You must be thinking, what is stress incontinence? It usually occurs in women and triggers their worst condition by having weak pelvic muscles. People who have been suffering from stress incontinence would have urine leaks issues while putting pressure on the bladder. It happens when you cough and laugh. Stress incontinence brings so many body changes, including pregnancy, abdominal surgery, and menopause. Here in this blog, we will share the important things to know about stress incontinence. Have a look
Table of Contents
Weight Loss
People who are facing stress incontinence issues should focus on weight loss because carrying extra weight on the abdomen would put pressure on the bladder. It would weaken the bladder and cause incontinence. You all need to pay close attention to weight loss and follow the essential steps. Opt for healthy lifestyle choices such as walking for at least 30 minutes 5 days a week. It reduces the number of calories you consume. Make sure you people consume a rich diet, including fruits and veggies. Refined grains should be replaced with whole grains. Weight loss is possible by simply avoiding sugary snacks and cutting down the saturated fats. Weight loss drinks are helpful in weight loss. Processed foods need to be ignored and for this, get the help of a dietitian who will design a healthy and balanced diet to ensure you are taking all the required nutrients.
Stay Away From Certain Activities
Stress incontinence would be greater with certain physical activities—stressful activities such as jogging jumping cause bladder secretions that should be avoided. We don’t want you to do different exercises to stay active. Always go for something that is helpful for keeping you in shape and reducing incontinence. Swimming and biking will have a lower impact, so if it’s difficult for you to stay away from certain activities, try these two for a healthy and balanced life.
Cut Down Alcohol and Drugs
Caffeine and alcohol are bladder irritants that cause more urine. If you people are in drug addiction, you have to cut back on alcohol and all types of drugs to stop stress incontinence over the bladder. Alcohol and drug addiction cause incontinence and may worsen urinary leakage. Reducing caffeine consumption would also decrease incontinence. People in alcohol or drug addiction need to get rid of alcohol and all types of drugs such as stimulants, steroids, opioids, hallucinogens, etc., to make their lives better. For instance, if you are an opioid user, you would come across a variety of treatment centers, and I would love to recommend opioid treatment programs near me for your loved ones and for you to get yourself treated. It will help to get rid of this, and similarly, alcohol and other specified drug addiction can be treated easily under the supervision of experts.
Go For Yoga
Have you ever tried yoga? Well, it is for reducing urinary incontinence. It is connected with anxiety and depression. People living with incontinence would benefit from meditation. People regularly practicing yoga would strengthen pelvic floor muscles to support the bladder and save from unusual incontinence.
Stay Hydrated
Urine incontinence limits fluid intake, which urges people to use the bathroom less. When people don’t drink enough water, the urine becomes more concentrated and irritates the bladder. Make sure you people consume 2-3 liters of water daily to keep themselves hydrated. If you are tired of taking plain water, consume detox water by simply adding ginger, lemon or lettuce leaves. Whatever you want to add is totally up to you, but the main goal is to hydrate yourself.
Try Pelvic Floor Exercises
Pelvic floor exercises would strengthen the pelvic muscles and improve control of urinary urges. Exercises are practical for both men and women, and people who want to tighten the pelvic floor muscles should do these exercises often. It’s feasible to do on the way to work, sitting at a desk, or even at a dinner table.
Stop Smoking
Smoking causes incontinence and people who quit this habit reduce bladder leaks. Smoking damages the small blood vessels in bodies and causes weakness of tissues. Smoking increases the cough and coughing factor, which is the main thing to worry about for stress incontinence. If it’s difficult for you to get rid of this, start gradually rather than quitting in one go.
Get To Know About Different Types Of Urinary Incontinence
- Overflow incontinence: It occurs when a person cannot empty their bladder fully and gets overflowed when new urine is produced. Usually, you would have issues in people with diabetes or spinal cord injuries.
- Functional incontinence: This type of incontinence occurs in elder or disabled people who have a normal bladder for controlling and not getting to the toilet in time because of mobility issues.
- Mixed incontinence: This incontinence is the combination of several problems which cause leakage issues, and when you have, you must be dealing with stress incontinence and overactive bladder. It’s essential to pay attention to what you are doing for leakage issues. All you need to do is to identify the triggers first.
Incontinence needs to be diagnosed immediately, and for this, consult with a doctor first about medical history. They would let you know about bladder control issues. They would ask different questions, including how often do you urinate? Does urine get leaked between trips to the toilet, and how much urine do you leak each time? List down all the important medications because some of the medications cause incontinence. Make sure you are answering each of them. They may suggest some tests to diagnose incontinence, including physical exam, urine samples, bladder ultrasound, stress test, and cystoscopy and pad test. Keep track of the leakage and keep it in a journal to inform the doctor about everything.
