Tired of peeing your pants or running to the bathroom? If you have a leaky bladder or struggle with incontinence then you know what this feels like. It’s embarrassing, frustrating, and darn annoying. There are different types of incontinence and understanding the varieties can help you gain more control over your leaky bladder.
Stress Incontinence
This is the most common type of bladder leakage. It occurs when you jump, cough, sneeze, laugh or when you pick up something heavy. The problem is often simply that you’re female and have a short urethra. If you’ve had children then your bladder muscles may be weakened as well.
There are a few ways you can attempt to control your leaky bladder. The first is to do Kegels – also known as pelvic floor exercises. You can do one right now. Tighten your pelvic floor like you’re trying to hold your urine in. Feel it tighten? Now relax. Repeat 20-50 times a day and strengthen those muscles. You can also insert a tampon into your vagina if you are going to exercise or perhaps watch a funny movie. It changes the pressure on your urethra and provides support for your pelvic muscles.
Urge Incontinence
If you have a frequent urge to use the bathroom then that’s called urge incontinence. It’s often caused by diseases like Parkinson’s or by medication. Consider drinking small amounts of fluid throughout the day, and cut back on caffeine which is a diuretic and can cause urgency. Urge incontinence can also be caused by a urinary tract infection. If you find that you’re prone to these, consider drinking cranberry juice on a daily basis and visit your doctor.
Overflow Incontinence
This type of bladder leaking is caused by a bladder that can’t completely empty. This happens often for women who have had children. Pregnancy and delivery change the shape of the bladder. Thus, you can have pockets of the bladder that don’t empty. When you shift your weight or position, you can experience leaking.
It can also be caused by an enlarged prostate or some medical conditions like diabetes. Pelvic floor exercises can work for this type of leaking as well and again, consider cutting back on caffeine and alcohol.
Unless you’re dealing with functional incontinence where your body is no longer able to control your bladder, you can gain more control by regularly exercising the muscles. When you urinate, try to control the flow. Urinate for a few seconds then turn it off. This works much like a Kegel and strengthens the muscles that control bladder flow.
