During the course of their lives, almost all men will develop an enlarged prostate. The thing is that nearly half of them won’t have or feel any symptoms. But the half that sense these symptoms will have their daily life worsen because it can be a nuisance. This condition is by no means life-threatening, but if your day becomes filled with non-stop visits to the bathroom, you probably won’t be too happy about it. Luckily for all men that develop BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia), there are things they can do to minimize the effect of this condition. Living with an enlarged prostate is not an easy feat, but it can be manageable.
What Is BPH?
When men urinate, their bladder constricts. This causes the fluid to leave their bodies through the urethra. Men who develop BPH can’t pee like usual, as their enlarged prostate reduces the flow of urine. The bladder needs to put more effort into pushing the urine and gets tired because of it. With time, your bladder will become stronger, and you will have an urge to push the last drops of urine from your body, which will result in frequent visits to the bathroom.
The most common symptoms of enlarged bladder can include
- a difficulty to start urinating
- a more urgent need to urinate
- dribbling of urine during or after bathroom visits
- more frequent trips to the bathroom
- the feeling of not quite emptying your bladder
This process shouldn’t frighten anyone—it is entirely natural. By the age of 40, 10% of all men will start experiencing it. As they cross the 50-year mark, almost 50% of all men will have an enlarged bladder. For adults older than 75, this number goes up to 90%.
Over time, the prostate will grow, and the pressure on the urethra will increase, which will make the bladder unable to continue fighting as it used to. The consequence of this will be that some urine will remain inside your body. This, of course, is not healthy, and it can lead to various complications, such as incontinence, inability to urinate, bladder stones, and blood in the urine.
Living Comfortably With BPH
If you are one of those men that are living with BPH, here are some simple things you can do to live normally with this condition.
Give up alcohol and caffeine
The best place to start living better, despite an enlarged prostate, would be to stop consuming alcohol and caffeine. Both of these things are diuretics, which means that they help produce urine.
Double-void your bladder
If you don’t understand this concept, it means you should try to urinate as much as you can with every visit to the bathroom. After you finish, stay in the bathroom for a few minutes and try to pee again. This process is called double-voiding. Yes, it will take more of your time, but it’s the best way to empty your bladder.
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Continue drinking water
Most people try to deal with their enlarged bladder by not drinking water. They shouldn’t do this, as dehydration can lead to serious health complications. What you should do is try to change when you are drinking water. Don’t consume liquids two hours before going to bed. Also, try to urinate before you go to bed. If you do this, you will be a less frequent visitor to the bathroom.
Drink smaller amounts of water at a time
This might sound like something that won’t help, but in the long run, it will. You should drink small amounts of water at short intervals, rather than drinking large quantities all at once. With a high amount of water in your belly, you will produce urine at a higher rate, and more urine puts more pressure on the bladder.
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