How to Not Let Your Bladder Ruin Your Roadtrip
Ahhhhh….summer. The time of sunshine, fresh air, and road trips/vacations. If you’re someone who struggles with bladder urgency or frequent potty breaks, the thought of a road trip might be super stressful. Here are some tips for how to rock your road trip:
Pre-Trip Preparation
Practice bladder urgency suppression techniques and delaying your urge, so the stress of “not making it” doesn’t take over. To suppress your bladder urge, take a couple of deep breaths and then perform a 3-4 quick (on/off) kegels. This will help calm the bladder muscle down and give you some comfort while you wait for the potty break or the bathroom to pen up.
Empty Bladder Before Departure
This may sound like a “duh” piece of advice, but seriously…just empty your bladder before you get on the road. Typically I want patients to avoid a JIC (Just In Case) pee because it messes with your bladder’s perception of when it’s actually full enough to let get your attention. I think this stems from childhood and often being told to pee anytime we left the house. The one exception is traveling. If you will be in the car for at least an hour, it’s ok to empty your bladder before departure, even if you don’t really “need to go” right then.
Schedule Regular Bathroom Breaks
Being from the midwest, we are all too familiar with being in the literal middle of no where and needing to stop for a bathroom break. If you are planning a long road trip, plan ahead. Look at Google/Apple maps and try to time/plan your stops/bathroom breaks. You should be able to hold it for AT LEAST two hours between bathroom breaks. If you cannot, I suggest you find a pelvic floor therapist. :) Planning your bathroom breaks ahead also prevents the constant stress of trying to figure out when to stop vs how far the next gas station is. This will also help you stay away from those nasty/sketchy gas station bathrooms in the not-so-great parts of different towns (hello Google Reviews). Maybe even plan them at rest stops where you can get out and stretch your legs or let a dog/kiddos run around for a bit.
Limit Bladder Irritants
Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it will generate urine production FASTER than just drinking water. Just say no to loading up on coffee, soda, or energy drinks unless you like having to pee every 45 minutes. Carbonation and artificial sweeteners can also be irritating to the bladder, so that diet Coke, may not be your best option on a roadtrip.
Don’t Dehydrate Yourself
While I do recommend limiting bladder irritants, that doesn’t mean completely dehydrate yourself. This will make you feel terrible and contribute to constipation (which already gets worse on vacations/trips). Ideally, you sip on water and drink when you’re thirsty. Ideally, you’ve practiced your urge suppression techniques and schedule regular bathroom breaks, so you’re not afraid of actually hydrating yourself.
Sit Your Butt Down :)
Last but not least…. the grossness that is gas station toilets. I get it. I really do. But hovering/squatting above the toilet to avoid touching is a recipe for disaster when it comes to trying to empty your bladder before getting back on the road. Your pelvic floor and your bladder muscles have a special relationship. Normally your bladder muscles squeezes and your pelvic floor relaxes to empty. But when you hover/squat above the toilet, your pelvic floor can’t relax, and therefore your bladder muscle turns off. Aka…your bladder doesn’t empty all the way. If you’re absolutely grossed out by the toilet seat, use (or bring your own) disposable toilet seat cover or even bring a travel size antibacterial spray that you can clean the toilet off with. Truthfully, you should be way more grossed out by touching the door handle than the back of your thighs touching the toilet seat. And I guarantee you that your phone has more germs on it than the toilet seat (gross, but factual).
Hopefully these tips were helpful. Happy roadtripping!
Jen Dickinson, PT, DPTPelvic Floor Physical Therapist
