Frequent urination can be a frustrating issue. Wherever you go, you will constantly have to worry about finding the nearest bathroom. If that sounds like you, you may be asking why. Do you think you have a serious underlying medical condition? Or, you think you pee a lot because you drink a lot of water. Let's find out more about.

Why Do I Always Have to Pee?

There can be so many reasons why you constantly feel the urge to use the bathroom. It could simply be because of taking certain medications or it might indicate another health problem like diabetes.

1. Kidney Stones or Infections

Kidney stones can irritate your bladder and make you feel the urge to use the bathroom. You may have severe pain in your back if you have kidney stones.

UTIs can be viral, fungal, or bacterial infections. You may develop an infection due to obstructions that make it difficult to empty your bladder completely – they may be due to prostate problems or certain forms of cancer. Bacteria from colon can move into the bladder during sexual activity and this may lead to an infection, which may be the reason behind your problem of frequent urination.

2. Certain Medications

Your doctor may give you diuretics or water pills to treat hypertension. These meds can push your kidneys to work hard and make a lot of urine quickly. This will make you hit the bathroom more often. Similarly, some medications called anticholineregics are used to treat depression and anxiety but they can also make it difficult to empty your bladder completely. This will make you feel that you have to go to the bathroom again after some time.

3. Diabetes

If you cannot pinpoint another cause of frequent urination, it could be due to diabetes. Your kidneys find it difficult to work when your blood sugar levels are high. This excess sugar pulls more water out of you and increase the amount of urine. If it is due to diabetes, you will urinate 2 cups even if you use the bathroom every hour. It means you do not have a bladder problem but your body is just producing too much of urine due to diabetes.

3. Small Bladder

Why do I always have to pee? It could be because you have a small bladder. Generally speaking, a normal bladder is able to hold 2 cups of fluids. If you have to constantly use the bathroom, your bladder cannot hold this much of urine and is smaller than normal. If that is the case, you can train your bladder to bulk up by urinating every half an hour for a couple of days. Then make it 45 minutes after a couple of days. Keep adding 15 minutes after every few days and you will eventually be able to train your bladder to hold more urine.

6. Prostate Problems

You may feel like you need to use the bathroom when you have an enlarged prostate. You feel the urge because the tune that takes urine out of your body gets irritated because of your enlarged prostate pressing against it. This may sometimes block the flow of urine and cause serious pain.

7. Urge Incontinence (Overactive Bladder)

You have this condition when you have a sudden urge to use the bathroom. The urge can be so strong that some urine may leak through the sphincter muscles. The problem is more common in older adults and is usually a symptom of medical issues, lifestyle, or physical problems.

8. Interstitial Cystitis

Frequent urination may well be the symptom of interstitial cystitis, which causes the bladder muscle layers to become inflamed. You may also experience other symptoms such as pelvic and abdominal pressure and pain, accidental leakage of urine, and urge continence.  Dysfunctional pelvic floor muscles, trauma to the bladder lining, autoimmune disorders, excessive stretching of the bladder, spinal cord trauma, and repeated bacterial infections are some of the causes of interstitial cystitis.

8. Neurogenic Bladder

Your brain sends signals to your bladder muscles to contract and release to help you urinate, but you develop a condition called neurogenic bladder when your brain fails to send signals to your bladder mainly because of the nerve damage. Brain disorders like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and tumors of the spinal cord can cause this condition. The most common symptoms are straining during urination, an inability to empty your bladder completely, a dribbling stream when urinating, and increased UTIs.

9. Urethritis

Urethritis can also be the answer to "Why do I always have to pee?" The urethra becomes irritated and inflamed in this condition, which results in frequent urination as well as pain while urinating. You may also experience pain in the abdominal area with other problems such as chills, a high body temperature, urinary urgency, and an abnormal vaginal discharge. Bacteria are usually responsible for causing urethritis but the herpes simplex virus, the human papillomavirus (HPV), and the cytomegalovirus can also cause this condition.

10. Other Possible Causes

It is common for pregnant women to experience frequent urination during the first few weeks of pregnancy. Less common causes include bladder dysfunction, bladder cancer, and radiation therapy.  Other possible causes are vaginitis, bladder neck obstruction, prostatitis, pyelonephritis, autonomic neuropathy, ovarian cancer, and acetone poisoning.

What Can Be Done?

It is important to identify the underlying cause of frequent urination to find the right treatment. If it is due to diabetes, taking medications to control blood sugar levels will make things better. You may start with behavioral therapies if you just have an overactive bladder. For instance:

• Bladder Retraining:  It involves training your bladder to hold more urine – the technique is the same as mentioned to train a small bladder.
• Diet Modification: Exclude any food from your diet that may irritate your bladder or work as a diuretic. The list includes alcohol, caffeine, tomato-based products, carbonated drinks, artificial sweeteners, chocolate, and spicy food.
• Fluid Intake: Keep your body hydrated to prevent over-concentration of urine and constipation, but do not drink right before bedtime to avoid nighttime urination.
• Kegel Exercises: Try these specific exercises to strengthen the muscles around your urethra and bladder. They will help you learn how to control your bladder, which in turn will reduce urinary frequency and urgency.

When to Worry

You should talk to your doctor if you cannot seem to identify the cause of frequent urination and the problem interferes with your sleep or everyday activities. You should contact your doctor immediately if you notice complications such as blood in the urine, painful urination, dark brown urine, complete or partial loss of bladder control, a strong urge to urinate, and fever.