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Incontinence is an incredibly common condition. Over 420 million people worldwide are believed to experience some form of urinary incontinence, with one in three women being affected. Despite the prevalence of this condition, many people remain reluctant to talk about it, and for people living with incontinence, it can feel like one of the last real social taboos.
Because so many of us will experience a form of incontinence at some point, it’s important to know more about it – and to normalise talking about it too.
Living with incontinence can significantly impact your quality of life, either because you’re feeling embarrassed or worrying about being caught short. But it’s important to remember that so many people are going through the same thing – and there are lots of ways you can manage it.
To shine a light on this common bladder problem, we’ve partnered with the award-winning Vivactive, who are a leading provider of incontinence products. By putting their years of expertise to good use and understanding the different ways you can manage incontinence effectively, it’s entirely possible to maintain peace of mind, and to live both comfortably and confidently.
So, to find out more, here’s your guide to managing incontinence in daily life.
What is incontinence?
Incontinence refers to a loss of bladder or bowel control, which leads to unintentional urine leakage or bowel movements. Urinary incontinence is more common than bowel incontinence, particularly among women – especially those who’ve given birth.
There are also three main kinds of urinary incontinence: stress, urge, and overflow incontinence.
Stress incontinence
Stress incontinence occurs when your pelvic floor is weakened by things like childbirth, or being overweight. It causes you to leak urine when you’re doing something that places pressure on your bladder – so usually things like coughing, sneezing, laughing, exercising, or lifting heavy objects.
Urge incontinence
Urge incontinence is also known as having an overactive bladder (OAB). When you have urge incontinence, you feel sudden and strong urges to pee, and can’t always make it to the toilet in time. If you need to go more than eight times a day, and once a night, you may have OAB.
Some people with OAB feel a strong urge to pee when they touch or hear running water, and others feel an urge to go even when there’s no urine in their bladder.
Overflow incontinence
Overflow incontinence is more commonly seen in men than in women, and it occurs when you’re not able to empty your bladder fully – either because of a blockage or muscle weakness. This means that you may leak urine when your bladder is full, and you may not get the message that you need to go to the toilet.
Many women experience two different kinds of incontinence at the same time. This is often known as mixed incontinence.
9 ways to manage incontinence
If you’re experiencing incontinence, you’ll probably already know how it can affect your everyday life. But there are many ways to deal with incontinence and keep living the life you want to lead, from short-term fixes to longer-term solutions.
Let’s take a look at some of the different ways of managing incontinence.
1. Use a toilet card
When you’re out and about, it’s normal to worry about getting caught short. Limited or restricted toilets and long queues cause regular problems, and some places provide toilets for paying customers only. So to give yourself some peace of mind – and instant access when you need it – you might want to request a toilet card.
This Vivactive Toilet Card features the universally recognised WC symbol, which will help you discreetly get the message across that you need to use the loo. It fits right into your purse or pocket, so you can take it with you wherever you go. The toilet card is completely free – you just have to pay for delivery.
2. Wear protection
If you want to give yourself further peace of mind – particularly when you’re not at home – you can wear specially designed incontinence liners and pads. Some women may feel reluctant to buy incontinence products and use period pads to deal with their incontinence. However, these aren’t designed to absorb urine so aren’t an ideal solution.
There are all kinds of incontinence products you may wish to try, from disposable pants to bed protection, as well as incontinence products that are specifically designed for men or women. You can head over to the Vivactive website to browse the full range of products.
3. Stay hydrated
If you’re suffering from incontinence, the idea of drinking plenty of fluids each day may sound counterintuitive. However, not drinking enough water can lead to concentrated urine, which can irritate your bladder and reduce its capacity.
The NHS recommends drinking at least six to eight glasses of water a day – and if you’re not sure you’re drinking the right amount, you can always buy a hydration tracker water bottle that you keep with you throughout the day.
However, while it’s important to drink enough fluids, if you tend to leak overnight, you might want to cut back on how much you drink in the evenings.
4. Make changes to your diet
It’s also worth looking into your diet, as certain foods and drinks can irritate the bladder. These include caffeine, alcohol, tomato-based foods, spicy foods, chocolate, acidic juices and fruits, and fizzy drinks.
Try keeping a food and drink diary for a week where you write down everything you eat and drink along with the time; then, document how often you feel the need to pee. This way, you may identify links between what you’re eating and drinking, and the frequency and intensity of your incontinence. Once you know your trigger, you can start making changes to your diet.
5. Try pelvic floor exercises
The pelvic floor is a system of muscles, ligaments, and nerves that support your bladder – and weak pelvic floor muscles are a common cause of incontinence.
Strengthening your pelvic floor with key exercises is one of the best ways to alleviate incontinence. And, thankfully, you don’t have to go to the gym to work your pelvic floor; you can do it sitting down at your desk or even lying on your bed!
To see how easy it is to fit pelvic floor exercise into your routine – and get to grips with exactly which muscles you’re targeting – have a watch of Vivactive’s video below.
6. Train your bladder
Using the toilet at only set times and staying on a bathroom schedule can help you gain control over your bladder. If you make frequent trips to the toilet (for example, every 30 minutes or less), it can cause your bladder to start sending premature signals to pee – but keeping to a set schedule may relieve some of the urgency linked with an overactive bladder.
The NHS suggests that if, for example, you’re going to the toilet every half an hour, you try gradually increasing the time by 10 minutes for a week, then 15 minutes for a week, and so on, until you’re reaching two to four hourly intervals. You might want to keep a bladder diary to monitor your progress.
By going to the toilet at set times instead of waiting for the urge, you’re getting your bladder used to going at specific intervals, which can give you a sense of reliability and predictability.
7. Stay active
While it’s great to exercise your pelvic floor, it’s important to exercise the rest of your body too. Staying active through regular physical activity isn’t just essential for maintaining a healthy body, it can also lead to better brain health – and another perk is that it can also help manage incontinence symptoms.
Doing regular exercise is a great way to maintain a healthy weight. Excess weight puts more pressure on the bladder’s muscles, which can cause stress incontinence, and losing just 5% of your body weight can make a big difference.
You don’t have to start running marathons or lifting weights to improve incontinence. Doing plenty of moderate, low-impact exercises like walking, swimming, cycling, pilates and yoga are all beneficial. For inspiration, you might want to check out our article; 15 low-impact exercise ideas.
8. Stop smoking
There are many reasons to stop smoking – and the fact that doing so can help alleviate incontinence is just one more. Studies show that people who smoke are more prone to incontinence, as smoking damages small blood vessels and causes tissue weakness. Plus, smoking can cause coughing spasms, which are a common cause of stress incontinence.
Smoking cigarettes also increases the risk of bladder cancer, an early symptom of which may be the urge to pee more often, or the need to pee immediately, even if the bladder isn’t full.
9. Medications
According to the NHS, certain medications can contribute to urinary incontinence. Drugs that can cause and exacerbate incontinence symptoms include heart medications; muscle relaxants; antihistamines; diuretics; antidepressants; sedatives; and drugs to control high blood pressure.
If you’re concerned your medications may be contributing to your incontinence, it’s important to speak to your GP. Your doctor may advise that you stop taking these medicines, or provide you with alternative medications that don’t have this side effect.
Final thoughts…
If you’re dealing with incontinence, it’s important to remind yourself that you’re not alone. Millions of men and women of all ages suffer from incontinence, and there should be no shame or stigma in talking about it with friends, family, or doctors.
Too many people suffer in silence, adapting their lifestyles to avoid accidents, which can have a detrimental effect on both social lives and self-confidence. But there are many ways you can not only manage incontinence but ease your symptoms.
By understanding the different types of incontinence, making lifestyle changes, and doing pelvic floor exercises, incontinence can be managed – and there should be no reason why you shouldn’t be able to live calmly, comfortably, and confidently!
You can head over to the Vivactive website to browse their full range of products.
Is there anything in this guide that you found particularly useful? We’d be interested to hear from you in the comments below.