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Preventing Urinary Incontinence
By peace | October 7, 2006
Incontinence may or may not be something you can prevent. Oftentimes the cause of incontinence is out of your control. However, you may be able to decrease your risk of urinary incontinence with these steps:
- Maintain a healthy weight. By taking good care of yourself and keeping or getting your weight under control, you may be able to decrease your risk of urinary incontinence.
- Practice Kegel exercises. Because pregnancy and childbirth can weaken the urinary sphincter and pelvic floor muscles, doctors may advise pregnant women to do Kegel exercises during pregnancy as a preventive step.
- Avoid bladder irritants. Avoiding or limiting certain foods and drinks may help prevent incontinence. For e xample, if you know that drinking more than two cups of coffee makes you have to urinate uncontrollably, cutting back to one cup of coffee or forgoing caffeine may be all that you need to do.
- Eat more fiber. Including more fiber in your diet or taking fiber supplements can help prevent constipation, which can be a cause of incontinence. Your doctor may recommend that you drink more or less water as a preventive measure, depending on your bladder problem.
The bladder is basically a muscular sac that serves as a holding tank for urine. When the bladder becomes full, the brain triggers the urge to void, or empty, the bladder. Once you make it to the bathroom, your brain tells your urinary system to do two things: Contract the bladder muscles to squeeze the urine out and relax the urethral sphincter. The urethral sphincter is a group of muscles that tightens around the urethra to hold urine in and loosens to let it flow out of the body.
Incontinence occurs if your bladder muscles uncontrollably contract or the sphincter uncontrollably relaxes.
Good Bladder Habits
It is normal to go to the toilet between 4-8 times per day and no more than once at night. People are beginning to realise the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Maintaining good bladder habits is an important part of contributing to this healthier lifestyle. Poor bladder habits can lead to poor bladder control and sometimes incontinence. Here are some simple steps that everyone should follow to keep their bladder healthy.
Hints to keep your bladder healthy
Step 1: Fluid intake
- Try to drink at least 1.5 litres (6-8 cups) of fluid per day unless advised otherwise by your doctor.
- Limit the amount of caffeine and alcohol you drink as they may irritate the bladder. Don’t drink too much coffee, tea or cola. (Instant coffee contains less caffeine than percolated coffee. Tea contains less caffeine than coffee).
Step 2: Practice good toilet habits
- Don’t get into the habit of going to the toilet ‘just in case’ as this tends to result in the bladder developing a smaller capacity. Try to go only when your bladder is full and you need to go. (However, emptying your bladder before going to bed is fine).
- Take your time when urinating so that your bladder has an opportunity to empty completely. For women, this should be in a seated position. If you rush, this may result in incomplete emptying of your bladder and possible urinary infections.
Step 3: Maintain good bowel habits
- Keep your bowels regular and avoid constipation. Persistent straining when using your bowels can weaken your pelvic floor muscles.
Step 4: Look after your pelvic floor muscles
- Keep the tone in your pelvic floor muscles strong with regular pelvic floor exercises.
Step 5:Seek help from your doctor or continence advisor if you have difficulties with any of these steps.
- Any involuntary leakage of urine.
- Loss of urine, regardless of amount, when you cough, sneeze, laugh, stand, lift or when leakage occurs with sport or other physical activity.
- An urgent need to pass urine, being unable to hold on or not getting to the toilet in time.
- Passing small amounts of urine frequently and consistently, e.g. more than eight times per day in small amounts of less than 200 mls (about the contents of a tea cup).
- Having to get up several times overnight to pass urine.
- Bedwetting over the age of five years.
- Difficulty getting your stream of urine started or a stream that stops and starts instead of flowing out smoothly.
- The need for straining to pass urine.
- A sense that the bladder is not empty once urine has been passed.
- A feeling of burning or discomfort while passing urine.
- If you are always thirsty and have to urinate frequently. (You could be suffering from diabetes.)
- Any change in your regular bladder pattern that is causing you concern.
The Cost Of Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence can exact a significant toll, both emotionally and financially. According to the Simon Foundation for Continence, a patient support and information organization, some sufferers are afraid to venture far from home, fearful of having an accident in public. Also, urinary incontinence is often cited by families as the major factor leading to the decision to place an elder relative into a nursing home.
When shopping for absorbent pads and undergarments, sufferers sometimes find them indiscreetly displayed adjacent to baby diapers — a product placement that is hardly a morale boost for the unfortunate shopper. What’s more, absorbent undergarments are not cheap. They can cost daily users several hundred dollars or more a year.
Nationally, adult incontinence products, including adult diapers, make up a $541 million-a-year market, as sold in food, drug and mass-merchandise stores, according to Information Resources Inc., a market research firm in Chicago. And, these products are not covered by medical insurance. Especially for older Americans living on a fixed income, incontinence products can take a significant bite out of their budget.
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