Did you know that more than 25 million Americans suffer from some type of urinary incontinence?
Almost 80% of these adults are women. At a global level, urinary incontinence affects almost 200 million people.
Dealing with urge incontinence can be stressful, but luckily, there are efficient solutions to this problem. For example, certain devices can help women strengthen their pelvic floor muscles on a daily basis. This makes them have better control of their bladder.
Keep reading to learn more about this device, a few facts about urge incontinence, and other tips to help you mitigate this problem.
What Is Urge Incontinence?
Urge incontinence can be defined as a powerful need to urinate as the bladder starts to squeeze to push the urine out.
People who deal with this type of problem cannot delay going to a bathroom for too long. If they postpone going to a bathroom, the bladder might develop spasms and they might just lose urine unintentionally.
Urge incontinence can be caused by bladder infections, stones, nerve injury, or even brain problems. Healthy adults can hold about 2 cups of urine without feeling a sudden need to go to the bathroom. Women living with urge incontinence cannot hold 1 cup without needing to go to a bathroom.
How Can Urge Incontinence Be Alleviated?
Specialists in urology have established that the pelvic floor muscles are weak in people who feel a strong need to urinate. These are the muscles that control the bladder and the stream of urine. The pelvic floor muscles can be strengthened with Kegel exercises.
One type of Kegel exercise is when you try to stop the flow of urine while you’re urinating. Doing this will activate the pelvic floor muscles. Repeating this exercise acts as a workout on these muscles and it strengthens them.
The problem is that not many women have time to do Kegel exercises a few times per week. That’s why you can find devices on the market that do this for you. The device tones the pelvic muscles automatically and relieves urge incontinence in women of all ages.
How Do Urge Incontinence Devices Work?
These devices are also known as Kegel exercise systems or Kegel devices. They are inserted just like a tampon and they feel very comfortable. You can select your preferred program and press “Start.” The device will do its job of toning your pelvic floor muscles as if you were doing Kegel exercises.
Specialists recommend doing this for about 20 minutes a day. You can watch your favorite TV show while sitting on the couch. The Kegel device energizes your pelvic muscles and prevents spasms. This will make you have better control over your bladder and be able to delay urination for longer.
The benefits of such a device are multiple. First of all, Kegel exercise kits are approved by the FDA. They allow you to retrain your bladder muscles with little to no effort every day.
You will eventually say goodbye to awkward nighttime leaks, frequent urination problems, and other issues associated with them.
Are There Any Other Solutions to Urinary Incontinence?
You might be happy to find out that certain lifestyle changes can help you control your bladder better. Check out the following tips and tricks that will alleviate urge incontinence in the long run.
1. Drink Less Coffee and Alcohol
As you probably already know, coffee tends to dehydrate you. It will make you sweat more as well as cause frequent urination.
It’s okay if you drink one cup of coffee a day, but don’t go overboard. Too much coffee can worsen your urge incontinence problem.
The same story is true for alcohol. People tend to urinate more when they drink alcohol as the body thinks that it has too much liquid stored in its tissues. Try to limit your alcohol consumption or eliminate it altogether to alleviate urge incontinence.
2. Retrain Your Bladder
This exercise is similar to Kegel exercises. Whenever you feel like you need to go to a bathroom, get there and delay for a few minutes.
Don’t use it immediately. Try to wait a while to give your brain and your bladder a chance to adapt to this situation and hold on to urine for longer. When you feel you cannot hold anymore, that’s when you go.
Next time you need the bathroom, try to hold on for 30 or 60 seconds longer. This “bladder training” will naturally make your pelvic floor muscles stronger. Check out this article to learn more about bladder leakage in women.
3. Avoid Artificial Sweeteners
You can find a plethora of artificial sweeteners in today’s foods and drinks. Aspartame is a good example, and it can cause dehydration just like coffee does.
Limit your consumption of foods that contain artificial sweeteners and this will help you manage urge incontinence better.
4. Try to Lose Weight
This tip can be helpful for some women. Excessive weight can press on the urinary tract and on the bladder. This makes you urinate more frequently as the bladder is squeezed out by the excess weight in the body.
If you manage to lose a few pounds or more, you might find it easier to control your bladder. Make sure that you talk with your doctor before beginning a weight loss program to prevent any health complications.
Now You Know How to Handle Urge Incontinence
Another tip to alleviate urge incontinence would be to control how much water and/or tea you drink every day.
You might want to cut liquid intake after 4 PM to prevent nighttime trips to the bathroom or leaks. Note down what liquids you drink every day and see how you can decrease this quantity in the future.
If you’d also like to try that device that trains your pelvic floor muscles for you, check out our Kegel exercise kit. This small electronic device has been FDA cleared, it has been tested on thousands of women, and it can help you manage your urge incontinence problems.
