Can Coffee Make Prostatitis Symptoms Worse—Especially Frequent Urination?

In daily life and work, many people like to drink coffee because the caffeine in coffee can refresh the mind and increase the excitability of the nervous system, which can help to improve study and work efficiency. 

Lucas, 27, is also the same. He needs to drink coffee to refresh his mind because of the long-term overtime work, so he consumes 3-4 cups of coffee every day, which can indeed alleviate the fatigue and improve the spirit, but the problem of urinating strongly increases in frequency every day, which greatly exceeds the normal range of urination frequency. However, the number of times he urinated per day increased strongly, which greatly exceeded the normal frequency of urination. It was only after going to the hospital that he realized that Lucas had prostatitis.

For normal people, consuming more coffee in a short period may not cause any major problems, but it may produce bad results for people with prostatitis. So, what exactly is the reason?

Why Drinking Coffee Worsens Frequent Urination 

Prostatitis is a common male condition that is responsible for many symptoms that may lead to frequent urination, urgency, painful urination, and more. Drinking coffee aggravates frequent urination, probably because the caffeine in coffee stimulates chronic prostatitis or stimulates the immune system, leading to the aggravation of the symptoms of chronic prostatitis, thus aggravating the patient's frequent urination. So, it is recommended that chronic prostatitis patients must not drink too much coffee at one time!

1. Caffeine Stimulates the Prostate 

Coffee contains a lot of caffeine, and the nervous system will remain excited after drinking coffee, leading to prostate contraction, which will aggravate the symptoms of chronic prostatitis so that the frequency of urination and other urethral anomalies is more serious.

2. Caffeine Irritates Local Tissues

As the urethral mucosa of patients with chronic prostatitis becomes congested and edematous, drinking coffee may stimulate the urethral mucosa, aggravating the symptoms of frequent urination, urinary urgency, and urinary pain. In addition, when drinking coffee and sweating more, the sweat will also stimulate the perineum, lower abdomen, and other parts of the body, making it easier to cause chronic prostatitis symptoms such as redness and pain, which can aggravate the condition. Therefore, if you drink coffee, you should consider whether you have prostatitis!

3. Stimulate the Immune System 

Coffee contains a small amount of pollen and milk. When it enters the prostate, it triggers the body's immune system, resulting in an inflammatory reaction of the prostate that intensifies the frequency of urination and other conditions.

4. Other reasons 

When chronic prostatitis patients drink too much coffee at once, it may cause nerve dysfunction, leading to contraction of the prostate glands, which can cause increased pain and urethral constriction, as well as aggravate the abnormal urethral reaction.

How to Improve the Problem of Frequent Urination 

1. Lifestyle Adjustments 

Avoid prolonged sedentary pressure on the nerves of the prostate gland to ensure that everyone gets up and moves around regularly; reduce alcohol and spicy food intake to minimize urethral irritation, and control daily water intake to promote regular urination. Don't be skeptical; these are all good ways to improve prostatitis!

2. Physiotherapy 

Warm water sitz baths and pelvic floor muscle training can also help relax the anal muscles and promote local blood circulation, thereby improving urinary control.

3. Medication 

The specifics of the situation require patients to consult a medical professional for diagnosis; patients should follow the doctor's advice to use antibiotics or alpha-blockers and other drugs; these drugs can slow down prostatitis caused by urinary frequency and other symptoms.

4. Psychological intervention 

Anxiety can also aggravate urinary frequency symptoms! Therefore, it is important to maintain a good state of mind and avoid excessive anxiety. The patient can also relieve anxiety by diverting attention; in addition, recording the time of urination can also increase the interval between urination.

5. Traditional Chinese Medicine Regulation 

The Diuretic and Anti-inflammatory Pill, a traditional herbal remedy made from ingredients like psyllium seed, talc, polygonum, and angelica, works by clearing heat, reducing inflammation, and promoting better urination. Unlike antibiotics, it doesn’t cause resistance and can be an effective natural option for managing frequent urination due to prostatitis.

Overall, drinking coffee may indeed aggravate the problem of frequent urination caused by prostatitis. Therefore, patients with prostatitis should control the amount and frequency of coffee intake when undergoing relevant prostate treatments to minimize subjective triggers and interfering factors of the disease and to ensure timely and thorough treatment.