5 Ways to Regain Your Bladder Control

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Urinary incontinence happens to more people than you think, and if you find yourself going to the bathroom a lot more often than you want, then you might just be one of them. Fortunately, there are ways to regain your bladder control.

1. Curtail Alcohol and Caffeine

Caffeine might perk you up while alcohol slows you down. But they both have one thing in common: they both boost how much urine your body produces. If it's gotten to the point that you're having trouble maintaining control over your bladder, then you might want to cut back on either one or even both of these.

Beverages with alcohol in them are easy to spot, but identifying sources of caffeine might not be so easy. You can find it in soda, coffee, and tea, but also chocolate and some medications. Get in the habit of reading labels on everything you eat, drink, or buy, and start looking for alternatives that don't have irritants in them, be it these or others listed in the paragraphs below.

2. Stay Away From These Bladder Irritants

Healthline also lists a number of foods that can irritate the human bladder and make your body increase urine production. Depending on what kind of lifestyle you follow, as well as how strong your taste buds are, you might find it easy to stay away from spicy foods.

While most Americans would do better to eat more fruit, citrus fruits and apples are known to possibly make life harder for your bladder. Tomatoes can be a hard thing to avoid for ketchup lovers and anyone that enjoys pizza. The hardest one to avoid might be foods that have corn syrup, considering just how many there are. Following an organic diet, as much as possible has many benefits other than just helping out your bladder.

3. Reduce Stress

When you're stressed, nearly everything about your body tightens up. Your heart beats faster, your blood pressure is higher, and your muscles contract. That includes your PFM or pelvic floor muscles. When these are tight, you might have a condition known as hypertonic pelvic floor muscles. This situation makes your muscles in the area tight and weak. That means they're simultaneously putting more pressure on your bladder to empty itself while also not providing muscular strength to manage its operations.

Consider exercise to calm yourself down and to make that part of your body stronger. Kegel exercises, in particular, can strengthen pelvic floor muscles while helping your body burn off some stress. Getting enough sleep, a proper diet, and relaxing activities also help your whole body unwind.

4. Skip Artificial Sweeteners

If the thought of skipping caffeine and corn syrup seemed hard, then this one might not be a welcome suggestion. Certain artificial sweeteners have the power of bladder irritation. They can make incontinence worse if they act as diuretics, and they include aspartame, acesulfame K, and sodium saccharin. Stevia-sweetened products among foods and beverages might be the answer because the National Association for Continence states that this alternative sugar substitute won't make your bladder pay for your sweet tooth.

5. Bladder Retraining

Your physician might suggest bladder retraining. This is something that can reduce how many times you need to use the restroom. It's frequently done in conjunction with Kegel exercises and other various treatments. The right retraining regimen can make your bladder stronger, so you don't need to go to the bathroom once it starts filling up.

You'll follow a regular schedule for bathroom visits, but you'll also likely be told to hold off the first 10 minutes once you get the initial urge to use the bathroom. Your physician might even have you slowly increase how much time goes between your bathroom visits. You'll need to try to avoid doing any emptying of your bladder in between these visits. This can train your pelvic floor muscles to become stronger and get your body acclimated to increasing your bladder control.

Bladder issues make life less fun, and you even feel like you have less control over your body. To start getting more control over yours:

• Cut back on caffeine and alcohol

• Stay away from known bladder irritants

• Reduce stress

• Avoid artificial sweeteners

• Ask your doctor about bladder retraining

As with anything health-related, ask your family doctor if you have more questions or concerns.