Here’s Why You Have Bubbles in Your Urine
There are many different reasons why you can have bubbles in your urine. The foamy layer left by your urine could be something as simple as a reaction to a chemical residue in the toilet or because you urinated quickly into the water. However, bubbly urine could be a symptom of a more serious kidney condition because of too much protein being in your urine. Other causes of bubbles in your urine could be dehydration, stress, diabetes, or heart disease.
Usually, bubbles in the water after you pee is nothing to be concerned about. But, because foamy urine can also be caused by serious medical conditions, it is always best to see a doctor if you regularly notice bubbly urine.
In this article, you will learn about the various causes of urine bubbles and what medical conditions can cause more protein to enter your urinary tract.
Common Reasons for Bubbles in Urine
When any kind of liquid pours into water, it is natural that some air bubbles form from trapped air. These bubbles in the water generally disappear very quickly. There can be some simple reasons why some bubbles stay on the surface of the water after you urinate.
Chemical reaction
A natural reason why your urine can cause bubbles to form is if it reacts with cleaning chemical residue in the water. Depending on the concentration of urea, sodium, potassium and other chemicals that make up your urine, and the amount of chemical residue in the toilet water, you may see a lot of foam after your pee. You may also notice a distinct urine odor.
Rapid urination
If you urinate when you have a full bladder, the pressure from your bladder will force out urine faster than normal. This may cause more bubbles to stay on the water’s surface causing bubbly urine.
Dehydration
Not drinking enough water can cause bubbly urine that leaves some foam on the surface of the water. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, dehydration is one cause of having foamy pee.1
The reason that dehydration causes bubbles after you urinate is because there is a higher concentration of various chemicals and protein in your urine. When you pee, these urine chemicals mix together to form bubbles and foamy urine in the toilet bowl.
A healthy body needs to be properly hydrated for it to function properly and get rid of toxins. Bubbly urine is one of the many warning signs that your body is lacking water. One way to make sure you are drinking enough water is to make sure your urine is always a very pale yellow and doesn’t have a foul ammonia smell. If you have dark colored urine, you need to drink more water. In fact, the color of your urine can tell you a lot about your health.
If you notice that despite urinating frequently and having almost colorless urine, you still notice bubbles in your urine, please see the section in this article about the more serious causes of urine bubbles.
Stress
If you are under extreme psychological stress or suffer from anxiety, you might notice more bubbly foam in your urine.
Researchers in India found that patients who are under extreme, prolonged stress had more of the protein albumin in their urine. This extra protein in their urine was caused by stress on their kidneys which allowed protein to leak into their urine.2
Stress can have a negative impact on your general health including increased risk of heart disease, digestive problems, and a lowered immune system.
Of course, it may not be possible to completely get rid of stress in your daily activities. However, there are many effective ways to reduce its impact on your well-being. To find natural ways to cope with stress, please read my article about natural remedies for anxiety and stress.
Pregnancy
Women who are pregnant may notice that their urine contains more bubbles when they pee. This happens because pregnancy can put extra work on the kidneys which can result in more protein leaking into the mother’s urine causing bubbles in urine.
The British Medical Journal says that protein in the urine can be a sign of preeclampsia, a pregnancy condition which can cause complications to both mother and baby.3
Usually, if you have symptoms of preeclampsia, your healthcare professional will pick up these symptoms during your routine prenatal checkups. Doctors from the Mayo Clinic say that your doctor will monitor your condition and provide the appropriate medication as necessary.4
Serious Conditions that Cause Bubbles in Your Urine
Frequently noticing bubbles in your urine could be a symptom of a more serious medical condition that requires examination by a doctor.
Proteinuria
Proteinuria is a medical condition where there is too much protein in your urine and it causes foamy bubbly urine. This can be a symptom of kidney disease where the kidneys don’t function properly to filter protein from the blood.
According to Kidney Research UK, only trace amounts of protein should be present in the urine. Kidney disease can cause larger than normal amounts of protein in the urine and this causes urine to have a frothy appearance in the toilet bowl. A person with kidney disease may also notice swelling in their hands, feet, and face.5
Urologist, Dr. Erik P. Castle says that if you persistently have frothy bubbly urine you should visit your doctor. A urine test will determine the levels of protein in your urine and your doctor will recommend the appropriate treatment. 6
There are a number of serious health conditions and habits that negatively impact on the kidneys and cause permanently high levels of urine protein levels. For more information, read my article about common habits that can damage your kidneys.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic health condition that can affect kidney function of some people and can cause bubbles in urine.
Dr. Tim Kenny on Patient.info explains that raised blood sugar levels can in time damage the kidneys so that they leak too much albumin (protein) into the urine. This can also cause scarring in the kidneys, which is the start of diabetic kidney disease.7
Having high blood pressure and being overweight can also increase your risk of diabetic kidney disease.
There are many effective ways of controlling type 2 diabetes naturally. Dr. Kenny recommends keeping blood sugar levels in check, treating high blood pressure, and maintaining a healthy weight to reduce the risk of proteinuria and kidney disease.
If you are concerned about your risk of developing diabetes, please read my article to find out many of the early warning signs of diabetes. Some simple lifestyle changes can greatly reduce your risk of developing the disease.
Heart (cardiovascular) disease
Excessive bubbles that frequently appear in your urine could be a sign of cardiovascular disease.
Research published in the International Journey of Nephrology and Renovascular Disease found that patients with proteinuria had an increased risk of heart failure, heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. In fact, higher levels of protein in urine seemed to be connected with a higher risk of stroke. In patients with high blood pressure (hypertension), there was a 4 times greater risk of heart disease if they had high urine protein levels.8
To reduce the risk of heart disease and hypertension, it’s important to embrace healthy lifestyle changes. In fact, you can reduce your risk of having a heart attack by 80% by making these 5 simple changes in your daily activities. Some of these include enjoying a healthy diet, cutting down on alcohol, and being physically active.
A healthy diet and exercise can also help you to naturally lower your high blood pressure.
Urinary tract infection (UTI)
Having a urinary tract infection could increase the amount of protein in your urine and cause more bubbles in it. Urinary tract infections occur when bacteria enter the urinary tract and can cause your urine to become darker and cloudy with sediment, emit a strong smell, and give you pelvic pain.9
If the UTI affects your kidneys, you may have pain in your back, fever, nausea, and vomiting. The infection in your kidneys will also cause more protein to leak into your urine and you may notice frothy bubbles in your pee.
The best way to treat a UTI naturally is to start treatment as soon as possible. The first step should be to increase your water intake to flush out toxins from your system. You could also try making a drink from raw unprocessed apple cider vinegar. The enzymes in apple cider vinegar help to inhibit the bacteria growth. Put 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a large glass of water. Consume daily to help keep your body healthy and help to reduce the risk of a bacterial urine infection. You can also treat UTI with these natural treatments.
If your UTI symptoms still persist after 2 days, you should visit your doctor to receive professional medical attention.
Bubbles in Urine – Conclusion
In general, bubbles in urine shouldn’t be too much of a problem; it usually just shows how strong you are urinating. In some cases, however, it’s caused by the presence of proteins and needs to be further investigated. If you continually experience bubbly urine, go and see your doctor.
Read these related articles:
1. What Can Your Urine Tell You about Your Health
2. How to Make Yourself Pee: Natural Ways That Actually Work
3. Leukocytes in Urine and Stool – Causes and Possible Solutions
4. What Do Nitrites In Urine Mean
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