There are treatments that can relieve the symptoms of urinary incontinence, but there are also remedies that can help regain control over the urinary bladder.
These remedies for urinary incontinence include daily exercise, certain changes in lifestyle and diet and the administration of some supplements that have a beneficial effect.
Few people speak openly about this taboo subject, but according to statistics, over 25 million people face urinary incontinence, of which almost 80% are women.
The most effective remedies for urinary incontinence
Kegel exercises – I assume the training of the pelvic muscles, i.e. the same group of muscles that we use to stop the sensation of urination. Such exercises are very useful both in the treatment of incontinence and in cases of decreased libido, as a method of arousing the partner.
You can start by doing 5 minutes of exercises, 2 times a day. You just need to contract the respective muscles, hold them for 1-2 seconds, relax and repeat. Along the way, you can increase the time you hold the contraction up to 10-15 seconds.
Maintain your weight– or lose a few kilos if it seems to you that the clothes don’t quite fit you anymore. Excess weight is a major risk factor in the occurrence of urinary incontinence, so if you get rid of the extra pounds you will significantly reduce your chances of suffering from this problem.
Abdominal fat, in particular, is responsible for putting pressure on the bladder and pelvic muscles, so do your best to get rid of your belly, do crunches and eat a diet that melts the fat in that area.
Hydrate yourself – although it seems a contradiction, you must drink as much water as possible to avoid bladder problems. More precisely, drink at least 2 liters of water daily to prevent constipation, which can irritate the bladder and cause incontinence.
You just have to be careful to drink water throughout the day and not mainly in the evening, because you may have the surprise of needing to go to the toilet all night.
Supplements useful in the treatment of urinary incontinence
Take magnesium supplements– this is an important mineral for the proper functioning of the muscular and nervous system, but it can also be useful in the treatment of urinary incontinence.
In a study conducted by experts at Tel Aviv University in Israel, it was found that almost half of the participants who took magnesium supplements twice a day saw a noticeable improvement in their bothersome incontinence symptoms.
Doctors believe that magnesium has the ability to reduce muscle spasms at the level of the urinary bladder and thus allows its complete emptying. If you don’t want to take supplements, you can get high doses of magnesium from natural sources like corn, potatoes or bananas.
Vitamin D– this vitamin favors the absorption of calcium and keeps the bones in top shape. Research also suggests that vitamin D it can also be useful in the treatment of urinary incontinence.
Unfortunately, most women do not have a sufficient intake of this vitamin, also called the “sunshine vitamin”. A quantity of 600 IU of vitamin D daily, exposure for at least 15 minutes to the sun and a diet rich in milk, eggs and fish are recommended.
Give up vices and coffee
Quit smoking – in case you need another reason to quit this habit, find out that smoking contributes to urinary incontinence through the irritating effect of nicotine on the bladder.
In addition, smokers tend to cough more often and in the long term this activity can contribute to the development of stress on the urinary bladder and the occurrence of pelvic organ prolapse which causes involuntary loss of urine.
Forget the coffee – this liquid has a diuretic effect, so it can contribute to the irritation of the urinary bladder and can stimulate the contraction of the pelvic muscles, which inevitably leads to the onset of incontinence.
Also, coffee is a brain stimulant, and since the bladder is controlled by the frontal lobe of the brain, we can say that when the brain is stimulated, the same thing happens with the bladder.