How to Improve Bladder Control

Poor bladder control can be a distressing and embarrassing condition. Many self-care strategies are available to help you improve bladder control. They involve behavioral techniques and lifestyle modifications.

Instructions

• 1

  Monitor your fluid intake. Aim for the recommended eight eight-ounce glasses of water daily but avoid drinking too much in a short period; this overwhelms the bladder and creates a feeling of urgency. The Mayo Clinic recommends drinking two glasses of fluids with each meal and having the remaining two somewhere during the day between meals.

• 2

  Avoid or reduce consumption of bladder irritants. Caffeine and alcohol increase urine production. Acidic fruits, spicy foods, foods that contain tomatoes, soda, foods high in sugar, artificial sweeteners and corn syrup can irritate the bladder and contribute to incontinence. If you regularly consume any of these foods or beverages, eliminate them for one week and see if your symptoms improve.

• 3

  Perform pelvic floor exercises. These exercises, called Kegel exercises, will tighten and strengthen the muscles involved in urination. Squeeze your pelvic floor like you are trying to stop the flow of urine to find the correct muscles. The Mayo Clinic advises you to squeeze the muscle for three seconds and relax for three seconds. Do this 10 times three times a day. Once you feel comfortable with three seconds, move to squeezing four seconds and relaxing four seconds and so on up to 10 second intervals. Do these exercises after you have emptied your bladder.

• 4

  Retrain your bladder. If you are having bladder control issues, you are probably used to going frequently and when the smallest urge strikes. According to the Mayo Clinic, this behavior makes your bladder send incorrect messages to the brain about your bladder being full even when it is not. Bladder retraining involves setting up a bathroom schedule that you stick to regardless if you have the urge to go at the scheduled time. As time goes on, you extend the time between bathroom visits. This scheduling permits your bladder to fill up more and help you control your urges to urinate. You should consult with your doctor about setting up a retraining schedule. Start off by making a "bladder diary" in which you make a note every time you go to the bathroom. This can serve as a starting point for you and your doctor to work out a schedule.