Cystitis in summer: how to manage it and still enjoy the beach
Cystitis in summer is a very common and unpleasant problem. Here is expert advice on preventing it while still enjoying the beach
Among the many minor and major mishaps of summer, cystitis is perhaps one of the most unpleasant, one that risks spoiling or at least making our holidays far less enjoyable.
Unfortunately, during the hot season this problem often crops up, affecting women in particular.
In this article, we will give you a helpful guide to summer cystitis, providing the information you need to prevent it and effective solutions for dealing with it during long days at the beach.
What is cystitis: infection or inflammation?
Cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder usually linked to a bacterial infection. The most common infectious agent is Escherichia Coli, a micro-organism that is part of our gut microbiota, but cystitis can also be triggered by Candida, a fungus that normally lives in the vaginal environment.
More rarely, the problem can arise after taking certain medicines or after using irritating products.
Generally, apart from the discomfort felt while the inflammation lasts, it is a harmless condition that is easy to treat and poses no risk to health.
However, if cystitis is not correctly diagnosed and treated, the situation can get worse; the infection could in fact spread to the urethra and travel up to the kidneys.
So, although it is a minor problem, it is always best to see your doctor as soon as you notice symptoms, so that they can examine you and prescribe the most suitable treatment.
Symptoms of cystitis in summer
Summer cystitis comes with symptoms that can sorely test your patience and endurance, especially if you are on holiday or spending a day at the seaside.
Inflammation of the bladder shows itself as an urgent need to pee, which forces you to look for a toilet again and again. But when you finally find one, you have difficulty passing urine, which comes out almost drop by drop and with great discomfort.
The whole process is accompanied by burning and sometimes pain, which follow you even after you leave the toilet.
Exhausted and fed up, you go back to your towel to lie down, but you have the feeling that you have not managed to empty your bladder completely and you have to make the trip back, again and again.
These are the main symptoms of cystitis, which we list briefly below:
- difficulty urinating
- burning and/or pain when urinating that persists afterwards too
- a feeling that your bladder is always full
- suprapubic pain
- in some cases, traces of blood in the urine
Why is cystitis more common in summer?
Contrary to popular belief, it is not seawater itself that causes cystitis to appear during the summer season.
It is certainly possible for the sea to contain pollutants or pathogens that can carry urinary tract infections.
However, this inflammation of the urinary tract is caused by other factors and is very often encouraged by incorrect behaviour.
One of the triggers is the summer heat that makes us sweat, creating the perfect conditions for the proliferation of pathogenic micro-organisms.
In addition, when we sweat we lose a lot of fluid, we become dehydrated and we pee less often. This means we tend to go to the toilet more rarely: we hold urine, which becomes more concentrated and acidic and no longer washes bacteria out of the bladder.
In fact, precisely because it is acidic, it could irritate the mucous membranes.
What's more, excessive heat weakens our immune defences: the first to suffer is our gut, the second brain as experts call it. An imbalance in the gut microbiota (dysbiosis) brings with it an increase in pathogenic bacteria that can pass through the compromised intestinal barrier, migrating towards the bladder and urethra and starting the infection from within.
Another possible carrier of infection is the beach we lie and play on. Potentially harmful germs can in fact lurk among the tiny grains of sand and come into direct contact with our body.
Bad habits that cause cystitis in summer
These are the so-called environmental causes behind the onset of cystitis in summer.
But which bad habits make infection easier?
One above all: the habit of keeping on a swimsuit that is still wet after a swim in the sea or a dip in the pool. Inside the swimsuit, which irritates the intimate areas, a warm, damp environment is created, the ideal breeding ground for bacteria that can attack the urinary tract.
The same goes for underwear that is too tight or overly close-fitting clothes made of synthetic material, which do not allow our intimate areas to breathe.
For women, who are more prone to cystitis, the use of panty liners can also be a problem.
Summer, as we all know, is also the season of fleeting romances and adventures. But if you want to let yourself go with someone, it would be better to avoid unprotected intimate contact. Sexual intercourse, especially if frequent, can encourage the spread of bacteria and therefore lead to cystitis.
Finally, changes in eating habits (often linked to being on holiday) can also play a part.
An unbalanced diet causes constipation: stagnant faeces make it easier for bacteria to build up and move towards the urinary tract.
Preventing cystitis in summer: our advice
As we have seen, although there are some environmental causes of cystitis, in many cases it is our own behaviour that puts us at risk of infection.
For this reason, we suggest some useful precautions to prevent infection and enjoy a summer free of discomfort or embarrassment:
- before getting into the pool and when you come out after a swim, always take a shower as a preventive hygiene measure. The chlorine used to treat pool water irritates the mucous membranes
- after swimming, do not keep your damp swimsuit on for too long. It is better to dry off and get changed
- pay attention to intimate hygiene, avoiding overly harsh cleansers that do not respect the pH of the mucous membranes
- do not sit directly on the sand at the beach, especially if it is wet
- wear underwear made of cotton or other natural fabrics and choose light, cool clothes that are not too tight
- practise safe sex and, after each intercourse, remember to empty your bladder
- drink at least 2 litres of water a day to stay properly hydrated
- do not upset your eating routine. Keep to a healthy, balanced diet, eating plenty of seasonal fruit and vegetables
- take care of your gut microbiota. In the case of vaginal infections such as Candida, you can ask your doctor or pharmacist whether taking Plenum Integratore could help you. PLENUM integratore is a food supplement formulated with tyndallised lactic ferments, vitamins and Zinc.
The use of tyndallised probiotics based on Lactobacillus plantarum can reduce the risk of recurrent vaginal and genitourinary infections, such as those caused by Escherichia Coli or by Proteus of various species
Remedies and treatments for summer cystitis
Despite the precautions taken, cystitis may still appear with its load of discomfort and inconvenience.
In these cases, it is always advisable to consult your gynaecologist or urologist for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate, effective treatment.
If it is a bacterial infection, they may prescribe antibiotics to fight it.
Under no circumstances should you take medicines on your own without a doctor's prescription.
To get results, it is important to identify the pathogen that caused the problem and act with the right therapy.
In addition, antibiotics must be taken for the appropriate length of time and at the indicated dose, otherwise there is a risk of not getting the desired effects and of encouraging antibiotic resistance, in other words the adaptation of micro-organisms that increasingly acquire the ability to survive and grow even in the presence of an antibacterial agent.
Treatment for summer cystitis may also include painkillers to relieve pain, as well as lactic ferments to help restore the bacterial flora.
The formulation of PLENUM INTEGRATORE is based on:
9 BILLION TYNDALLISED LACTIC FERMENTS: 4.5 BILLION INTACT CELLS OF THE LACTOBACILLUS PLANTARUM STRAIN AND 4.5 BILLION INTACT CELLS OF THE STREPTOCOCCUS THERMOPHILUS STRAIN
FOS (FRUCTO-OLIGOSACCHARIDES) USEFUL FOR THE BALANCE OF THE INTESTINAL BACTERIAL FLORA
ZINC AND VITAMIN B6, WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO THE NORMAL FUNCTION OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
VITAMIN B6, WHICH CONTRIBUTES TO THE REGULATION OF HORMONAL ACTIVITY
NIACIN AND RIBOFLAVIN, WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO THE MAINTENANCE OF NORMAL MUCOUS MEMBRANES
BIOTIN AND ZINC, WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO THE MAINTENANCE OF NORMAL SKIN
IN ADDITION, ZINC, RIBOFLAVIN AND VITAMIN C CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROTECTION OF CELLS FROM OXIDATIVE STRESS; RIBOFLAVIN CONTRIBUTES TO NORMAL IRON METABOLISM.
WITH SWEETENERS
Please note
Information provided for informational purposes only, which cannot constitute a diagnosis, the prescription of a treatment, or a substitute for a direct relationship with your doctor or a specialist consultation. Always seek the advice of your own doctor and/or specialists.
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