How to Retrain a Bladder to Regain Capacity

It is customary for people to go the bathroom when the urge arises. However, when urinary issues take control in the form of frequent urination, it can quickly become an inconvenient nuisance. Bladder retraining is the process of holding urine for longer periods of time, gradually increasing the amount of time between bathroom trips. In doing this, the bladder will actually begin to relax and become less irritable. The method is simple but requires patience and determination as it will not happen overnight. The cycle of discomfort and anxiety, followed by temporary relief is not easy to break.

Things You'll Need

• Notebook

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Instructions

• 1

  Determine your pattern.
  Record the times of your bathroom trips and urine leaks for two days to determine your current bathroom frequency. Write it down in a journal.

• 2

  Develop a schedule.
  Figure out the amount of time between bathroom visits and add 15 minutes. For example, your average time between trips to the toilet is 45 minutes. Add 15 minutes to that time. Wait 60 minutes between trips.

• 3

  Go on schedule.
  Empty your bladder first thing in the morning on the day you start. Go again at the allotted time on your schedule, even if you don't have the urge at that time. Record your progress in your journal.

• 4

  Increase your time.
  Add another 15 minutes to your schedule once you're comfortable with your current allotted time with no urine leaks. Your new time between trips is 75 minutes. This may take a few days or a few weeks. Repeat the process, increasing your intervals by 15-minutes increment each time.

• 5

  Training is only for daytime.
  Get up out of bed and urinate whenever the urge occurs during the night. Your day training will eventually influence your entire urinary pattern.

• 6

  Perform Kegels (pelvic floor muscle exercises) by pretending to avoid passing gas. Feel the contraction in the back as opposed to the front. Don't contract stomach, leg or buttocks muscles. Repeatedly contract and relax pelvic floor muscles with both short contractions (quick squeezes and releases) for 3 to 5 seconds and long contractions of 10 seconds each with 10 seconds of rest in between each. Build up to 30 to 40 long Kegels daily.