Your morning coffee, an after-hours cocktail, and even the sauce on your pizza can lead to need-to-pee emergencies. That’s because these and other foods and beverages can irritate your bladder, which can lead to that sudden and uncontrollable urge to urinate (urinary frequency and urgency). Some medications have the same effect. And get this: A tense or tight pelvic floor can bother your bladder too. Read on to learn ways to get back on your bladder’s good side by managing bladder irritants in your diet and lifestyle. Find out how exercise and physical therapy can help ease urinary symptoms and improve bladder control. 

What Is Bladder Irritation?

Your bladder’s job is to store urine — the liquid waste that’s filtered from food by the kidneys — until it’s time to pee. If the lining of your bladder becomes inflamed or irritated by certain foods or other factors, it can lead to symptoms, such as:

• A sudden, strong urge to pee (urinary urgency)

• A need to pee more often than usual (urinary frequency)

• Urine leakage (urinary incontinence)

• Bladder pain

Common Bladder Irritants  

Your diet, certain medications, and other factors can bother your bladder. Some of the most common bladder irritants include:

Bladder-irritating foods and beverages. Some have diuretic properties, which means they stimulate your kidneys and make you urinate more. Other foods or drinks are acidic, which can irritate the lining of your bladder and increase your urge to pee. Yes, the following list is long — but it’s important to note that most people are not sensitive to all of these. Experiment to help identify which of these foods and beverages may trigger your symptoms:

• Coffee (regular and decaf; both can irritate due to caffeine and/or acidity)

• Caffeinated teas (such as green and black tea)

• Vinegar

• Citrus fruits and fruit juices (such as orange, grapefruit, and apple) or high doses of vitamin C supplements

• Cranberry juice (it may help with  urinary tract infections, but the acidity can irritate the bladder lining)

• Tomatoes

• Spicy foods like chilies

• Alcoholic beverages

• Carbonated drinks (such as seltzer and soda)

• Artificial sweeteners (Splenda, Equal, Sweet 'N Low, Nutrasweet, or anything that includes aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, or saccharin) 

• Foods with artificial coloring

• Chocolate

• Dairy products (including milk, aged cheeses, cottage cheese, and yogurt)

Drinking too little. It may seem counterintuitive, but limiting your water intake to prevent frequent trips to the bathroom may actually backfire. When you’re dehydrated, waste products build up in your urine, making it darker in color and giving it a strong smell. Concentrated urine can irritate the bladder and increase the urge to go. Plus, being dehydrated can make you constipated. Stool in your bowel can put pressure on your already-cranky bladder.

Tight pelvic floor muscles. This group of muscles and tissues stretch like a hammock between your tailbone and pubic bone, supporting your pelvic organs above it. Your bladder sits directly on top of your pelvic floor, and the two are connected by fascia (connective tissue). “When the pelvic floor muscles are tense and tight, they can become less flexible or shortened, which can affect the nerves and blood flow in the area,” explains Kandis Daroski, PT, DPT, a Hinge Health pelvic floor physical therapist. “This can contribute to impaired bladder function, bladder irritation, and symptoms such as urinary urgency and frequency.”

Certain medications. High blood pressure and heart meds, muscle relaxants, antihistamines, sedatives, and antidepressants are all examples of commonly prescribed medicines that may contribute to bladder symptoms. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any questions about your medications.

Ways to Manage Bladder Irritation

Bladder problems, such as urinary incontinence and urinary urgency and frequency (also known as overactive bladder) are very common. But just because they’re common doesn’t mean they’re normal. You can take steps to calm your bladder, improve your urinary health, and reduce symptoms, such as:

Swap in bladder-friendly foods. If you suspect certain foods and drinks are contributing to urinary symptoms, consider reducing your intake of those irritants. You can also try bladder-friendly substitutes, such as:

• Low-acid fruits (such as pears, watermelon, papaya, peaches)

• Low-acid coffee (decaf or regular)

• Low-caffeine or decaffeinated coffee

• Herbal teas (e.g., jasmine, mint, chamomile)

• Low- or no-carbonation beverages

Drink enough water. Proper hydration helps you avoid bladder irritation and other urinary symptoms. How much is enough? There’s no hard-and-fast rule. But a good guideline is to aim for half your body weight in ounces of water. (A 150-pound person should drink 75 ounces.) You may need more or less depending on the weather, your activity level, medications, or medical conditions. The color of your urine can be a good indicator. If it’s pale yellow (like lemonade) or lighter, you’re probably getting enough water. 

Urinary tract infections and interstitial cystitis are conditions that can also cause bladder irritation and sometimes pelvic pain. See your doctor if you have pain, burning or stinging with urination, need to pee often and urgently, have difficulty starting your urine stream, or blood in your urine.

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy for Bladder Irritation

Muscles are designed to contract and relax. For a healthy pelvic floor, you need to be able to tighten (contract) the muscles and fully release (relax) them so they function properly. When pelvic floor muscles are constantly contracted, it can irritate your bladder. 

Pelvic floor physical therapists (PTs) can provide relaxation exercises to help stretch and relax tense muscles to relieve symptoms.  For example, diaphragmatic breathing (also known as belly breathing) lengthens pelvic floor muscles so they remain strong and flexible. It also helps relax the entire nervous system, adds Dr. Daroski. “The bladder has many nerves that travel to it and can be affected by emotions, such as stress and anxiety. Slow, deep breathing can help calm those nerves, which may help reduce bladder irritation and urgency,” she explains.

PT Tip: Small Changes Add Up

“There’s no quick, one-size-fits-all fix for bladder irritation. That said, you don’t need to take drastic measures to see big improvements,” says Kandis Daroski, PT, DPT, a Hinge Health pelvic floor physical therapist. “Even small changes to your diet and introducing exercise or movement therapy can ease bladder irritation and reduce symptoms. Find the solutions that you can confidently make and fit well into your daily life.”

Learn More About Hinge Health for Pelvic Symptom Relief

If you have pelvic pain or symptoms that are affecting your quality of life, you can get the relief you've been looking for with Hinge Health’s online exercise therapy program.

The best part: You don’t have to leave your home because our program is digital. That means you can easily get the care you need through our app, when and where it works for you.

Through our program, you’ll have access to therapeutic exercises and stretches for your condition. Additionally, you’ll have a personal care team to guide, support, and tailor our program to you.

See if you qualify for Hinge Health and confirm free coverage through your employer or benefit plan here.

This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.

References

1. Ask the Experts If I Have Incontinence, Should I Drink Less Water to Stop Leaking - Urology Care Foundation. (2021, February). Www.urologyhealth.org. https://www.urologyhealth.org/healthy-living/urologyhealth-extra/magazine-archives/fall-2021/ask-the-experts-if-i-have-incontinence-should-i-drink-less-water-to-stop-leaking

2. Faubion, S. S., Shuster, L. T., & Bharucha, A. E. (2012). Recognition and management of nonrelaxing pelvic floor dysfunction. Mayo Clinic proceedings, 87(2), 187–193. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2011.09.004

3. Irritated Bladder? Pay Attention to What You Eat and Drink. (2023, June 14). Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/foods-that-irritate-the-bladder

4. Shermadou, E. S., & Leslie, S. W. (2018, November 13). Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis, Bladder. Nih.gov; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK531465/