Overactive bladder often has a deteriorating impact on almost every aspect of one’s life. It may force one to avoid dinners, vacations, and other social situations. At times, it may also mean a compromise on valuable time with friends and family solely because of embarrassment. Fortunately, there are effective ways to deal with it. To help you, here are the treatment options for overactive bladder.  

1. Biofeedback
Electrical sensors are attached to you that can help measure and collect necessary information about your body. With the readings from these sensors, you can figure out changes that you should make in your body, such as trying to strengthening your pelvic muscles so that you can control them and thereby have to control your bladder. 

2. Bladder training
This is one of the primary treatment options for overactive bladder. This procedure does not involve medication. Bladder training can help alter the way you use the bathroom. Now, instead of going anytime you feel the urge, you can set certain times of the day to urinate. It is known as scheduled voiding. This will help you control the urge by waiting for a few minutes initially and then gradually increasing the wait time to an hour or more between your bathroom breaks. 

3. Pelvic floor exercises
Also known as Kegel exercises, these exercises help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles that control urination. It involves holding, tightening, and then relaxing the muscles the body utilizes for urination. These exercises can be performed anytime, anywhere. However, it is recommended to do them when the bladder is empty. 

4. Limit consumption of drinks and foods that irritate the bladder
Some foods or drinks can irritate your bladder. You should avoid diuretics like alcohol and coffee that encourage your body to urinate. You can also eliminate a few foods from your diet and then include them back one at a time. The elimination method can be an excellent technique to know the foods that aggravate your symptoms. Also, add some fibers, such as whole grains and oatmeal, to your diet to improve your digestion. Vegetables, fresh and dried fruits, and beans are also a healthy addition to your diet. Often people feel better when they change what they eat or drink. 

Some of the foods and drinks that can affect your bladder include tea, certain citrus fruits, fizzy drinks or soda, chocolate (except white chocolates), spicy foods, and tomato-based foods.

5. Maintain a healthy body weight
If you are overweight, you should shed some weight to ease your symptoms. Weight loss helps lower the stress on the bladder, resulting in reduced occurrence of urinary incontinence.

6. Maintain a bladder journal
Lastly, write down the timing of your bathroom trips for a few days. This can give you a better understanding of your body. The journal will also help you understand the triggers that aggravate your symptoms.