Urinary Incontinence is often looked at as an embarrassing situation. Due to the nature of the condition, one can never tell when you might face an involuntary leakage and hence wish to always be near a bathroom. Keeping this in mind you often tend to cut down on your water intake to avoid such accidents or cut the number of visits to the bathroom or you could use diaper pants for adults to ensure that you don't harm your bladder in exchange of fewer bathroom visits.
But if you do cut down your water intake you do more harm than good. It is understood that dehydration can trigger incontinence. Staying hydrated is one of the key requirements for the entire body to function which includes the bladder, kidneys and urethra. As per a study, dehydration causes the urine inside your bladder to become concentrated which thereby irritates the bladder. Thus, leading to increased urination.
It is important that one continues drinking water and doesn't allow their bodies to feel dehydrated especially during summer. Often, dehydration can lead to headaches, dizziness and a lack of concentration on top of bladder irritation. Inadequate hydration also leads to constipation, which can indirectly cause urinary incontinence when a strained bowel places pressure on the bladder.
Plus, the more concentrated the urine, the stronger and more noticeable the smell, which in turn causes more embarrassment in case you do end up voiding involuntarily.
Establish good water habits -
Don't hold back when it comes to consuming water. To avoid accidents, you can simply use diaper pants for adults and follow a few simple things to ensure the same:
Not too much, not too little, just strike the right balance - Listen to your body and drink as much water as it needs. While some say that we need eight glasses of water a day but your body type and level of physical activity will surely give the right indication of how much you may need.
Another titbit is the colour of your urine which tells you how well hydrated you are. A dark yellow colour signifies that you need more water, whereas crystal clear urine means that you are overhydrated. The colour of healthy urine is a pale straw colour which tells you that you are hydrated just the right amount. If you are unable to gauge the colour you could even give your diaper pants for adults a peek after use to understand better.
Keep a bladder diary -
Maintaining a proper bladder diary is one of the best ways of tracking the relationship between your fluid intake and the frequency of urination. It also helps you track the occurrence of accidents or leakages that happen in tandem with what fluid and how much of it you were having at the time. This, thereby, helps you understand just the right amount of fluid intake. If the visits do increase you can opt to use elderly diapers to better manage your situation.
Drink when thirsty -
Are you one of those who cut down on water before a meeting or any event, even though you are parched? Don't do that, as dehydration at any given time is not good news and hence not good for your body and bladder. You could rather opt to take small, frequent sips to ensure that you aren't thirsty. And, you can even choose to use elderly diapers that will help you manage incontinence in situations like these.
Stick to water -
Sugary and alcoholic beverages tend to cause bladder irritation and don't even hydrate you optimally. It is best to stick with water or probably herbal tea during the day. If you struggle to drink plain water, you could maybe flavour them with a few slices of lemon, strawberry or mint to make it a refreshing drink. On top of that, you could manage urine leakage by giving underpads a try when going to bed.
Limit your fluid intake before bedtime -
If you feel you are more prone to accidents during the night, then try having your last drink a while before you go to bed. Do try avoiding caffeinated drinks or alcohol before bedtime as it tends to cause more irritation in the bladder and thereby cause accidents. To be extra sure and certainly more comfortable you could opt for underpads during bed to have a sound sleep.
Hydration is key to managing incontinence - Keeping this motto in mind and making elderly diapers your best friend, you can manage involuntary leakage like a pro.
