How Stress May Be The Cause Of Your Frequent Urination
Frequent urination is a problem many women suffer with, and it can be the cause of many things, including stress. If you are under a lot of stress and are finding yourself in the bathroom more than eight times a day, the stress you are experiencing might be the cause of your problem. Here are several things you should know about stress and frequent urination.
There are usually other symptoms
Stress itself is not usually the only cause of frequent urination, although it can be. In most cases, stress simply makes the problem worse. Having to urinate frequently can be a result of many things including diabetes, drinking too much caffeine, or suffering from a urinary tract infection (UTI). Women may also suffer from frequent urination due to a pelvic floor prolapse. It's important to find out from your doctor what is causing this to occur, but it is also important to realize that stress might be making this worse.
To find out what is causing you to frequently urinate, your doctor might ask about the other symptoms you have. This could include pain while urinating, pain during intercourse, or blood in your urine. Your doctor may perform an examination and run blood tests or other types of tests to narrow down the problem.
How stress can make you have to urinate more often
Your doctor may talk to you about the stress in your life too. When you have stress in your life, it can make you feel anxious or fearful. It can consume your mind and cause you to lose sleep, and all of these symptoms of stress can affect your body in many ways. One effect is frequent urination. Although researchers are not completely certain why this occurs, there are several possible explanations, and these include the following:
- Anxiety causes your muscles to tighten – When you are nervous and feeling stressed, the muscles in your body will tighten up, and this can include the muscles in your bladder. If this happens, you may feel like you have to urinate all the time.
- Fear makes your body overreact – In addition, feeling scared or worried can cause your body to overreact as a way of coping or fighting the feelings you have. This too can lead to frequent urination.
- Stress makes your body feel the need to eliminate – You may also feel the need to urinate when you are stressed simply from your body's natural response. It is normal for your body to want to clean itself out during stressful situations, and this is another natural defense your body has to try to balance out your feelings and moods.
If you are suffering with frequent urination, contact a gynecologist to determine if it is stress that is causing this or something else. It may turn out to be a combination of stress and another problem, or it could turn out to be caused completely by the stress you are experiencing. Contact a Women's Health Associate - Gilbert A Shamas MD for more information.