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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffMaking some lifestyle changes can often help control the symptoms of an enlarged prostate and prevent your condition from worsening. Try these measures:
- Limit beverages in the evening. Don't drink anything for an hour or two before bedtime to help you avoid wake-up trips to the bathroom at night.
- Don't drink too much caffeine or alcohol. These can increase urine production, irritate your bladder and worsen your symptoms.
- If you take water pills (diuretics), talk to your doctor. Maybe a lower dose, taking them only in the morning, or a milder diuretic or change in the time you take your medication will help ease urinary symptoms. Don't stop taking diuretics without first talking to your doctor.
- Limit decongestants or antihistamines. These drugs tighten the band of muscles around your urethra that control urine flow, which makes it harder to urinate.
- Go when you feel the urge. Try to urinate when you first feel the urge. Waiting too long to urinate may overstretch the bladder muscle and cause damage.
- Schedule bathroom visits. Try to urinate at regular times to "retrain" the bladder. This can be done every four to six hours during the day and can be especially useful if you have severe frequency and urgency.
- Stay active. Inactivity causes you to retain urine. Even a small amount of exercise can help reduce urinary problems caused by an enlarged prostate.
- Urinate — and then urinate again a few moments later. This is known as double voiding.
- Keep warm. Colder temperatures can cause urine retention and increase your urgency to urinate.
References
- Prostate enlargement: Benign prostatic hyperplasia. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/prostateenlargement/. Accessed Oct. 11, 2011.
- Meng MV, et al. Urologic Disorders. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2012. 51st ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=11857. Accessed Oct. 11, 2011.
- Bushman W. Etiology, epidemiology and natural history. Urologic Clinics of North America. 2009;36:403.
- Cunningham GR, et al. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 11, 2011.
- Cunningham GR, et al. Surgical and other invasive therapies of benign prostatic hyperplasia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 11, 2011.
- Djavan B, et al. Benign prostatic hyperplasia: Current clinical practice. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice. 2010;37:583.
- Clinical guidelines for management of BPH. Linthicum, Md.: American Urological Association. http://www.auanet.org/content/guidelines-and-quality-care/clinical-guidelines/main-reports/bph-management/chap_1_GuidelineManagementof%28BPH%29.pdf. Accessed Oct. 11, 2011.
- FDA approves Cialis to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm274642.htm. Accessed Oct. 11, 2011.
- Gravas S, et al. Critical review of lasers in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). BJU International. 2011;107:1030.
- Barry MJ, et al. Effect of increasing doses of saw palmetto extract on lower urinary tract symptoms. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2011;306:1344.
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed Oct. 12, 2011.
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