formation of stones. &ldquo;Hydration is the biggest factor,&rdquo; says Mehrotra. &ldquo;All of the things that can end up in high concentration in urine, like calcium and oxalate, can be managed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/wellness-healthy-living/slideshow/ways-drink-more-water">drinking more water</a>.&rdquo;&nbsp;

One meta-analysis found that people who produced 2 to 2.5 liters of urine daily were 50 percent less likely to develop kidney stones than those with less output. (It should be noted: you should&nbsp;always speak with your HCP about how much to drink in a day, as some people have their fluids restricted due to medical conditions.)&nbsp;

Staying hydrated is especially important in the summer, since research shows that as daily temperatures increase, so, too, does the number of patients seeking treatment for kidney stones&mdash;likely because higher temps contribute to dehydration. A good rule of thumb is that your urine should appear very light yellow to clear if you&rsquo;re well hydrated; darker urine is more concentrated.&nbsp;

There are a host of dietary moves you can make to help&nbsp;prevent kidney stones, including:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Get enough calcium. Don&rsquo;t get confused about &ldquo;calcium&rdquo; stones: While 80 to 85 percent of stones are made of calcium, consuming enough of this mineral can help prevent the formation of stones, since calcium binds with oxalate before it gets into the kidneys. The recommended daily amount of calcium for adults is between 1,000 milligrams (mg) and 1,200 mg depending on your sex and age. Ideally, you should obtain calcium from food, since calcium from supplements is linked to kidney stones.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Limit sodium. Your chance of developing kidney stones increases when you eat more sodium, which is a part of salt. Curb sodium consumption to 1,500 mg a day.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Eat high-oxalate foods with calcium in the same meal. If you&rsquo;re calcium oxalate stone prone, this lowers your chances one will form. Oxalate-rich foods include spinach, beets, peanuts, rhubarb, chocolate and sweet potatoes.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Try the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/general-weight-loss-diets/slideshow/everything-need-know-dash-diet">DASH diet</a>. Designed to prevent and regulate high blood pressure, it&#39;s also linked to reduced chances of kidney stones.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

To help ensure that your experience with kidney stone&nbsp;pain&nbsp;is a one-time event, it&rsquo;s important to take precautions. Yet research shows that almost half of kidney stone patients didn&rsquo;t take prescribed medications and 41 percent didn&rsquo;t follow the nutritional advice that would keep them from recurring. Lower your risk of stones by being proactive.&nbsp;

Medically reviewed in May 2018. Updated in March 2021.&nbsp;

What Does Passing a Kidney Stone Feel Like?

We&#39;ve all been there: You&#39;ve&nbsp;gotta&nbsp;go but you&#39;re late to a meeting, or you&#39;re on a deadline and you really need to finish that project. Or maybe you&#39;re on a Netflix binge and you don&#39;t want to hit &quot;pause&quot; to pee. Whatever the reason, we&rsquo;ve all held it in. But how long is too long, and are there health risks? We talked with urologist Scott Martz, DO, from&nbsp;Englewood Community Hospital in Florida to find out.&nbsp;

What&rsquo;s normal, what&#39;s not&nbsp; 
During the day, most people need to urinate about every three to four hours, Dr. Martz says. Just how long you can comfortably hold your pee differs for everyone. &quot;If you aren&rsquo;t staying hydrated, or if you&rsquo;re losing fluids through perspiration, you may be able to hold in your urine for quite some time,&rdquo; he says.&nbsp;

At night, most people under age 50 are able to hold urine for about eight hours. When we&#39;re younger, our kidneys do a good job of bringing fluid back into our system so we don&#39;t get up at night as much, Martz explains. As you get older, though, you may find yourself getting up to make&nbsp;one or two bathroom&nbsp;trips.&nbsp;

Why can I not hold my pee?&nbsp; 
If you&rsquo;re peeing eight or more times over 24 hours, or more than two to three times a night, you may have an&nbsp;overactive bladder. Alcohol and caffeine can contribute, as can spicy or acidic&nbsp;foods, which can irritate the bladder and create the urge to go. See your&nbsp;healthcare provider&nbsp;if you think you may have a problem.&nbsp;

Know when to go&nbsp; 
Sometimes waiting to go is unavoidable&mdash;and that&#39;s okay. While occasionally holding urine for anywhere from 6 to even 24 hours isn&#39;t ideal, it&#39;s usually not serious, says Martz. Listen to your body: If you&rsquo;re feeling pain or discomfort, make time for a bathroom break. You may feel an overwhelming urge to cross your legs to keep from peeing, or you may feel full, or feel intense pain in the lower back or abdomen. &ldquo;If you press on your lower belly and can feel your bladder, you need to go,&rdquo; Martz says.&nbsp;

And don&#39;t make holding it in a habit. &quot;We can see it in certain professions,&quot; says Martz. &quot;Teachers, doctors, nurses, truck drivers&mdash;they have to hold their urine for long periods of time.&quot;&nbsp;

What happens if&nbsp;I&nbsp;hold&nbsp;my&nbsp;pee&nbsp;too often?&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Over time, that can lead to health issues, including&nbsp;urinary tract infections (UTIs),&nbsp;kidney damage and more. In fact, if you&#39;re holding in your urine again and again, it may become harder to go at all. &quot;The bladder is essentially a muscle,&quot; says Martz. It contracts to push urine out. Constantly waiting to pee forces the bladder to stretch to hold more, while it has to squeeze harder to push out the extra volume. Eventually, it may cry uncle. &quot;At some point the bladder may be overwhelmed from the amount of fluid, and it may not be able to empty,&quot; Martz says. That&#39;s known as urine retention, a condition more common in older men. Women may have trouble with incontinence.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Bottom line: To avoid annoying&mdash;and potentially serious&mdash;problems, answer nature&#39;s call. &ldquo;You can delay on occasion, but it should not be your norm,&quot; says Martz. &quot;It can have some significant side effects later on down the road.&rdquo;&nbsp;

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Medically reviewed in May 2018.

Kidney and Urinary Health