What Is Frequent Urination
Frequent urination is the need to urinate more often than usual. There are two terms that are used to describe frequent urination: polyuria refers to an increased volume of urine and urinary frequency refers to the passing of a normal amount of urine, but the need to go more often.
Frequent urination is usually accompanied by a sensation of whats called urinary urgency, which is caused by involuntary contractions of the bladder muscle. Some people experience this feeling overnight, which is called nocturia.
Urine is composed of wastes and extra fluid, and its removed from the body through the urinary tract. You may not think about all of the body parts that allow you to urinate several times a day, but it actually requires all parts of the urinary tract to work together and function properly.
The kidneys work around the clock to filter your blood and produce urine. Then the ureters carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder, and the bladder stores urine until it becomes full and you feel the urge to urinate. At the bottom of the bladder is the urethra, which is made up of muscles that keep urine in the bladder and then allow it to exit it the body. But before you can urine, the brain has to send signals to the muscular bladder wall so that it will tighten and the sphincters that surround the urethra so that urine can exit the body.
Reducing The Risk Of Developing Cardiovascular Diseases
People with CKD have an increased risk of developing CVDs, such as heart disease, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease. People with CKD are actually twenty times more likely to die from cardiovascular-related problems than from kidney failure. This is why reducing any other cardiovascular risk factors is so important. See the separate leaflet called Cardiovascular Disease .
This typically includes:
If you have high levels of protein in your urine then you may be advised to take medication even if your blood pressure is normal. A type of medication called an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor has been shown to be beneficial for some people with CKD, as it reduces the risk of CVD and can prevent further worsening of the function of your kidneys.
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When To Get Medical Advice
See your GP if you have persistent or worrying symptoms that you think could be caused by kidney disease.
The symptoms of kidney disease can be caused by many less serious conditions, so its important to get a proper diagnosis.
If you do have CKD, its best to get it diagnosed as soon as possible. Kidney disease can be diagnosed by having blood and urine tests.
Find out more about how CKD is diagnosed.
Page last reviewed: 29 August 2019 Next review due: 29 August 2022
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Frequent Urination From Anxiety Is Not Diabetes
If you haven’t been to a doctor in years, it’s always a good idea to have yourself checked out. If you suffer from frequent urination, this may be a sign of diabetes. However, if you have had your blood sugar levels checked and they are normal, you do not need to worry about this being the cause of your frequent urination.
Many people with anxiety fear the worst, which means they fear diabetes – a common and frightening cause of frequent urination. But diabetes urination is different. It doesn’t usually develop overnight, and the frequent urination comes all throughout the day – even multiple times at night.
The chances of rapidly developing severe diabetes with urination problems after having healthy levels of blood sugar is very small. If you have healthy blood sugar levels, anxiety is much more likely the cause.
How Anxiety Causes You To Urinate More Is Explained By A Urologist
Its no secret that theres something about anxiety that causes more trips to the toilet to take a leak.
But whats really going on here? I was inspired to write this article, with a urologist as an expert source, due to my own experience with this situation.
Some years ago I was up every 90 minutes or less overnight to empty my bladder.
And every minute that I lie awake, I was consumed with enormous anxiety, because while I lie there in the darkness, I kept anticipating that at any moment, Id begin hearing that awful thumping sound of my parents German shepherd having a seizure as a result of an incurable brain tumor.
I was staying with them to take care of this dog, which I loved. The anxiety was torture.
Anxiety or nervousness can cause frequent urination, says Kenneth Peters, MD, chief of urology for Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI.
The exact reason is not known, however. We see this in people of all ages.
The brain is involved in processing signals from the bladder. This is how we know when we need to urinate.
Normally, we can suppress this sensation until it is convenient to void. However, it is not uncommon when people are nervous or upset, that both the bladder and bowel become more active.
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How Do I Stop Frequent Urination
Your doctor will emphasize treatments that address your underlying frequent urination cause. The goal is always to improve your quality of life and work toward stopping frequent urination.
Basic remedies include lifestyle changes. A doctor may suggest the following:
- Avoiding drinking fluids before bed
- Cutting back on alcohol, caffeine, artificial sweeteners and acidic foods or beverages
- Doing pelvic floor exercises to help build your pelvic health
- Trying bladder retraining techniques, such as peeing at fixed intervals that gradually increase
Your doctor may also prescribe medication to treat an underlying condition or to specifically address an overactive bladder.
Ways To Frequent Urination Anxiety Depression
One reason depression can be tough to identify is that its indications can vary commonly from person to person and also in some cases be concealed by irregular signs. For example, some individuals who are dispirited may show it by acting annoyed, resentful, or irritable. As a matter of fact, hostility consisting of straight-out acts of physical violence can be indicative of covert frequent urination anxiety depression depression, according to a February 28, 2017, report in Psychiatric Times. Depression masquerading as anger might seem unexpected in the beginning, however not when you consider that several underlying factors, consisting of alcohol or substance abuse and also childhood trauma, have been linked to both. Mind excitement treatments can be tried if psychiatric therapy and/or drug are ineffective.
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What Should I Ask My Doctor
While medically referred to as significant depressive problem with seasonal patterns, lots of people still recognize this sort of depression as seasonal affective disorder or seasonal depression. Significant depressive condition is categorized as a state of mind problem in DSM-5. The diagnosis frequent urination anxiety depression rests on the presence of single or recurring major depressive episodes. Further qualifiers are utilized to identify both the episode itself and also the training course of the problem.
Oab/incontinence Symptoms In Oab Patients With Both Anxiety And Depression
Since there was a strong correlation between anxiety and depressive symptoms , we studied the influence of depression on the results. We compared the OAB/incontinence symptoms and quality of life measures among OAB subjects who had both anxiety and depression versus those who had anxiety but no depression . OAB subjects with both anxiety and depression reported higher ICIQ-UI and IIQ-7 scores than those who had anxiety but no depression . However no difference was noted in ICIQ-OAB, UDI-6 or OAB-q.
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How Many Times Should You Pee A Day
Although everyone is different, most adults urinate or pee five to seven times in 24 hours, most of that during the day, says Ali Dabaja, MD, a urologist with Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.
If youre peeing a lot more often than that, does it mean something is wrong?
Potentially, but not always, according to Melissa A. Laudano, MD, an attending urologist at Montefiore Health System and assistant professor of urology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, both in New York City.
Heres everything you need to know about the causes of frequent urination. Plus, treatment options and when to talk to your doctor.
This Is Why You Always Have To Pee When You’re Anxious
Laura, a 32-year-old from New York, had spent months planning and preparing for her first major trade show as a fashion designer. This was where shed launch her collection to an arena full of potential buyers and boutique owners and she wanted every last detail to be perfect. But when the day finally arrived and it came time for Laura to present her line, she was overcome with nerves.
It was my first time at a trade show, I didnt know what to expect and felt so exposed in this big space and on the spot, said Laura, who wished to withhold her last name in order to discuss her mental health. When I get nervous or anxious, I get an extreme urge to pee, so that whole day I was just freaking myself out that I was going to pee.
Anecdotally speaking, having to go to the bathroom or at least feeling like you have to is actually a pretty common symptom of anxiety. Although there isnt a ton of research to explain exactly why our bladders let loose when anxiety strikes, health experts have tossed around a couple theories. Heres what some had to say about why so many of us feel the urge to go and what to do about it:
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Other Ways Our Body Reacts To Anxiety
And besides frequently peeing, there are other ways our bodies react to anxiety.
Demian Brown, a Toronto-based psychotherapist and registered clinical social worker, previously told Global News twitching of your face and body is a common symptom of anxiety.
When youre under stress, physiological things start to happen to the body, Brown said. Your adrenaline and noradrenaline levels increase as if your body is preparing for some kind of danger. That takes more blood away from your extremities, and puts it more in the middle of your body.
Brown added this type of response increases your muscle tone and prepares your body for what is perceived to come in its way.
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For some, anxiety or stress can also cause diarrhea. According to Verywell Health, when were stressed, diarrhea is our bodys response to handling it.
When you come across something that you perceive as threatening, your body reacts with a variety of physical changes: heart rate and respiration increase, your muscles tense up, blood is directed toward your extremities, and most relevant to the current discussion, your colon contractions speed up. In some cases, this increase in colon activity can result in the symptom of diarrhea, the site noted.
Folk added anxiety or stress can even shut the digestive system down, and some people can feel constipated as well.
Another common response is tightness in the throat.
What Is Good Kidney Disease Care
According to a national review, kidney disease services should:
- identify people at risk of kidney disease, especially people with high blood pressure or diabetes, and treat them as early as possible to maintain their kidney function
- give people access to investigative treatment and follow them up to reduce the risk of the disease getting worse
- give people good-quality information about managing their condition
- provide information about the development of the disease and treatment options
- provide access to a specialist renal team
- give people access to transplant or dialysis services if required
- provide supportive care
Your treatment for kidney disease will need to be reviewed regularly.
It may be helpful for you to make a care plan because this can help you manage your day-to-day health. Your kidney disease specialist nurse may be able to help with this.
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How Stress And Anxiety Affect Your Bladder
Have you ever felt yourself going to the toilet more frequently than usual when you are stressed? Or does your bladder play up when you are anxious?
As soon as you become anxious or stressed, your body releases adrenaline and cortisol, two stress hormones which can cause a “fight-or-flight” response.
The need to urinate when feeling panicked may be an evolutionary effect its easier to flee or fight with an empty bladder. The exact mechanisms behind this explanation are not fully understood, but when you are stressed out or feeling anxious, the nervous system operates at a higher intensity, meaning that it takes less to activate the reflex, according to Dr Alan Wein, a professor of urology at Penn Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Another explanation could also be that your muscles tense up more, including your bladder muscles.
Research shows that there is a strong correlation between stress and anxiety and your bladder. A clinical study published in Urology investigated urinary symptoms among patients with overactive bladder syndrome who also suffered from anxiety. Those with anxiety had more frequent urination patterns than those who didnt.
A vicious cycle
Unfortunately, in those who suffer from an overactive bladder or urinary incontinence, the condition itself may spur anxiety or stress, as you are constantly worried that you may not make it to the toilet in time. This anxiety makes your bladder more reactive a vicious cycle.
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Frequent Urination Causes And Natural Treatments
Frequent urination is a symptom of many conditions and it can lead to sleep deprivation and affect your ability to work, exercise or perform daily functions. For people dealing with nocturia, or frequent urination in middle of the night, this issue can affect their quality of life, leading to fatigue, mood changes, appetite changes and brain fog.
Usually, by dealing with the underlying condition thats causing frequent urination, you can manage and improve this very inconvenient symptom. Knowing the potential causes of frequent urination can help you to determine what exactly is causing the issue, so you can consult with your healthcare provider about a treatment plan.
There are also natural treatments for frequent urination that will help you to build pelvic muscle strength, avoid food triggers and re-train your bladder to use the bathroom less frequently.
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Anxiety Urination: An Inconvenient Symptom
- Anxiety has the ability to affect urination in many ways
- Those with severe anxiety may find they cannot control their urine
- Anxiety can be overwhelming enough to the brain that it weakens its urination response
- Relaxation exercises for anxiety can reduce some of the urges
- Often the only way to stop anxiety related urination problems is by treating anxiety