Incontinence Guide Anxiety

How To Stop Anxiety Urination

Believe it or not, anxiety is a normal part of life, but for those with anxiety, it can interfere with everyday activities. An anxiety disorder can cause sudden fear or terror, also known as a panic attack. As you can guess, this can negatively affect daily activities, including the ability to control the bladder, resulting in frequent urination and anxiety. In this article, we will explore tips on how to stop anxiety urination. 

What Is Anxiety Urination? 

Anxiety disorders can include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobias, or separation anxiety disorder. Often, you can experience more than one of these or experience anxiety from medical conditions. Either way, treatment is your best option when dealing with stress and anxiety. When pressure is overwhelming, it can weaken the brain's urination response, and feelings of stress and fear can lead to further anxiety, creating a "loop" that can be difficult to escape. I'm sure you've seen a movie where someone is being threatened, and they wet themselves in a humorous scene, but for those suffering from anxiety urination, this is a real and scary event.

Types of Anxiety Urination

There are two basic types of anxiety-caused urination - 

1. Instant Urination

   This occurs during moments of complete fear or terror, resulting in incontinence. It can be a common symptom of severe phobias or fears that overload the nervous system, causing the body to go into fight-or-flight mode. Since the body is trying to prepare for multiple things at once, it shuts off the part of the brain controlling urination.

2. Frequent Urination

   A sensation of urinating without drinking excess water or liquids. There can be several reasons for frequent urination, which can often be a combination. These can include: 

   • Muscle tension: When you're anxious, your muscles get tense. This places pressure on your bladder, causing you to feel like you need to urinate more often. 
   • Evolutionary adaptation: This theory states that frequent urination would benefit evolution. Since anxiety is messing with the fight/flight reflex, losing urine would make the body lighter, making it easier to flee. 
   • Light overload: Your body may be slightly overloaded due to anxiety interfering with the fight/flight reflex. The fear might not be enough to induce instant urination but may make it harder to hold urine. 

Anxiety can also alter your body chemistry, changing your digestion and how you process nutrients. This can lead to passing more water resulting in frequent urination. 

Symptoms Of Anxiety Caused Frequent Urination

There are several causes for frequent urination, and you should talk with your doctor to determine if anxiety is the cause of your urination issues. Some symptoms will indicate to your doctor that you are indeed suffering from anxiety urination, and these can include: 

1. Accidental leakage of urine 
2. Increased worry of incontinence anxiety 
3. Increased nighttime urination  
4. A sensitivity to urinary incontinence 
5. Decreased quality of life due to urination fear 
6. Bedwetting  
7. Unable to reach the toilet in time 

Bladder control loss can occur frequently or rarely and can often be accompanied by an escalation of other anxiety symptoms. Since these bladder control symptoms can vary from person to person, it's important to have a medical professional diagnose these problems. If these symptoms are determined to be caused by anxiety, there are steps you can take to stop anxiety urination. 

How To Stop Anxiety Urination

1. Incontinence Products

   On a day-to-day basis, products like adult briefs, liners, or disposable pads can be used to deal with frequent urination that can damage skin over time. Visit HPFY  for all your incontinence products. 

2. Lifestyle Changes

   You can make some simple changes in your day-to-day life that might improve symptoms of anxiety urination. You can try: 

   • Regular exercise 
   • Reducing caffeine 
   • Eating a high-fiber diet 
   • Avoiding stress triggers 
   • Reducing fluid intake 

3. Therapy

   Your doctor may suggest talking to a mental health professional to help ease symptoms of anxiety and urination. This can provide a safe space to discuss the stress surrounding your anxiety urination. Two types of therapy your doctor may recommend are: 

   1. Applied Relaxation Therapy

   Utilizes mind/body exercises to reduce nervous system anxiety. Techniques can include deep breathing, guided imagery, or progressive muscle relaxation. 

   2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

   Focusing on the thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs that affect your behavior and feelings is the cornerstone of this therapy. CBT for anxiety urination provides healthy ways of dealing with overwhelming issues and changing negative patterns that can cause frequent urination. 

4. Medication

   Your doctor may prescribe several different types of drugs available to combat frequent urination due to anxiety. These medications can include: 

   • Antidepressants 
   • Anticholinergics 
   • Pregabalin 

Dealing with any type of incontinence can be frustrating. Still, anxiety urination can be extremely difficult to solve since the root cause may be difficult to deal with. Work with your doctor or mental health professional to find the reason behind your incontinence; in the meantime, you can visit HPFY for all your incontinence needs. 

Products To Help With Anxiety Urination

 

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