Do not wait until you catch a UTI to treat it. You can save yourself trouble by adopting healthy habits that will save you from UTI. If you are struggling with recurring STI infections, it is time to do something about it. The seven healthy habits discussed below are going to help you stay free of this nasty infection.
Drink water always
If you would truly like to be safe from UTI, drink your water without ceasing, and without waiting to feel thirsty. Getting used to drinking water all the time can be a bit harder than it sounds, but it will save you a lot. Just buy medium-sized water and carry it with you all the time.
The importance of drinking water is that it helps fill your bladder quickly. That means you urinate more often which washes the bacteria that cause UTI away. If you do not drink water, these bacteria attach themselves to the walls of the urinary tract thus causing illness. Besides, there are more benefits to look forward to as you drink more water each day. If you want to be safer, you can consider taking a UTI prevention drink as well.
Take Probiotics
Probiotics help in the promotion of healthy bacteria in your urinary tract. When good bacteria outnumber bad bacteria, then it can be hard for you to fall sick. What happens is that if you have an infection, bad bacteria invade your body and they make the infection even worse. While you can take probiotic supplements, some people find it easier to take foods rich in probiotics. These include yogurt, which also has good bacteria in the gut. Whichever you decide to go for, be sure to verify if the probiotics need to be refrigerated to be effective, as some have a higher risk of non-viability when stored at higher temperatures.
Clean up well after using the toilet
Do not sit on dirty toilets, as that could transfer bacteria to your vagina. It can be hard to avoid this when you have to share toilets at work and in restaurants. However, you can go a step further to protect yourself. After going number two, wipe from the front and back so that there is no chance of even minimal fecal matter getting into your private parts. If there is fecal matter in your vagina, it could feed the bad bacteria that attack your urinary tract. Also, use a lot of tissue paper so that you can clean well. You may even use water to clean up where applicable.
Pee after sex and drink water
You must take a pee after sex. No, not because that will wash the sperm away, after all, sperm and pee use different routes, but because there is a lot of transfer of bacteria when you have sex. Also, drink a glass or two of water. That should prompt you to feel the urge to pee again soon, further cleaning the urinary tract of any bacteria that may be lurking there.
Do not douche
Douching is not healthy. While it can flush the bad bacteria out of the vagina, it will also wash away the good bacteria, and you want to avoid that as much as possible. Just avoid douching; you cannot take risks with your health.
Let that cookie have some air
Tight pants all the time, swimsuits during the warm seasons, and all those heavy clothes in winter … that deny you air down there. Tight clothing traps sweat and moisture and this can increase bad bacteria.
Pee as often as you feel the urge
As soon as you feel the urge to pee, go pee. Holding urine only increases the risk of having UTI-causing bacteria traveling to your bladder. At the same time, do not pee the minute you feel an urge, wait until the bladder is full.
Daily UTI prevention pill is widely recommended by doctors for treating UTIs. If you are still in the initial stage of UTI, having the above-mentioned habits can slowly cure your problem.
Contributed by James Thumper
