When it comes to preventing urinary tract infections and improving bladder health overall, a good first step is to avoid making common urinary health mistakes.
It could be that some of your lifestyle choices are partly responsible for your routine bladder problems.
To help you identify bad habits to replace with good ones, let’s go over some urinary health mistakes that you may not realize you are making.
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1. Not Drinking Enough Water
If you typically wait until you feel thirsty to drink water each day, chances are good that you are frequently dehydrated.
If you suspect that you may be not getting enough water each day, it is time to start making a point of regularly hydrating yourself.
Harvard Health Publishing at the Harvard Medical School writes, “Drink plenty of fluids to help flush out bacteria in the urinary tract. Drink enough each day so that your urine is almost clear in color.”
2. You are Not Getting Enough Nutrients to Support Bbladder Health in your Diet
Another mistake which can interfere with optimal urinary tract health is eating a diet which does not contain the nutrients that your bladder needs.
Ideally, your diet should include foods which are rich in vitamin C and vitamin A such as berries, citruses, carrots, and sweet potatoes.
You also should think about increasing your intake of hibiscus and D-Mannose (a naturally occurring sugar). Both of these ingredients are demonstrated to be helpful for the urinary track (see this study and this one).
While hibiscus is commonly found in eastern foods and beverages, it is not a prevalent ingredient in western products.
So, the fastest, easiest and most effective way to increase hibiscus and D-Mannose in your diet is to take the HARMONY D-Mannose UTI Supplement by Eu Natural, a highly-rated supplement which is free of binders, fillers and additives.
3. You are Consuming too Much Caffeine
While drinking green tea for its antimicrobial effects can be good for your bladder in moderation, you should watch out for too much caffeine in your diet.
The NIH recommends, “Limit alcohol and caffeine. Cutting down on alcohol and caffeinated foods and drinks—such as coffee, tea, chocolate, and most sodas—may help.”
4. You are Trapping Moisture Where you Shouldn’t
When you trap moisture by wearing tights, pantyhose, tight leggings, and other restrictive garments, you create an environment that is conducive to infections.
If you suspect that this might be feeding into your difficulties, consider switching to some looser-fitting garments for the time being.
5. You are Wiping from Back to Front
When you use the toilet, you should always wipe from front to back, never from back to front. Doing the latter can cause bacteria to enter the urethra. So, if you are making this mistake, try and be more mindful each time you use the bathroom.
6. You are Drinking too Much Alcohol
It is worth emphasizing what the NIH stated earlier while making their recommendation that you limit your intake of caffeine. Just as too much caffeine is not good for your bladder, neither is excessive alcohol. Consider cutting back on your drinking if you are not already drinking in moderation. It could make a difference for your urinary tract health.
7. You are Smoking
If you are a smoker, you are not doing your urinary tract any favors (or the rest of your body, for that matter). Strongly consider calling it quits. Not only is it possible that your bladder health will improve, but you likely will be able to look forward to other improvements in your quality of life as well.
Avoiding These Mistakes Will Help You Get On Track for Ideal Bladder Health
Now you are aware of common mistakes which can be harmful to urinary tract function and which you may not have realized you were making.
Just by making some small adjustments to use your diet, lifestyle, and supplement regimen, you may be able to make a significant difference for your bladder health. Make sure that these adjustments are a long-term commitment so that you can enjoy continuing urinary tract health over the years to come.