1. Eat a healthy diet. A well-balanced diet will help with all aspects of your health including weight control. Having the right amounts of nutrients, vitamins and minerals will help maintain a healthy bladder. Gut health plays an important role in bladder health.
2. Do your pelvic floor exercises. Training you pelvic floor muscles is essential to good bladder function. Doing specific pelvic floor exercise 2-3 times a day can help strengthen the muscles to improve bladder and sexual function. It is a muscle, it can be strengthened. It can be difficult to know if you are activating the correct muscle, many people are getting it wrong. So if you are unsure see a pelvic floor physio.
3. Lose weight and exercise appropriately. The heavier you are the more weight your pelvic floor has to cope with. Keeping fit and active can help maintain good pelvic floor function. Choose exercises that you pelvic floor can cope with.
4. Stop smoking. Aside from all the bad health aspects to cigarettes, smoking can make you cough. Persistent coughing can put added pressure on your pelvic floor and lead to incontinence.
5. Drink enough of water. Try to drink 1.5 litres of water per day. You might think that this will make you run to the toilet more, but reducing fluids often makes things worse not better, and can lead to other health issues.
6. Decrease caffeine and carbonated drinks. Drinking lots of caffeinated and carbonated drinks can make you want to urinate more. They can stimulate your bladder increasing your urge to urinate.
7. Don’t strain when going to the toilet. This can weaken your pelvic floor. If you are constipated get it sorted out.
8. Empty your bladder fully. When going to the toilet ensure that you completely empty your bladder, but don’t strain. This can help prevent infection.
9. Don’t go “just in case”. Try to go to the toilet when your bladder is full, and you need to go. Going this too often can train the bladder that this is a normal routine making you feel like you need to go more often and with smaller volumes.
10. See a doctor if… If your urine smells offensive or you have burning pain when you urinate you may have a urinary tract infection (UTI). Get this checked out by your doctor.
Emma Hindhaugh
If you have any concerns about your pelvic floor health call the practice on 9720 3007.
Emma Hindhaugh is a women’s and men’s pelvic floor physiotherapist.