If you’ve been diagnosed with urinary bladder weakness, there is a lot you can do yourself to eliminate or reduce these risk factors. To support the natural function of the bladder you can make small alterations to your diet and introduce specific daily exercises:
- Diet. Follow a wholesome diet with plenty of easily digestible, high fibre foods such as wholemeal bread, oats, raw fruit and vegetables but avoid foods that can lead to flatulence like pulses, cabbage, onions etc. Yoghurt and kefir are useful additions to your daily diet as they support your natural intestinal flora. Regulate your digestion by taking enough time for eating and avoiding excessive pushing during defecation.
Make sure you drink 1.5-3 litres a day. Herbal and fruit teas or slightly carbonated water are recommended - but avoid drinking fruit and vegetable juices, black tea, coffee and alcoholic beverages as these lead to increased urination and, therefore, act as irritants to the bladder.
- Routine. You can "accustom" your bladder to empty at fixed times, with specific intervals. Over time it adapts itself exactly to this rhythm and "forgets" the urge between these times. Begin your bladder training by going to the toilet during the day exactly every two hours for two weeks. Gradually you can increase the intervals between the planned trips to the toilet. You should always go to the toilet at these fixed times even if you do not feel the urge. Keep a diary to monitor your progress.
- Exercise. Regular exercise is very important and can actually improve symptoms but choose activities that don’t exert great pressure on the abdominal cavity and pelvic floor. Walking, swimming, dancing and cycling are ideal.
Yoga can have multiple benefits. As well as helping to reduce anxiety, it focuses on posture and includes exercises to strengthen the pelvis and pelvic floor.
From a practical perspective it’s a good idea to make a list of all the situations where you pass urine involuntarily (maybe when sneezing or coughing) and practice pre-emptive behaviours such as tensing the pelvic floor before the triggering moment, exhaling and keeping your back as straight as possible. Regular practice can lead to automatic contraction of the pelvic floor in trigger situations.
Similarly, practice regular relaxation techniques such as autogenic training, yoga or meditation and include activities in your daily life that reduce anxiety and bring you pleasure.
