Urge Suppression Techniques for Better Bladder Control
We’ve all been there at one time or another, feeling like you have to pee so bad you might not make it to the bathroom. Maybe it’s during a trip to the grocery store, parking the car in the garage, or unlocking the front door. Or if you’re Dr. Lauryn, it is when you are half way through Ikea and there isn’t a bathroom in sight! This feeling is known as urinary urgency and is something that you can learn how to control.
The bladder is responsible for signaling when it’s time to pee but can get into bad habits over time. Ideally, it gives us a small sensation to go to the bathroom when it’s about half full. Usually, we can wait out that urge until the bladder fills up more and gives us stronger and stronger urges. Sometimes, though, the bladder gives us that feeling that we have to pee so urgently that we either end up peeing more often (and often more frantically) or we experience urine leakage (urinary incontinence) on the way to the bathroom.
How do you know if you’re peeing too often?
The average adult should:
Be able to hold their pee at least 2-4 hours
Pee on average 5-8 times per day
Wake up 0-1 times a night to pee
Bladder Training
The good news is that the bladder can be retrained! Part of bladder training (or bladder retraining) is known as Urge Suppression. Essentially, it is learning how to calm the urge down and waiting for the urge to pass. The feeling of having to pee is similar to an ocean wave. It swells and grows, peaks at the top, and then breaks and calms back down.
Below are some techniques to help coach you through waiting out the peak of the urge sensation. These are good techniques to use if you can’t hold your pee for at least 2 hours and are going more than 8-10 times a day or getting up at night.
Diaphragmatic Breathing: This type of breathing stimulates a calming effect in the body, which slows down the urge. It should be slow breathing in through the nose so the ribs and stomach expand, and then quietly exhale with no extra effort.
Quick flicks: Doing 3-5 quick squeezes of the pelvic floor muscles signals the bladder to stop spasming. To know if you are performing this action correctly, you can insert a finger into the vaginal canal and see if you can close the muscles around your finger and pull in. It’s also similar to the feeling of stopping your urine stream.
Distraction: It can feel stressful to wait out the urge, so giving your brain something else to do can be helpful. Count down from 100 by 7s, say the alphabet backward, and list your favorite bands from when you were in high school. Almost anything will do!
Ground yourself: Place your hand on your thigh, the wall, or another nearby surface. Consciously press the circumference of your whole palm into the surface. Then press each finger down one by one. Being intentionally present and calm in another area of the body helps reset how your body is responding to a full bladder feeling.
The ultimate goal is to stay in one place and let the urge completely pass before continuing toward the bathroom. Or, if you’re able, keep doing what you were doing. The urge may happen again, and the techniques above can be repeated, but even a small amount of waiting will help you on your journey toward bladder control. Every trip to the bathroom should be calm, collected, and when you want it to be.
Ready to Learn More?
For information on urge suppression and how to control or retrain your bladder, or if you are experiencing urinary incontinence, we are here to help. Our team of pelvic floor physical therapists is passionate about helping you reconnect with your body and recover your pelvic health. Schedule an appointment today!