There are times when you want to go on a road trip instead of taking a flight or bus or train for a holiday. It all sounds fun, especially if you are going with your friends or loved ones. But if you have an overactive bladder, you might not be too excited about it. You may be anxious about washrooms on the way, have hygiene concerns or may overthink about what your friends and family members may think of your frequent loo breaks! But don’t worry, as travelling with an overactive bladded is possible. You just need to follow some travel tips so that you can enjoy the trip!
To get some travel tips for women with an overactive bladder, Health Shots connected with Dr Vimal Dassi – Director, Urology, Renal Transplant, Robotics and Uro-Oncology at Max Hospital Vaishali, Ghaziabad.
It as basically urinary urgency that is usually accompanied by frequency and nocturia. It can be with or without urinary urge incontinence or in absence of urinary tract infection, says Dr Dassi. It is common in men and women, but disproportionately affects women. The expert says that it is 1.5 to 2 times more common in women. Overactive bladder happens when there is involuntary bladder contractions which creates urgent need to pee. These may be associated with stroke, diabetes or hormonal changes in women during menopause.
There are some signs that can show that you have an overactive bladder. Some of the symptoms of an overactive bladder are:
• Feeling a sudden urge to pee that’s difficult to control or postpone.
• Increase in frequency of pee (6 to 8 times during the day).
• Waking up more than one time in night to pee.
• Experiencing unintentional loss of urine after feeling of urgency.
There are a few things you can do while travelling with an overactive bladder –
You might start your day with a mug of coffee, but while travelling try to have it less. Dr Dassi says that caffeine is a stimulant that can affect the central nervous system and increase heart rate as well as blood pressure. It can also interfere with your sleep and cause anxiety or nervousness in some people. As for excessive fluid intake, it can lead to water retention and bloating, especially in people with certain medical conditions such as heart or kidney disease.
For women with an overactive bladder, maintaining a healthy weight can help reduce symptoms. So even if you are travelling, you should have a balanced diet and focus on portion control.
If you have any chronic condition such as diabetes, make sure you have your medicines with you. Seeking support from your doctor to manage the conditions can have a positive impact on your bladder health and overall well-being.
Women with an overactive bladder can prevent urinary tract infections and improve their overall bladder health by maintaining personal and private hygiene. They should practice safety while using public toilets while they are travelling.
On the days that you are not travelling, you can regularly do pelvic floor exercises. It is important to find the right muscles, doing the exercise by squeezing and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles, building up a routine and working with a doctor to manage the overactive bladder symptoms.
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