Urinary Incontinence and Bladder Control Tips

What is Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control. As you age, many of your muscles begin to weaken — including the muscles in charge of the bladder. When this happens, you can have unexpected urine leakage.

Different Kinds of Urinary Leakage

Not all bladder or urine leaks are the same. Here are some common types of urinary incontinence:

• Urge Incontinence:

  This is when your bladder muscles are too eager. You might feel a sudden, strong need to go to the bathroom, even if your bladder isn’t very full. Sometimes with urge incontinence, you might not make it in time.

• Stress Incontinence:

  When you cough, sneeze, laugh, or lift something heavy, it puts “stress” or pressure on your bladder. Urinary incontinence depends on the pelvic muscles, the strength of the pelvic floor, and sacral nerve stimulation. Stress incontinence can happen to anyone at any time, especially when actively doing activities or sports. It’s common in women after childbirth or during menopause due to weakened pelvic floor muscles.

• Overflow Incontinence:

  Imagine your bladder getting too full, like an overflowing sink. With this type of overflow incontinence, you might feel like you need to go, but only a small amount comes out. Then, later, your bladder might leak without you even feeling the urge, because it’s just too full.

• Mixed Incontinence:

  This means you have a combination of symptoms from more than one of the types discussed. Mixed incontinence is not uncommon. If you have one form of incontinence, you may be affected by multiple types.

• Functional Incontinence:

  This is a bit different. Your bladder itself is functioning correctly, but you may have trouble reaching the bathroom quickly enough. You may have difficulty walking, or accessing the toilet in time. Other health conditions often play a key factor in this type of incontinence.

When Urine Leakage Could Be a Sign of Something Else

While urinary incontinence itself isn’t a disease, it can sometimes be a sign of other health conditions. Your doctor can help you understand what’s behind the leaks. Here are a few examples:

Diabetes and Bladder Control

Diabetes-related nerve damage can affect the bladder, causing frequent urination or difficulty holding urine. Certain diabetes medicines can also play a role in urinary incontinence.

Heart Conditions and Nighttime Urination

Poor heart function can cause fluid retention during the day, leading to increased urination at night (nocturia) and a higher risk of falls.

Enlarged Prostate in Men

As men get older, the prostate gland can sometimes grow larger. This can cause the prostate to press on the bladder and the tube that carries urine out of the body, leading to bladder leaks and strong urges to urinate. Sometimes, prostate surgery is needed. There are different types of treatment for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). Talk to your doctor about all treatment options, including prostate surgery.

Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)

A common infection that occurs when bacteria enters the urinary tract and multiplies. These infections can occur in any part of the urinary tract, including the kidneys, bladder, and urethra. Infections in the bladder and the urethra are more likely to happen in women and affect the lower urinary tract function. UTIs often cause burning, urgency, or frequent urination.

Talk With Your Doctor

If you are experiencing bladder issues, you might feel a little shy or embarrassed. It may also be difficult to talk about. Urinary incontinence is treatable so it is important to talk with your doctor about any symptoms you have. Medications now offer fewer side effects than ever before. Here’s why:

• It’s a Clue to Your Health: Sometimes, bladder control can be an early sign that something else is going on with your health. Your doctor can help figure out what’s causing your urinary incontinence. They’ll want to know more about your medical history. If kidney diseases run in your family’s medical history, you should know this as well.
• Better Quality of Life: Dealing with leaks can make you feel worried about going out or doing your favorite activities. Your doctor can help you find ways to reduce your symptoms so you can live life to the fullest while managing your urinary incontinence.
• Stay Safe and Steady: Rushing to the bathroom can increase your risk of falling, which can lead to injury. Getting help with an overactive bladder and controlling leaks can make your home and daily movements safer.

Keep a Voiding Diary

One really helpful tool is something called a “voiding diary” or “bladder diary.” It’s just a simple way to keep track of your bladder habits. Keeping this diary for a few days before your appointment can give your doctor a much clearer picture of what’s happening. It is a valuable tool to help your doctor determine how to treat or manage your incontinence. Keep in mind that the more detailed your entries are, and the more days you fill out, the more your doctor can help.

On your voiding diary, you should record:

• The date, time you drink and go to the bathroom.
• What you during the day (like water, coffee, juice, etc.).
• How much you drank (a cup, a glass).
• How much you peed (just a little, a lot).
• Was it an intentional or accidental?
• What were you doing when you had a leak or a strong urge (like coughing, resting, walking, etc.)? Any leaks or sudden urges (was it just damp, wet, or soaked)?

Ways to Help Your Bladder and Reduce Leaks

Think about things that might cause bladder irritation. Taking small steps often make a big difference in reducing leaks. Urinary incontinence in women is more frequent than in men. It’s a common symptom that may affect over 50 percent of adult women. However, men are also at risk, especially those with prostate problems.

To reduce bladder irritation and improve urinary incontinence symptoms, consider these effective self-care strategies:

• Watch Your Weight: Carrying extra weight can put additional pressure on your bladder neck, which can increase urinary leakage. Losing weight can help with urinary incontinence and a wealth of other health issues.
• Be Mindful of What You Drink and Eat: While staying hydrated is essential, certain drinks and foods can irritate your bladder.
  • Cut back on certain liquids: Alcohol, drinks with caffeine (such as coffee, tea, and many sodas), and diet sodas (which often contain artificial sweeteners) can sometimes make your bladder more active. Water is always the best choice.
  • Certain foods: Some people find that citrus fruits, chocolate, tomatoes, vinegar, dairy products, and spicy foods can irritate their bladders. Modify your diet to find alternative foods to eat that won’t irritate the bladder and cause you to leak urine.
• Stop Smoking: Smoking can make you cough a lot, and all that coughing puts extra pressure on your bladder. If your bladder muscle is weakened, you may experience urinary incontinence more often.
• Keep Track of Fluids: As we mentioned, keeping a bladder diary helps you monitor your fluid intake and urination frequency. Your doctor can use this information to help you. When the doctor performs a physical exam, which may include a pelvic exam, the bladder diary can help them identify your triggers for urinary incontinence.

Bladder Training

People with overactive bladders may visit the bathroom to void at the slightest bladder spasm or urge. They may even go to keep from having an incontinence incident when they do not need to void. Because the bladder becomes accustomed to this routine, sometimes bladder signals are sent to the brain, indicating that the bladder is full when it is not.

Here are a few steps of bladder training to try on your own to help treat incontinence:

• Wait a bit longer when you feel you need to urinate; about 15 minutes should do the trick. For example, if you usually go every 45 minutes, wait a full hour before trying to void.
• Increase the time between visits by 15 minutes until you can wait two to four hours between trips. Do this slowly, as that gives you a better chance for success.
• Stick to the schedule that you’ve created. Use the bathroom right away when you get out of bed, then go at your scheduled times even if you have no urge to go.
• If you have an urge to go before the scheduled time, try to wait. Try deep breathing or use other relaxation techniques to distract yourself and unwind. If the urge is just too much, go ahead and use the restroom, but get back on the same schedule.
• Continue trying, and you should likely experience greater control over your pelvic floor muscles.

Strengthening Your Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor muscles play a crucial role in controlling urination. These muscles open and close the urethra, the tube that carries urine from your bladder out of your body. The pelvic floor muscles also hold the pelvic organs up when you are coughing or sneezing, lifting heavy items, walking, or standing for extended periods.

Pelvic floor muscle training can help with bladder control problems. Here are some of the pelvic floor exercises you can practice to help control an overactive bladder and urinary incontinence:

Pelvic floor exercises, otherwise known as Kegel exercises:

• To perform Kegel exercises, first squeeze the pelvic floor muscles as if trying to stop urination for about 30 seconds.
• Next, let those pelvic floor muscles relax while you are counting to three. Repeat this process several times at different intervals throughout the day. Try doing them three or four times a day.
• Do them while you are standing, sitting, and lying down. These Kegel exercises can help train your pelvic floor muscles to better hold back urinary incontinence and other voiding dysfunctions.

Making Life Easier at Home and When You’re Out

A little planning can give you more confidence, whether you’re at home or out and about.

At Home:

• Choose “Easy” Clothes: Wear clothes that are easy to take off quickly. Urgency incontinence can cause you to need immediate clothing removal in the bathroom.
• Incontinence Products: Don’t be shy about using special pads or underclothing designed for urine leakage or overflow incontinence. They can give you peace of mind, while protecting your clothing when treating incontinence. Change them frequently if you have a constant leak. Keeping yourself dry helps to prevent skin irritation and decreases your risk of urinary tract infection.
• Clear Paths: Ensure the path to your bathroom is clear of clutter, allowing you to access it easily and safely. This will decrease your risk of falls during an urgent trip to the toilet.
• Close Options: Keep a bedpan or a portable commode (a special toilet chair) nearby if getting to the bathroom at night is challenging. Again, this simple task can help prevent urinary symptoms and frequent urination from becoming a hazard that leads to falls and injuries.

When You’re Out:

• Plan Your Fluid Intake: Drink plenty of fluids at home, but you should drink a little less before you go out, especially alcohol and caffeine.
• Find Restrooms Early: When you arrive at a new location, locate the restrooms before you really need to use them. Urgent urinary incontinence, urinary frequency, or any other type of urinary incontinence can be alleviated if you know how to get to the bathroom quickly. Your urinary system may not give you the time to find the nearest bathroom, and you may begin to leak urine before you get there.
• Be Prepared: Always carry extra pads, underclothes, or a small bag with fresh supplies in your purse or bag.

Final thoughts for you to take away…

Remember, if you have a problem with incontinence, you are not alone! Speak with your doctor if you have signs of incontinence. There is no need to be embarrassed about communicating symptoms. The more honest you are, the better help you can get. And, the sooner you get treatment, the sooner you can take control of your symptoms.