Ever reach your front door after a long drive home and suddenly feel the desperate urge to pee?
You’re far from the only one, and no, it’s not just in your head. The inopportune phenomenon is called latchkey incontinence, and yes, it’s as real as the mailbox you sprint by on your way to the loo.
Now, a pill-free solution may be on the horizon.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have been studying the bothersome bladder betrayal often triggered by daily cues like your door, car or even the sound of running water.
As it turns out, this type of situational urinary incontinence is a kind of Pavlovian response. Similar to a dog drooling at a dinner bell, years of going to the bathroom as soon as you’re home have trained your brain to demand a bathroom break the second your front lawn comes into view.
The good news, though? You and your brain can come to a kind of agreement.
In the study, the team of researchers explored whether mindfulness and a little electric current (specifically, one that is noninvasive and directly stimulates the brain) could help calm the bladder.
They asked 61 women older than 40 to look at photos of their “trigger” cues while doing a body scan meditation, receiving brain stimulation or both.
Promisingly, participants noted that improvements were felt across the board — to the point that 90% of enrollees completed the study despite its requirement for on-site visits.
Now, as with many pilot studies, the team hopes to take this approach further — and maybe even bring it to your smartphone. Because no one wants to make a hundred-step dash every time they hear their garage door to open.
