Loss of bladder control affects every area of your life. You’ll spend your days hoping that your incontinence doesn’t get in the way of an outing with friends or a trip to the grocery store.
But did you know there are ways to improve bladder control? If you are experiencing urinary incontinence, there are several things that you can do to get a handle on it. Below are a few tips on how to improve bladder control.
Do Pelvic Floor Exercises Each Day
Your pelvic floor plays a huge role in the strength of your bladder. By incorporating pelvic floor exercises into your daily routine, it minimizes unexpected leaks.
You may have to do your exercises for about three months before noticing a difference, but it’s worth a try. Not only that, but you have to make sure that you do the pelvic floor exercises properly.
Avoid Lifting Heavy Objects
Lifting heavy objects can strain your pelvic floor muscles. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to avoid it.
Simple things like picking up children or shopping bags can hinder your pelvic floor. Therefore, if you lift something, tighten your pelvic floor muscles before doing so.
Cut Back on Caffeine
Caffeine agitates the bladder, which makes incontinence worse. Drinking beverages like hot chocolate, green tea, dark sodas, and energy drinks can all cause issues with your bladder.
Consider cutting back on those beverages, and replace them with fruit teas, and water. You should also switch to decaffeinated coffee.
Lose Weight
One of the best ways to improve bladder control is to lose weight. Excess weight weakens the pelvic floor muscles, which leads to incontinence. The pressure from the fatty tissue on the bladder is what causes the problem.
As you begin to lose weight, your symptoms may improve, or they could go away altogether.
Manage Constipation
If you strain while you use the bathroom, that also weakens the pelvic floor muscles and worsens urinary incontinence. When you feel the urge to poop, don’t ignore it. Otherwise, it could lead to constipation.
Also, include more fiber and water into your diet to make it easier to use the bathroom without any issues.
Not only that, but you should consider changing the way you sit on the toilet while emptying your bowels. A physiotherapist or your primary care doctor can advise you on how to properly sit down.
In addition to following the tips listed above, it’s a good idea to educate yourself on urinary incontinence. There are different types of incontinence, so it helps to learn the type that you have.
How to Improve Bladder Control
Getting your life back and controlling your bladder is possible. If you are having issues with incontinence, we hope that our tips work for you.
Did this article help you learn more about how to improve bladder control? If it did, continue reading our website to find other health and fitness-related content.
