To Your Health: Tips to improve bladder health

With the holidays approaching, many of us are thinking about how we’ll celebrate. Amid another COVID surge, safely gathering with family may be at the forefront of many minds.

Whether it’s vaccination status, masking, or whether there are family members who are at great risk for severe infection, there’s a lot to consider. So, the last thing anyone will want to think about is whether they can make the drive to their relatives’ house or sit through an entire meal without having to use the bathroom.

Urinary incontinence affects about 25 million American adults, most of whom are women. Weakening bladder muscles or nerve damage can be to blame, but urinary incontinence is a condition that can be prevented, if you know the steps you can take to improve bladder health.

Drinking plenty of water can help prevent incontinence, which may seem counterintuitive. When we don’t get our recommended six to eight glasses of water each day, our bladders become accustomed to holding less fluid, and this can lead to incontinence. If bladder leakage at night is a concern, reduce your fluid intake in the hour or two before bed.

Avoiding constipation is another way to prevent incontinence, which can be caused by too much pressure on the bladder when the bowels aren’t emptied regularly.

Maintaining a healthy diet, high in fiber, and staying hydrated can keep your bowels moving. If constipation is a regular occurrence for you, your primary care physician can help you make lifestyle changes that will bring relief.

Being overweight can lead to several health issues, and urinary incontinence is among them. Losing weight can reduce pressure on the pelvic floor muscles, which help hold urine in the bladder.

Some foods, like chocolate, acidic fruits, spicy foods and sweets, can irritate the bladder and cause incontinence. If you’re using the bathroom more often than you’d like, try removing these foods from your diet to see if your condition improves.

Once you’ve gauged the impact of removing these foods, you can slowly add them back in to see which specific foods might have affected you. In general, a healthier diet will benefit your bladder health, as it will keep your fiber intake higher and help you lose weight.

As with many medical conditions, using tobacco products only increases risk of urinary incontinence. People who smoke are three times more likely to develop urinary incontinence than people who don’t smoke. And smokers are also more likely to have a chronic cough, which can lead to bladder leakage.

Coffee and other caffeinated drinks, soda and other sugary beverages, and alcohol can all act as bladder irritants. If you’re living with incontinence, water is your best choice to quench your thirst.

Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles can also prevent incontinence. Kegel exercises are done by tightening the muscles used to keep in urine, holding, and then releasing. Your doctor can help you decide if you need to do Kegel exercises and how often.

Finally, managing chronic conditions can help you with bladder control. Uncontrolled diabetes or untreated vascular disease are examples of conditions that can lead to incontinence. Consulting your primary care physician will help you find the right treatment to manage your condition and preserve bladder function.