How to deal with Anxiety Urination Problems?

Anxiety disorders can cause all kinds of health problems, including urination issues such as stress incontinence and the constant urge to urinate, all of which can become a self fulfilling prophesy: the more you worry about the problem, the more often it occurs. So if this embarrassing issue is affecting you or somebody you know, find out how to deal with anxiety urination problems and break the anxiety urination cycle.

Causes of Anxiety Urination

If you are suffering from urination problems and you believe it could be related to stress and anxiety, the first stage on the treatment process is to rule out the possibility of any underlying health problems such as a urinary tract infection or diabetes. In many cases, the constant urge to urinate is caused by an infection rather than anxiety, although stress and anxiety about the issue will undoubtedly exacerbate the condition. So make sure you rule out any other potential causes before tackling your anxiety urination problems.

How to get Rid of Anxiety urination problems

Learning relaxation techniques is a very effective treatment for tackling anxiety urination problems. By practicing some simple relaxation exercises, you can learn to distract your mind from the urgent desire to visit the bathroom. Most people find that their urination problems occur as soon as they begin to feel anxious, and once their feelings of anxiety take hold, their bladder is affected.

Breathing exercises can really help to focus the mind on relaxation and reduce anxiety levels, so when you feel the familiar sensation of anxiety taking hold, concentrate on breathing deeply from the diaphragm. Take long, slow regular breathes: breathe in through the nose and exhale deeply through the mouth. Practice slow, regular breathing for between 5 and 10 minutes and you should begin to feel much calmer, which will hopefully reduce your urination problems.

The inability to urinate under certain conditions is another common anxiety related urination problem. It is sometimes called “bashful bladder” syndrome and is the inability to urinate, even though the bladder is urgently full. Some people find it impossible to urinate in public toilets, whereas other people are affected if they hear anybody else in the vicinity when they go to the toilet.

Bashful bladder syndrome is part of a social anxiety disorder, but it can normally be cured by a process of cognitive behavioral therapy and a few sessions with a trained cognitive behavior psychotherapist will soon help the patient conquer their anxiety issues related to urination.

Anxiety Urination problems in children

Research has indicated that traumatic or stressful events between the ages of 2 and 4 can sometimes cause bladder incontinence before the child has learned to fully control their bladder. Anxiety can also cause a previously dry child to start wetting the bed at night—this type of behavior often begins when a new baby arrives or the family moves house. In most cases, the problem will resolve with the passage of time and no pressure, but in long term cases, there are medications available that can reduce anxiety related urination problems.