An overactive bladder can be a really troublesome disorder. This is a disorder that can affect a person severely, especially at night when you may have to get up several times to relieve yourself. More embarrassing than that, a person suffering from an overactive bladder may even wet the bed.

Bed wetting, which is usually associated with young children, can be a very embarrassing and an extremely traumatic experience for adults. For almost 16% of people who are above the age of 15 and have the overactive bladder syndrome, this is an extremely upsetting situation. They either continue to wet the bed, or wake up so many times during the night that they never get a good night’s sleep.

Usually, the body works in a manner that at night the urine becomes concentrated. This happens so that we can get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. However, these processes do not work when a person is experiencing an overactive bladder. This condition is known as nocturia, in which the sleep cycles are interrupted because a person has to go to the toilet several times during the night.

Here are some tips for dealing with an overactive bladder and getting a good night’s sleep:

• For those who suffer from an overactive bladder, usually preparation means a lot. Before going to bed, a person should consume minimum amounts of fluid. In fact, for a person suffering from an overactive bladder, it is ideal to avoid any kind of liquids after 6 p.m.

• Identify the foods and beverages that irritate your bladder and cause you to urinate frequently. This may take some time and some close observation. Once you find out what these foods are, you can avoid them. Some foods that commonly cause overactive bladder problem include caffeine, citrus juices and fruits, alcohol, chocolates, spicy foods, and acidic foods.

• Before going to bed, urinate as many times as possible. Usually for most people with an overactive bladder, voiding the bladder twice before going to sleep is ideal, but if you can do it more than twice, it will be better for you.

• Kegel exercises can help you strengthen your pelvic muscles and deal with an overactive bladder. When the kegel muscles are strong, they can relax the bladder by simply triggering a reflex action. Even when you are experiencing the urge to urinate, you can perform some kegel exercises before you run to the bathroom. This helps settle your bladder down.