How An Overactive Bladder Can Cause Emotional Problems

The physical effects of overactive bladder are obvious. But the emotional impact isn’t talked about as much.

You might avoid going out with friends, playing sports, or visiting your grandchildren because you’re self-conscious about leaking or having to stop a lot to use the bathroom.

Women can. start to live their lives around management of their bladder and that can have a huge impact.

It can affect your social life 

Even at home it can make the simplest social interactions stressful. Imagine if you were out in the garden and talking to a neighbour when you suddenly lost control of your bladder?

The stress and embarrassment of that can’t be overestimate because it’s that loss of control that really defines us in social situations.

It makes you feel like a child again  – back to the point where you had to wear nappies – and that knocks your self confidence and self esteem.

It can affect intimacy issues

There can be consequences where you might avoid sexual activity because you’re worried about leaking.

This can then lead to bigger relationship issues. If your partner doesn’t know what’s wrong, they may think it has something to do with them. Try your best to open up and trust your partner to be supportive.

Intimacy challenges are tough enough for couples who have been together for a while but they can be even more overwhelming when you’re just dating.

Bladder issues can be a huge elephant in the room when starting up those more intimate relationships, particularly around menopause when body image can be another factor.

It can affect your sleep and be a factor in depression

You might wake up four times a night but go right back to sleep each time. Others may only get up twice a night. But they have so much trouble getting back to sleep each time that it has a huge effect on their quality of life.

When you don’t get enough rest, your body doesn’t get the chance to recuperate. This could lead to other issues, including problems with brain function.

There is a strong link between bladder issues and depression, and poor sleep is a key factor in so many issues at menopause.

It definitely affects your hormonal symptoms and has a knock on effect if you are frequently getting up in the night for bladder weakness issues.

It can affect stress levels 

Feeling anxious about overactive bladder (OAB) can make your physical symptoms worse. Just like you might tighten your jaw without noticing, people with bladder problems often tighten their pelvic floor muscles.

You may not know it, but your pelvic floor is always doing important work by supporting your pelvis and holding up your organs. If you keep tightening your pelvic floor muscles to hold back the urge to urinate, that anxiety builds up.

This constant squeezing puts a lot of strain on those muscles, which can cause them to lose control when you need them most.

By finding ways to reduce your anxiety and relieve the tension in your pelvic floor, you could see a significant improvement in your symptoms.

It can affect your willingness to get help

As you get older, you might think bladder problems are normal, but they aren’t. For younger women, bladder problems can bring extra shame and self-blame. You might ask yourself what is happening or what is “wrong” with you.

Shame can stop you from asking for help, but these problems are more common than you think. By discussing it more, others will feel more at ease seeking long-term fixes rather than just handling symptoms with pads and extra underwear, for example.

Those items can be a good way to regain control because they are often made with light, attractive materials that can secretly hold a lot of liquid.

However, if you use them all the time, every day, they might prevent you from getting professional help when you need it.

You don’t have to handle this by yourself, and your doctor cannot help if they don’t know you have a problem.

Helpful information 

It does not matter if you are 28 or 88 years old because your bladder can be taught new habits at any time in your life.

The main thing is to keep trying and to look after your general health, and many women find exercises like Kegels useful.

It is natural that your hormone levels are very important for this problem. Progesterone cream put on at night might help you need to pee less and sleep more without waking up.

Oestrogen used inside the vagina has been found to make bladder and urinary tract tissues better, so for some women, a combination cream such as Twenty to One might work better than Serenity alone.

Food and how you live are also important, so read this article to see how you can make changes.

https://blog.wellsprings-health.com/food-and-drink-to-help-an-overactive-bladder/