Dr Amir issued a warning about a common habit before bed (Image: Getty)
A doctor has issued a warning about a common habit “before bed”. According to Doctor Amir Khan, this routine could be making symptoms “worse”.
How many times you need the loo daily depends on numerous variables. Your food and fluid intake, caffeine consumption, the temperature, plus stress and anxiety levels all play a part.
However, excessive trips to the bathroom can trigger lasting consequences. In a video uploaded to his Instagram account, Dr Amir explained more.
Dr Amir, who is best known for his appearances on ITV, urged people to stop going for a “just in case wee” before bed and before leaving the house.
He said: “If you’re someone who does a just in case wee just before leaving the house, maybe before a meeting, or before bed, sometimes even twice, this is really important for you.
“It might actually be making your bladder symptoms worse. I see this all the time in clinic, people going again, even when they’ve just been, because it feels safer than risking urgency or waking up in the middle of the night to go.”
Doing this could be sending your brain the wrong message. “But here’s what’s really happening,” he said.
“Your bladder is a muscle and it works with your nerves to tell your brain when it’s full. Now, normally that signal up to your brain shouldn’t come until your bladder is holding around 300 to 500ml of urine.
“But if you keep emptying it early, you know, those ‘just in case wees’, you start to retrain that system between your bladder and your brain. And over time, your bladder gets used to being emptied at lower volumes.”
Dr Amir used an analogy of a sensitive car alarm. He continued: “I would say to my patients, it’s like a car alarm that’s become too sensitive.
“At first it only goes off when there’s a real but then it starts going off at everything – a gust of wind, someone just walking past, that’s what your bladder is doing.
“It starts sending, ‘I need to go now’ signals even when it’s barely full, that’s how urgency and urge incontinence develop or get worse. Because instead of emptying everything, you’re teaching your bladder to signal to your brain you need to go earlier and earlier.”
This could cause you to wake up in the middle of the night. “So you end up waking up in the middle of the night needing to go even when your bladder isn’t that full,” he said.
“And even though you went before you went to bed, you might not needed to but you went anyway.”
Read more: People with common problems ‘have 35pc higher diabetes risk’
Read more: Exhausted Brits losing 650 hours of sleep annually – but 1 thing could help
How to prevent this
To stop this happening you might need to “retrain” your bladder, Dr Amir said. He continued: “So what’s the solution?
“Well, you need to retrain the alarm system. That’s bladder training, try to cut down on those ‘just in case wees’. Stick to going every three or four hours rather than constantly and space out those weeds more and more.
“If urgency hits, pause, breathe, stay still, let it pass before going to the toilet. You’re teaching your bladder this isn’t an emergency, and also don’t forget reduce caffeine avoid large drinks right before bed.”
He also recommended carrying out pelvic floor exercises. “And those pelvic floor exercises, this all takes time,” he said.
“Most people notice a small improvement in two to four weeks, but it can take six to 12 weeks to really retrain that bladder. “
If you’re dealing with urinary incontinence
The NHS website advises booking an appointment with your GP if you’re experiencing any form of urinary incontinence. It states: « Urinary incontinence is a common problem and you should not feel embarrassed talking to them about your symptoms.
« This can also be the first step towards finding a way to effectively manage the problem. »
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