As a general rule, most people urinate about 6-7 times per day. If you feel the need to pee more frequently or you experience a hard time holding in urine when sleeping and wake up more than once or twice a night, your bladder may be overactive. This condition can cause incontinence and other negative effects and should be treated as soon as possible.

Bright Side made a list of the most effective tips that can help you treat an overactive bladder naturally.

5. Control your fluid intake.

It’s important to drink enough water during the day in order to stay hydrated, but drinking too much isn’t actually good for your health as it can cause you to use the bathroom more often. To avoid overwhelming your bladder, it’s better to reduce your fluid intake by 25% so that your bladder is not completely full.

4. Train your bladder.

3. Control your weight.

Being overweight can aggravate bladder problems and cause stress incontinence. If you develop stress incontinence, your bladder leaks small amounts of urine when you’re physically active or when you cough or sneeze. Losing weight can help you relieve excess pressure on your bladder and surrounding muscles.

2. Get acupuncture.

Some studies show that acupuncture stimulation applied to the lumbosacral (lower back) region can help you increase bladder control and treat frequent urination by releasing stress and tension in the area.

1. Strengthen your muscles.

In order to control urination, you can strengthen the muscles of your bladder. First, you’ll need to identify those muscles by stopping the flow of urine midstream. Once you feel your pelvic floor muscles, you can start training them by doing the following exercises with an empty bladder for at least 6-8 weeks.

Dead bug crunches

The initial position: Lie on your back with your arms straight up to the ceiling and your knees bent to 90 degrees.

Repeat 10 times on each side.

Wall squats

The initial position: Stand with your back against the wall.

Repeat 10 times.

Kegel exercises

The initial position: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.

Repeat 10 times.

Do you know any other ways to treat an overactive bladder? Share your opinions with us in the comments!

Illustrated by Natalia Tylosova and Sergey Raskovalov for BrightSide.me