5 habits to cure urinary incontinence

Diet and exercise can help treat urinary incontinence. Although it is necessary to follow a treatment, these few simple habits can improve the patient's condition.

Urinary incontinence refers to an involuntary loss of urine. This loss can be slight, when urine leaks are less, or serious, when the bladder empties completely.

Urinary incontinence is not a disease in itself: it is rather a symptom. There are many causes that can cause urinary incontinence.

Urine leakage can be sudden and can occur when the patient coughs, sneezes, or stresses. Some patients develop a severe form of this symptom and do not even have time to reach the toilet as the urge is urgent.

Although the treatment varies depending on the underlying cause of this symptom, some basic measures can help us control it. All patients can practice the following simple habits to treat urinary incontinence. There are five of them.

1. Change your eating habits

One of the keys to treating urinary incontinence is improving your diet.

Many of us ignore the fact that eating certain foods such as pungent or sweet foods increases the urge to urinate. Many irritating foods can therefore have a negative influence on this condition.

In case of urinary incontinence, it is essential to reduce or even eliminate the pungent, acidic and very sweet foods of its diet. It is also best to avoid coffee and any source of caffeine.

2. Re-educate your bladder

Bladder rehabilitation includes simple techniques to strengthen the muscles required for urination. The goal is to establish fixed hours to empty the bladder.

The first step is therefore to program aisles at the toilets at fixed times. The ideal is to retain the urge to urinate as much as possible, until the body gets used to emptying the urine at fixed times.

Of course, it is essential to take it gradually: every hour, then every two hours, up to four-hour intervals without leaks.

There is another simple technique that can enhance the ability to retain urine. This technique involves slightly delaying urination when a strong urge to urinate is felt. At first, one must remember his urge to urinate for five minutes, then for ten minutes ... To better control of the bladder.

3. Do exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor

Exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor are an excellent measure to treat urinary incontinence. The practice of these exercises is generally the first treatment proposed when urinary leakage is mild.

The best-known exercises are Kegel exercises . You can practice them every day from the comfort of your home.

What you need to do

• First, contract and relax the pelvic floor muscles for five to ten seconds. Then, rest for the same duration. The pelvic floor muscles are the ones you use to stop the flow of urine in the middle of urination. If you are not sure how to do this, try to stop the flow of urine while in the bathroom.
• Other exercises such as the bridge or the elevation of the pelvis can be of great help. However, it is necessary to make sure to contract the good muscles.

4. Avoid smoking

The consumption of tobacco may affect nerve function of the bladder. Due to the high levels of toxic components of tobacco, smoking can weaken the pelvic floor muscles.

In particular, the effect of nicotine can cause excessive contractions of the bladder, which will result in a sudden urge to urinate .

In addition, it should be kept in mind that smoking can lead to a chronic cough problem, which promotes leakage of urine. When we cough, the abdominal pressure on the pelvic floor increases, which produces a descent of the bladder and urethra.

5. Give up alcohol

Alcoholic drinks have a negative effect on urination: they weaken the walls of the urinary system. The excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages is therefore closely linked to the weakening of the walls of the bladder, urethra and kidneys.

Alcohol overstimulates the bladder and decreases the ability to retain urine. Moreover, being desiccant, alcohol increases the risk of urinary infections .

Therefore, when it comes to treating urinary incontinence, the ideal is to give up alcohol and increase its water intake.

We wish to stress here the importance of consulting a doctor in case of urinary incontinence. The sooner you will get a diagnosis and treatment, the more favorable the prognosis will be.