Healthy bladder and urine

Your urine should be clear, pale yellow or a pale straw colour. This means you are hydrated. If your urine is dark yellow or brown then you might be dehydrated. 

If you have blood in your urine (red or dark brown) then you should seek advice from your GP. 

Please be aware that certain foods, medication and vitamin supplements can change the colour of urine. 

Urine colour chart.

Drinking for a healthy bladder

Drinks that can irritate the bladder:

  • Caffeinated tea, coffee and hot chocolate
  • Green tea
  • Alcohol
  • Fizzy drinks, especially cola and caffeinated fizzy drinks
  • Acidic fresh fruit/veg juice drinks

Drinks that are less likely to irritate the bladder:

  • Decaffeinated tea and coffee
  • Water
  • All types of diluted fruit juice
  • Less acidic fresh fruit/veg drinks
  • Some herbal teas

Just Can't Wait card

If you need to access a toilet urgently when you are out, having a card that you can show staff to explain the urgent need can help. Visit the Bladder and Bowel UK website for more information about Just Can't Wait cards. 

RADAR key

The RADAR key is a national key scheme, offering disabled people independent access to locked public toilets around the country.

Toilets fitted with National Key Scheme (NKS) locks can now be found in shopping centres, pubs, cafés, department stores, bus and train stations and many other locations in most parts of the country.

You can buy a RADAR key from the Disability Rights UK website. 

CONfidence app

The free CONfidence app provides practical help at your fingertips. It brings together trusted and reliable information, informed by national experts providing specialist bladder and bowel care.

Download the CONfidence app and explore the information to help you take control:

Or search for “confidence expert” in your app store.

Toilet Finder app

The toilet finder app can be used to reduce the worry of finding a toilet when you are out. Search your app store for 'toilet finder'.

Household gadgets and equipment

If you, or someone you know, struggles with everyday tasks, there might be gadgets or equipment to help make life easier.

Visit the NHS website page about household gadgets and equipment. 

Bladder Health UK

Bladder Health UK is a small, national charity that gives support to people with all forms of cystitis (including interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome), fowlers syndrome, overactive bladder and continence issues together with their families and friends. Bladder Health UK have a widely used website and active social media accounts for those bladder illness sufferers seeking information, help and support.

Bladder Health UK provides a pack of resources for members, distributes a membership magazine three times per year, full of articles and information on living positively with bladder illness and has a wide range of factsheets on bladder illness and the various treatments available.

They also offer an advice line which is open weekdays and takes calls from members and non-members alike to offer advice on treatments and emotional support when it is needed and have a UK network of support groups throughout the UK where sufferers can speak to other sufferers face-to-face and offer tips and support to one another.

Bladder Health UK website. 

Nocturia UK

If you are waking multiple times at night to urinate, you could be suffering with Nocturia. This may not be part of getting older, but a medical condition that can be treated.

For more information and support, visit the Nocturia UK website. 

Bowel and bladder videos

Bristol Health Partners has created a YouTube playlist of videos about bladder and bowel confidence.