Overactive bladder, also referred to as OAB, causes a sudden and frequent urge to urinate that is uncontrollable. It makes you feel the need to pass urine several times, either during the day or at night. It may sometimes embarrass you and make you feel isolated. OAB is a result of normal bladder function as well as involuntary bladder contractions. Medics and health experts have not correctly pointed out what causes overactive bladder.

The following foods are the dietary trigger that makes overactive bladder (OAB) worse:

1. Alcohol

Alcoholic drinks, as well as beverages, are well known to cause numerous if not countless visits to the bathroom, but what is fascinating is that the science behind the number of visits is yet to be understood. The idea and perception behind this is that alcohol stimulates your bladder as it disrupts brain signals making you conscious of your bladder overflow, as well, making it challenging to control it. Alcohol is well known to dehydrate your body, and this irritates your bladder, exacerbating OAB just to stay away from it.

2. Artificial sweeteners

Whether it’s Aspartame, which is found in NutraSweet or equal or Sucralose found in Splenda, Saccharin, or even plain sucrose, all of these artificial sweeteners are irritants to your bladder and accurately to your overactive bladder or OAB symptoms.

3. Carbonated drinks and beverages

Carbonated drinks and beverages are potentially aggravating to overactive bladder (OAB) due to the fizz found in it. Soft drinks, as well as beverages such as soda waterfront drinks as well as energy drinks, are supposed to be consumed in very minimal doses and accurately to your overactive bladder (OAB).

4. Coffee and caffeine

Your bladder activity and exacerbation of OAB get heightened by the consumption of caffeine, which is a chemical substance found in coffee beverages. Upon taking a caffeinated beverage, one might find themselves with an increased urgency to urinate, enhanced incontinence as well as frequent urination. All this is because caffeine found in coffee is diuretic and, at the same time, a stimulant. In simple terms, that means your bladder turns to be hyperactive and more urine is usually produced.

5. Cheese

Dairy and all its associated products affect various people in different ways. The more luxurious and creamier dairy products are, such as cream cheese, sour cream as well as aged cheese, turn to have a much higher implication on an overactive bladder or OAB. Experiment and see if you will have the same results using non-aged cheese and sour cream imitation. A word of caution, though, as we said earlier, different people react differently to dairy products, figure out which dairy product affects you and how and then readjust your diet accordingly.

Every single person will have different sensitivity to the various foods we have listed above. What is essential is avoiding those foods that make your bladder function irregularly. Whenever you start noticing symptoms of overactive bladder, just know it’s time to check your diet and do the necessary readjustments. Your diet and OAB are interrelated. One affects the other. A simple dietary change may be enough for those who have moderate OAB symptoms, but if you are experiencing severe symptoms, dietary change may not be enough. You will need to book an appointment with your urologist for further checkup.