A few lifestyle changes to treat urinary incontinence

For stress and urge incontinence, many people have success with lifestyle changes. Here are a few things you can do to change up your lifestyle and adapt to this condition:

The following everyday measures can help you better control this condition, and may even eliminate the problem:

Learn Kegel exercises:

• Good for stress and urge incontinence, these exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles that support the bladder.
• To begin, periodically contract your pelvic muscles as tightly as possible when urinating to stop the flow (women should also contract the vaginal area.)
• Practice tensing these muscles when you're not urinating. Don't hold your breath or squeeze your stomach, groin or thigh muscles, which adds pressure to the bladder.
• Do the exercises daily, alternating a series of slow contractions (holding for five to 10 seconds) with rapid ones (holding for just a few seconds). Work up to sets of 10 to 15 contractions, repeating the exercise three times daily. Do Kegels when you're driving, standing on line or sitting at your desk. F
• or women, your doctor may recommend practicing with graduated vaginal cones to further strengthen your muscles.

Try bladder-training if you have urge incontinence:

• You begin by voiding at set intervals, such as every hour. Then you gradually increase the intervals until you can manage the normal three or four hours between bathroom visits.

Check for triggers:

• Many foods can send you to the bathroom more often. These include carbonated drinks, caffeine, alcohol, citrus fruits and juices, tomato products, spicy foods, chocolate, sugar, honey, artificial sweeteners and milk products. Try eliminating each in turn for 10 days and note any improvements.

Lose weight:

• If you're overweight, this can lead to more pressure on the bladder, making an existing problem worse.

Stop smoking:

• Nicotine irritates the bladder, so smokers are much more likely to have incontinence problems.

Limit evening fluids:

• It’s a good idea to drink normal amounts of fluids during the day (in fact, drinking too little fluid can irritate the lining of the urethra and bladder). But stop drinking two to four hours before you go to bed to prevent nighttime accidents.

Use protective devices if you need them:

• Some women benefit from foam pads to catch leaks or "barrier devices" such as urethral shields or caps to block the urine. For men there are specially ­designed condoms and drip collectors. For both sexes a variety of disposable undergarments and underwear liners are available.