Overactive bladders can significantly impact your life and prevent you from feeling confident in yourself even when performing normal day-to-day activities. It leads to a strong urgency to urinate and even urinary incontinence at times depending on the person. Unfortunately, this condition is all too familiar for over 30 million American men and women. While treating overactive bladders with either medication, exercise or other forms of treatment, it would do you a lot of good to keep a bladder diary. A bladder diary can reveal lifestyle patterns that exacerbate symptoms. This article will look at 3 details that you should keep a record of.

The Time of Day When You Felt an Urge to Urinate

Unsurprisingly, your body normally keeps a schedule as to when the symptoms tend to be more severe. To treat your overactive bladder, it would help tremendously if you could identify any patterns. Among which, the time of day when you experience the most symptoms should be recorded. Keep track of not only when, but also the type of symptoms that were involved. For example, jot down whether you experienced any urinary leakage.

Jotting down the time can also help you keep track of your progress and how effective or efficient are the various types and forms of treatments you've been trying. You'll easily get a good idea as to whether the pelvic exercises you've been doing are effective in curbing the symptoms. In addition, you can also see whether your bladder training has been slowly improving your ability to time voiding.

Your Diet Including the Volume and Type of Beverages You Drink

Physicians have yet to pinpoint a precise cause for overactive bladders, and triggers may differ from person to person. Identify any dietary triggers you might have by including your daily diet in the bladder diary. You should also include the time of day that you ate, as well as the type and volume of beverages you've drunk. Many people are under the misconception that drinking less fluids will help them urge their need to urinate; however, this cannot be further from the truth. Excessive fluid rarely causes overactive bladder symptoms; however, lack of fluids can lead to symptoms like constipation, which will only worsen your symptoms.

By keeping track of your diet, you can determine whether you should avoid any particular foods or ingredients or whether your symptoms tend to kick in after eating or drinking. This can give you a better idea on how you can schedule or manage your day around your symptoms.

The Type of Activity You Were Participating In Leading to the Moment

The need to urinate is usually caused by overactivity of the urinary smooth muscles. While this is involuntary, the type of activity that you were participating in prior to the symptoms kicking in may also be a trigger. Don't hesitate to write down the type of activity that you were participating in prior to having to go to the washroom. For example, jot down whether you were sneezing or whether you were running track prior to exhibiting any symptoms.

This can help your physician determine which type of treatment might be best. They can also help determine whether the overactive bladder symptoms are triggered by some other underlying condition or illness.

Conclusion

There are plenty of different overactive bladder services available for those seeking relief from overactive bladder symptoms. To ensure that the treatment option you've chosen is working, keep a detailed bladder diary. Your notes will also give your physician further insight into your condition, so they can provide better recommendations that are tailored to your body and your needs.