How To Help a Leaky Bladder: Tips and Tricks for Urinary Incontinence

When your kitchen sink starts leaking, you can call a plumber, but you probably don’t have that same luxury when your bladder starts leaking. And even though your local handyman might not be able to help with slight urinary incontinence, you don’t need a specialist to help stop your drips.

There are plenty of lifestyle changes and tricks for mild incontinence or urine loss to reduce the likelihood of a leak. Here are some of our favorite remedies.

1. Wear Protection

When it starts to rain outside, you throw open an umbrella. And when it starts to pour inside your pants, you can put a barrier to absorb the liquid and go about your day. Male incontinence products are a lifesaver for slight incontinence.

You need to know where to look for the right products. Many incontinence products are created with the female anatomy in mind simply because urine loss is more common in women. Most products you’ll find in stores are flat, absorbent pads that fit inside a woman’s underpants to catch leaks.

If you think about your anatomy for a second, you’ll probably recognize why a flat pad might not do the trick to catch those drips. Men need something a bit more well-rounded to absorb their urine in comfort and style. This is where Male Drip Protection, or MDP, swoops in to save the day.

MDP is less of a pad and more like a sleeve that fits perfectly around your manhood to catch every leak possible. Its proprietary two-strap design can fit around a penis of any shape and size. You can easily adjust its grip for a tighter or looser hold throughout the day.

MDP is also made with a soft material that feels comfortable during any activity. From running to lifting, from golfing to relaxing, MDP will ensure you don’t need to give up what you love just because of a couple of drips and dribbles. You can also wear MDP with any type of underwear you choose. Boxers, briefs, or panties — we’re not here to judge.

The best way to see the difference that MDP can make is to feel it yourself. Try it out today to feel the difference that MDP makes.

2. Cut Back on Caffeine

There’s nothing better than sitting on the porch with the newspaper in one hand and a hot cup of coffee in the other. And we’ll preface this by saying we’re never going to tell you to give up caffeine completely. That said, being mindful of your intake can benefit your bladder health.

Coffee, as well as many other caffeinated beverages, is highly acidic. Acids can irritate the lining of the bladder and upset your nervous system, affecting how your body controls urine.

Just be mindful of your caffeine intake, and perhaps try to switch out your morning coffee with a decaf alternative now and then.

3. Strengthen the Pelvic Floor

Your pelvic floor is the muscles located between your tailbone and your groin. They’re responsible for holding your bladder and releasing it when you go to the bathroom. A weak pelvic floor can naturally affect your ability to hold everything in.

You can gain strength by doing pelvic floor exercises (called Kegels). These are as simple as just tightening your muscles down there, squeezing for a few seconds over a 15 to 20-minute period each day. You can even do it while sitting at the office or chilling on the couch watching your favorite shows.

Always consult your doctor before beginning pelvic floor exercises.

4. Stop Smoking

It’s not much of a secret that smoking isn’t too great for your overall health. Not only can it contribute to oral and lung cancer, but it can also increase your risk of incontinence. There are a few reasons for this.

For one, it’s been found that smoking can bother the bladder and lead to increased urination. However, it’s also been noted that smoking can lead to excess coughing or coughing spasms, which can put increased pressure on the bladder and cause a leak.

Quitting smoking is a lot easier said than done — trust us, we know. But being mindful of how many puffs you take per day is an important step towards your overall health and wellness.

5. Shed Some Pounds

Being overweight or obese can have a cascading negative effect on health overall. But it can have immediate effects on your bladder. 

Excess pressure in the form of excess weight can make it more difficult for you to control your bladder and keep your pelvic floor strong. It’s been found that weight losses between five and 10 percent can have sufficient benefits for urinary incontinence. Of course, it’s hard to lose weight when performing exercise makes you leak in the first place.

This is another situation where MDP is perfect. It can hold up to two ounces of urine, letting you play that game of tennis, pump out that hardcore gym session, or go on that long walk without needing to worry about leaking through your shorts.

6. Drink More Fluids (You Read That Right)

Many people assume that they should stop drinking as much fluid throughout the day to cut back on the times they need to go to the bathroom. While this makes sense in theory, it actually might do more harm than good.

If you don’t drink fluids, your bladder capacity decreases, making it easier for your bladder to overflow and leak without you even realizing it. You want to maintain a normal fluid intake, even with incontinence.

Aim to drink around six to eight glasses of water daily for proper health functioning and proper bladder capacity.

7. Be Careful When Lifting

Many people leak a little bit when they need to lift something heavy because of the pressure this puts on the pelvic floor. As you continue to build pelvic strength, try to avoid lifting heavy objects as much as possible. But in the meantime, when you do need to lift something heavy, be sure to tighten your pelvic muscles throughout the movement.

8. Watch What You Eat

There are certain foods, especially spicy foods and highly acidic foods (lemons and limes) that can irritate the lining of the bladder. Alcohol is another irritant that can make it more difficult for you to hold in your urine without leaking.

9. Empty Your Bladder On a Schedule

If you go to the bathroom on a regular schedule, you might be able to get your body in the habit of emptying based on a routine time of day. This is called timed voidings, and it’s a great tactic to help you empty on a consistent basis rather than waiting for the urge to go.

It might also be a good idea to empty your bladder before physical activity, even if it doesn’t fully adhere to your schedule. This can help avoid leakage during the activity.

10. Try Medications

If nothing else seems to work, talk to your doctor about medications you might be able to take for your incontinence. Oxybutynin and tolterodine are options to calm an overactive bladder, which might be useful for certain forms of incontinence.

Remember that all medications have possible side effects that might be more unwanted than anything. Chat with your doctor. Wearing incontinence products like MDP might be a more effective and safer choice for some men.

In Conclusion

Having a leaky bladder can easily ruin your day, but you don’t need to let it stop you from doing what you love. There are some simple tips and tricks to stop a leaky bladder easily.

Cutting back caffeine and smoking, drinking more water to increase bladder capacity, emptying your bladder on a schedule, strengthening your pelvic floor, and trying to maintain a healthy weight are all great ways to work towards combating incontinence.

But in the meantime, MDP can help you protect your trousers from a leaky situation. It’s comfortable, discreet, and fits all sizes. Try it out for yourself to finally gain confidence in your incontinence.

Sources:

Urinary Incontinence - Symptoms - Treatment | Urology Care Foundation

Bladder irritants | University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics

7 Urologic Conditions Impacted by Smoking | Urology Care Foundation

Improving Urinary Incontinence in Overweight and Obese Women Through Modest Weight Loss | NCBI