Monday, February 5, 2018

Hold

“Incontinence Hotline, can you hold please?” (Anonymous)

Urinary incontinence can affect anyone at any age. This illness is the involuntary loss of urine. 20% of adult women suffer from bladder leakage (more than men). Incontinence starts out as a medical problem, but can affect other areas of our life like social avoidance, or even a need to map the location of bathrooms whoever you go. This can be stressful.

Urinary incontinence comes in two varieties. The first one is stress incontinence, which causes anxiety, depression, loss of dignity, and lack of self-esteem. The second kind of incontinence is urge incontinence is caused by weak pelvic muscles, overactive bladder, physical exertion or nerve damage.

Smoking, chronic constipation, obesity, and, poor glycemic control can increase your risk for bladder leakage and incontinence. Avoiding the above can reduce and control your current symptoms or risks of a leaking bladder.

Here are some helps to control nighttime incontinence without surgery:

·         Control your fluid intake after dinner by drinking 4-6 glasses of water per day. Avoid consuming any liquids after dinner.

·         Avoid caffeinated, carbonated, and alcoholic beverages because they stimulate the bladder and increase the chance of incontinence.

·         Reduce or eliminate spicy food, citrus fruits and juices, milk, yogurt, cheese, sugar, honey and artificial sweeteners from your diet.

·         Elevate your legs to take the stress off your pelvic muscles and void on a schedule even if you don’t feel the need. Voiding on a schedule helps keep the bladder empty on a regular basis and decreases the urge leading to incontinence.

·         Learn Kegel exercises to improve your pelvic floor muscles and increase muscle control.

 “There is a stigma associated with incontinence. So many people never mention it to their doctors or seek treatment.  In reality, fecal incontinence is very common and often very treatable.”  (Brad Davis)[i]



[i] Adapted from: “5 Ways to Minimize Nighttime Leaks with Incontinence Products” by Aeroflow Healthcare
 

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