Home Featured Diabetes & Incontinence: 3 Ways to Protect Your Bladder

Diabetes & Incontinence: 3 Ways to Protect Your Bladder

0
Diabetes & Incontinence: 3 Ways to Protect Your Bladder

Incontinence and diabetes are fast friends. Indeed, one of the most common symptoms of diabetes is frequent or sudden urination—in some, requiring multiple trips to the toilet each night. Although this symptom of diabetes is a familiar one, few stop to take a moment to consider what that means for their bladder’s health and tone, and still fewer take concrete steps to keep their bladder in tip-top shape.

Incontinence and Diabetes

Diabetes and urinary incontinence are related due largely to the presence of nerve damage in those with diabetes. As diabetic neuropathy progresses, the bladder’s function begins to ebb, resulting in the accidental release of urine, “dribbling,” and incomplete bladder emptying, all of which can result in an embarrassing (and potentially visible) accident.

If you experience neuropathy in any other area of your body, you may be at risk for developing some amount of urinary incompetence. Fortunately, there are ways to keep your bladder and nerves strong and happy and ward off embarrassing accidents—all without enlisting the help of Depends.

Protect Your Bladder: 3 Tips

#1. Practice Your Kegels

Even if incontinence is due to nerve damage, you can perform damage control by making sure your pelvic floor is strong and taut. Kegels are exercises in which you flex and relax your pelvic floor repeatedly. You can do this quickly, completing 100 or so while you take a shower, or you can clench for ten seconds, hold, and relax for 10 seconds, and repeat this as many times as necessary.

Strengthening your pelvic floor has additional benefits, ranging from easier childbirth to a more enjoyable sex life. Pelvic floor exercises can be completed by men and women, and both sexes can enjoy the eventual results of strengthened pelvic muscles.




#2. Empty Your Bladder Completely

One of the ways urinary incontinence affects people is through a loss of bladder strength, which can result in failing to empty the bladder entirely while urinating. Although this seems harmless, failing to empty your bladder can actually result in infection and create quite a problem if it is done habitually.

To empty your bladder despite nerve damage, lean forward to compress your bladder once you’ve finished on the toilet. This will force any remaining urine out of your bladder and will prevent infection.

#3. Drink Plenty of Water—And Avoid Caffeine

Although your impulse might be to cut back on your fluid intake to minimize the possibility of having an incontinence episode, this can actually damage your bladder further. Instead, make sure you are drinking plenty of water and voiding on a regular basis. If you are worried, you can be sure to use the restroom before you leave your home, immediately following meals, etc.

In addition to drinking plenty of water, you should also avoid caffeine, as caffeine has a diuretic effect and can cause your body to feel the urge to urinate frequently.

Urinary incontinence does not have to be a death sentence. With a little bit of planning, and plenty of working with your bladder and musculature, you can keep accidents to a minimum and improve your body’s outlook.

References

Wiley. Accessed 6/25/17.
NCBI. Accessed 6/25/17.
Diabetes Spectrum. Accessed 6/25/17.