Frequent urination: causes and treatment

Frequent urination is one of the most common disorders of the urinary act. The medical name of the disease is polakiuria. This delicate pathology causes significant discomfort and prevents patients from leading a normal lifestyle. In the event of a problem, you should immediately seek the help of a professional who will determine the cause by conducting diagnostic measures. Having identified the cause, the doctor chooses the appropriate treatment, monitors the dynamics, controls and corrects the treatment process.

What is frequent urination?

Not everyone understands what an overactive bladder is. Polakiuria is the need to urinate more than 7 times during the day and more than once at night. Painful urination is called dysuria, and an excess of urine volume up to 1800 ml or more is called polyuria. Polakiuria can provoke not only frequent urge to urinate. The discomfort is increased by the fact that involuntary urination occurs when lifting weights, sneezing, coughing, stress. There are cases when the patient is unable to hold the discharge during a sharp urge.

The most pronounced symptoms of the disease are

-pain during urination;

-discomfort and pain in the lower abdomen and lower back

-dark-colored urine with an unpleasant odor

-noticeable bloody impurities in the urine

-nausea

-increased appetite

-constant thirst.

In some cases, the disease can cause weight loss. A urologist can determine the cause and prescribe a course of therapy.

How many times a day do I need to go to the toilet?

An adult normally excretes 1.5-2 liters of fluid in one day. In order to remove this volume from the body, it is necessary to visit the toilet 3 to 7 times a day. However, this figure should not be considered stable, and any deviations should be recorded as pathological manifestations. Frequent urination in men may not be associated with pathological conditions, because in some cases, certain foods can increase the number of trips to the toilet. For example, watermelon, melon, cucumbers, citrus fruits, cranberries, and lingonberries have a diuretic effect. In addition, alcohol, coffee, and tea affect the way you feel and the frequency of urination. Some medications have a diuretic effect. Drugs prescribed to lower blood pressure most often contain components that will force the body to get rid of fluids more intensively. 

Causes of frequent urination in women and men

The pathological causes of frequent urination are approximately the same for both women comprehensive health diagnostics for women. Overactive bladder causes:

-Urolithiasis is a condition when stones are formed in the body, which are localized in the kidneys. ----Moving through the urinary tract, stones cause not only frequent urge to go to the toilet, but also pain that covers the abdomen, lower back, and radiates to the legs and groin.

-inflammation of the kidneys - pyelonephritis. In addition to frequent urination, it is characterized by fever and pain in the lower back.

-urethritis - inflammation of the urethra. It is accompanied by a constant feeling that the bladder is not completely empty, which makes you return to the toilet over and over again 

-cystitis - inflammation of the bladder. The clinical picture is similar to urethritis. The pain in the lower abdomen, which radiates to the groin and legs, increases almost every hour. Urination is also accompanied by discomfort and pain.

Diabetes mellitus, prostatitis, weakness of the bladder wall muscles, and some types of tumors can also be the causes of increased frequency of urination.

Frequent urination at night

Frequent urination at night - nocturia - is a pathological condition in which the patient is disturbed by frequent urge to urinate at night. A healthy person may not get up all night, or wake up only once to go to the toilet. Pathology, on the other hand, forces you to get up two or more times. In addition to the pain syndrome, discomfort is also caused by constant lack of sleep. 

The sudden urge to urinate is accompanied by symptoms such as chronic fatigue, decreased productivity, irritability, memory impairment and decreased concentration, and insomnia. The disease can progress, causing cognitive impairment.

Frequent urination without pain

There are many pathological conditions that cause overactive bladder in men and women without pain. These include some physiological conditions, such as pregnancy and menopause in women. Nervous activity, constant stress, and anxiety can provoke short-term bouts of frequent urination. Also, endocrine diseases. Hormone dysfunction has a direct impact on the process of urine formation and excretion. Some pathologies of the kidneys and urinary tract, certain gynecological problems. 

How to reduce frequent urination?

Pathological conditions that cannot be called severe and are not associated with infections, inflammation, and endocrine disorders can be corrected on their own. To do this, you need to follow certain dietary rules and exercise. The most popular exercise is the Kegel exercise. The main goal is to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. It is prescribed in cases where there is frequent urination in women. 

In addition:

-increase in the diet of foods characterized by a high fiber content, which normalizes the functioning of the kidneys and bladder. Fiber is also useful for normalizing the functioning of the stomach and intestines

-exclusion from the diet of foods that cause bladder irritation - chocolate, spices, tomatoes

reducing the consumption of tea, water, and any other liquid before bedtime.

The bladder can be trained. To do this, it will be enough to choose a comfortable schedule for going to the toilet, gradually increasing the intervals. In about three months, normal urination should return to normal. 

How to treat frequent urination?

There is no single treatment regimen for polakiuria. Each patient requires an individual approach, diagnostics and tests. When prescribing therapeutic measures, the doctor is guided not only by the data obtained during the diagnosis, but also by the patient's general condition, age, and concomitant diseases. In most cases, it is possible to alleviate the condition with the help of conservative methods of treating overactive bladder:

cystitis - antibacterial therapy, uroseptics, physiotherapy

urethritis - antibiotics, antimicrobials, antifungal agents, hormones in combination with antibiotics

kidney disease - antibiotics supplemented with anti-inflammatory drugs and immunostimulants

endocrine disorders - diabetes mellitus is controlled by insulin therapy, hypoglycemic drugs, and diet. Other hormonal disorders require a detailed examination, determination of causes and specifics. The result of the examination will be the prescription of synthetic drugs that stimulate the production of an antidiuretic hormone

gynecological diseases - hormone replacement therapy, exercise therapy and physiotherapy.

Depressive states and other psychogenic disorders are relieved by psychotherapy and antidepressants. Overactive bladder and psychosomatics are issues that a psychotherapist can deal with. Urolithiasis may require surgical intervention. As well as gynecological problems such as tumors and endometriosis. 

Any health problem is easier to prevent than to treat. This principle is equally effective for all pathologies. To prevent frequent urination, it is necessary to undergo regular examinations by a urologist or therapist comprehensive health diagnostics for men. Preventive measures also include compliance with the drinking regimen, regular physical activity, and intimate hygiene. But the main thing to remember is that self-medication is harmful to health. If you experience even minor symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor. At the initial stages, it is much easier to improve the patient's condition than to treat advanced problems.

FAQ 

What urinary tract diseases can cause frequent urination?

Urinary tract diseases that cause frequent urination include pyelonephritis, urolithiasis, urethritis, cystitis, and tumors. Acute and chronic conditions pose a threat of complications, so it is important to diagnose and start treatment in a timely manner.

What foods and drinks affect urinary frequency?

Frequent urge to urinate can be not only a symptom of the disease. In some cases, it is enough to pay attention to the diet and exclude foods that provoke frequent urination: cucumbers, watermelon, melon, citrus fruits, cranberries and lingonberries.

What exercises and medications can help with overactive bladder?

Physical activity and taking medications prescribed by therapeutic measures can alleviate the patient's condition. In each individual case, antibiotics, antifungal, anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed in combination with physiotherapy, antidepressants