6 Simple Tips To Reduce Bladder Leaks Naturally and Prevent Urinary Incontinence
Learn how a trick called 'double voiding' can better empty your bladder
Ever leak a little when you laugh? Or maybe you find yourself constantly looking for the bathroom while out running errands. Bladder leaks are no fun, but they unfortunately become more common as we age. In fact, half of all women (and 75 percent of those over 65) deal with bladder leaks, according to Mayo Clinic experts. Luckily, there are simple steps you can take to reduce urinary incontinence naturally.
6 easy ways to prevent bladder leaks
Everything from menopausal hormone changes to weaker pelvic floor muscles can cause urinary incontinence. “Long-term prevention of bladder leaks always includes regular pelvic floor muscle training,” says Samantha Pulliam, MD, FACOG, urogynecologist and chief medical officer at Axena Health. She says you can do this on your own with easy-to-follow exercises (more on that below) or by using a device such as the Leva Pelvic Health System, a wand placed in the vagina during pelvic floor training to monitor your movements and block leaks.
To outsmart pesky urine leaks, give one (or more!) of these little lifestyle tweaks a try:
Woman's World Answers
Dig into apple crisp to prevent bladder leaks
Or top your morning bowl of oats with diced apples. These yummy-yet-healthy dishes are rich in fiber, thanks to the apples and oats they contain. Fiber prevents constipation, which can put pressure on the bladder that causes leakage. Upping your fiber intake can lower your risk of bladder-squeezing constipation by 77 percent, according to British researchers.
Stretch it out to prevent bladder leaks
Gentle exercise such as yoga and stretching can make a big impact on bladder health when done regularly, found a new study in Annals of Internal Medicine. Women who did low-impact yoga a few times a week for 12 weeks had 65 percent fewer urinary incontinence episodes. And women who did simple stretches and strengthening exercises instead of yoga had similar results. This type of movement trains the pelvic floor muscles for better bladder control to reduce leaks.
Do your kegels to prevent bladder leaks
Kegel exercises are often considered the first line of defense against bladder leaks, as they strengthen the pelvic muscles. Dr. Pulliam says to think of the pelvis as a basket that holds up the abdominal contents: “Pelvic floor muscle training is the strengthening of that basket of muscles, which are responsible for holding in the urine.”
Simply tighten the muscles in your pelvic floor you’d use to stop urination for five seconds, then relax for five seconds and repeat. But don’t let the simplicity of these muscle contractions fool you. When done regularly, pelvic floor exercises like kegels can reduce incontinence by as much as 70 percent, according to research in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
Note: Dr. Pulliam suggests seeing a physical therapist to ensure you’re performing pelvic floor muscle training properly.
Take vitamin D to prevent bladder leaks
Postmenopausal women who took a higher dose (around 7,000 IU) of vitamin D daily for eight weeks saw significant improvements in bladder leake and quality of life overall, found a study in the International Urogynecology Journal. The bladder and pelvic floor muscles contain vitamin D receptors, and vitamin D helps strengthen these muscles to prevent leaks.
‘Go’ before you go to prevent bladder leaks
Before heading out for the day, make a pit stop in the bathroom. Experts at the Cleveland Clinic say that emptying your bladder before physical activity may help you avoid the leaks that are sometimes triggered by movement.
“For example, if you are about to head out on a six-hour car ride, it is probably best to empty your bladder before you start off,” says Dr. Pulliam. “Or if you’re about to go for a run and you have stress incontinence, meaning the kind of leaking that happens when you jump or run or cough or sneeze, certainly you may consider emptying your bladder before you lace up.”
Try ‘double voiding’ to prevent bladder leaks
A bladder training technique called “double voiding” can help you learn to empty your bladder more completely to avoid overflow incontinence. Simply sit down on the toilet and urinate as you normally would. Then, to empty your bladder completely, lean forward for 20 seconds after you urinate (as if bowing). Sit up tall for 10 seconds, then repeat. This double voiding method compresses your bladder to help eliminate any lingering amount of urine and block bladder leaks.
Why this works: Your kidneys are always producing more urine, so you never empty your bladder down to the very last drop, explains Dr. Pulliam. “Your bladder may be empty even if you can ‘eke out’ a little more by pushing or straining. Rather than bearing down, double voiding is a better way to ensure that you’re emptying if you don’t feel like it.”
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Woman's World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
