Urinary incontinence

Novamed Pads have you covered for Urinary incontinence.

Urinary problems like urinary incontinence can drastically interfere with your life. Aside from the feeling of wetness and leaks, the body also responds by flushing more fluid to compensate for the lost urine, causing even more urgency. Urine leakage may also lead to frequent bathroom trips and skin irritation due to contact with urine. If you are suffering from urinary incontinence, you must get help so that your quality of life does not deteriorate any further.

What causes incontinence?

Urinary incontinence happens when the muscles that hold urine in place lose their strength. The muscles that help control urination, located in the pelvic floor and anus, can weaken because of injuries, excessive coughing (like during a cold), hormonal changes or even general health conditions like diabetes or heart disease. In some cases, neither your bladder nor rectum can contain the amount of urine that it should.

If you are suffering from urinary incontinence, treatments are available to help you regain control over urination. Doctors will give you medicine to restore muscle function and improve bladder relaxation and support. However, you can also do a lot at home to help prevent incontinence and improve your quality of life, like staying well hydrated and avoiding certain foods.

What are the symptoms of urinary incontinence?

Urinary problems can be accompanied by various symptoms, including excessive urgency to urinate, leaking urine during coughing or sneezing, pain when urinating, frequent nighttime urination and needing to go frequently throughout the day.

How can I prevent urinary incontinence?

There are many things that you can do on your own to help prevent urinary incontinence. Avoiding certain foods may help stop symptoms from worsening. For example, if you suffer from urinary incontinence due to pregnancy and are experiencing inflammation of the bladder, you may want to avoid spicy foods. If your urinary incontinence is caused by diabetes or heart disease, monitor your diabetic diet and blood pressure or cholesterol levels.

You should also try to stay well-hydrated and avoid strenuous activities that may place too much pressure on your bladder and nearby organs. This will keep your muscles as strong as possible. Additionally, passive activities like sitting all day at work can decrease your blood circulation, making it harder for blood to reach the pelvic floor muscles that control urine flow. This can cause urinary incontinence to worsen.

To avoid urinary incontinence, try some of these preventative measures:

Maintain a healthy diet and stay hydrated to keep your muscles strong and your bladder from over-reacting. If you notice that you are starting to experience the symptoms of urinary incontinence, try drinking more fluids for several days before the start of an event. This will help to treat the condition instead of just suppressing its symptoms. Stay away from caffeine and alcohol, as these can act as diuretics and cause frequent urination. Also, make sure to avoid spicy foods because they may irritate or further inflame your bladder.

Although it may be tempting to respond to incontinence with more urgency, this will worsen the problem. Urinate when you need to and when you are dry (known as "dry-wetting") for several hours after urinating in between your bouts of urination from a standing or walking position, which helps prevent the bladder from contracting too tightly.

Visit your doctor regarding your urinary incontinence if it is severe and does not improve with simple measures. This can include using a catheter for leakage or electrolyte supplements that help strengthen the muscles of the bladder and rectum. If this is not helpful, prescription medications may be prescribed that directly treat the problem.

The best way to prevent urinary incontinence is to take care of your body and treat any underlying conditions that may be the cause. If you have a bladder or rectum that is not functioning correctly, the muscles in the pelvic floor may compensate and over-tighten in response. If you can avoid worsening urination problems and keep bladder control as much as possible, it will help keep you healthy and active.