Because of stresses that pregnancy and childbirth place on a woman’s body, much of the discussion surrounding incontinence is geared towards women; however, men do suffer from incontinence too. Especially as people get older, incontinence becomes a problem for men as well as women. While incontinence is not a normal part of ageing, its occurrence does become more frequent with ageing. So it is always important to ferret out the underlying cause of incontinence, and then treat that problem to resolve the incontinence symptom. While you are working with your doctor to resolve any problems that pertain to a weak bladder, here are some things that may help reduce the incidence of incontinence.
Drink, Drink, Drink!
If you have a weak bladder, and you find that you are suffering from incontinence as a result of it, your first inclination may be to drink as little as possible. However, this simple plan to curtail incontinence can actually backfire on you. If you cut your liquid intake too low your urine will become very concentrated, which can irritate your bladder making the likelihood of incontinence even higher. On the flip side, drinking too much water will cause your body to send an increased volume of liquid to your bladder, which will also increase the likelihood of incontinence. So it is important to hydrate properly.
Think Before You Drink
While you may love slurping down your morning coffee, a mid afternoon soda or an evening glass of wine, there are some drinks that just make the bladder angry with incontinence following not far behind. Caffeinated, carbonated and alcoholic drinks all irritate the bladder and act as a diuretic, so think before you drink, and stay away from drinks that ultimately cause more harm than good.
Healthy Weight = Healthy Bladder
When you are overweight you put extra stress on all of your body’s functions, including your bladder. So eating too much and drinking too much can weaken the bladder and just push it to the brink of incontinence. Mind what you eat and drink to help maintain bladder health.
Smoke? Stop
Smoking is not good for your health in general, and while the smoke itself does not affect incontinence, the cough that the smoke produces can affect incontinence. Chronic coughing puts unnecessary pressure on the bladder, and this pressure is a contributor to incontinence.
Exercise Everything
Muscles weaken over time, and the muscles of your pelvic floor are certainly no exception to the rule. The good news is, though, that you can keep your pelvic floor muscles in shape by exercising them just like any other muscle in your body, and the really good news is that ‘working out’ your pelvic floor muscles substantially improves about seventy five percent of moderate to light cases of incontinence.
Your bladder will weaken as you age, but incontinence should never be considered an inevitable part of ageing. Taking care of your health by exercising and watching your diet can go a long way towards maintaining your bladder’s health and avoiding any incidents of incontinence altogether.
Further Incontinence Articles
- Purchasing Faecal Incontinence Pants
- What is Faeces Incontinence, and Why Does It Happen?
- Infection as a Cause of Bladder Incontinence
- Save Money with Washable Incontinence Pads
- Definitions of Incontinence
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Tags: Incontinence, pelvic floor muscles
