Feeling like you can’t gain control over something in your life is never a fun experience, and light bladder leakage can be one of the most frustrating to try and tackle. Dealing with bladder leakage can definitely be tough, and while you’re certainly not alone (LBL affects thousands of women of all ages), we understand that you’re disheartened.
Because while ‘light’ is in the name, the burden of light bladder leakage can feel heavy, and it can be tough to know where to start as far as adapting strategies that can help. That’s where we come in – we’ve got five strategies and steps that you can work into your everyday life to help you handle LBL the most effective way possible…
1: Keeping up your water intake
It might seem counterintuitive – aren’t liquids the enemy here?! But no, drinking less fluids to keep your bladder less full is not the right move. While downing a major amount of water or liquid quickly can sometimes contribute to leakage, not drinking enough can cause bigger issues (as without healthy liquid intake, urine becomes more concentrated and signals ‘urgency’ to the bladder which can lead to more leaks than ever). Everyone’s ‘perfect’ liquid intake level is different, but as a general rule, around six to eight glasses per day should suffice. The colour of your urine can actually be a great indicator of whether you’re drinking enough, as a pale yellow shade means you’re adequately hydrated, whereas anything of the darker yellow variety can signal a need for more water.
2: Strengthening pelvic floor muscles
Yes, the muscles linked to your bladder are indeed ones you can ‘work out’ and strengthen. The move is called a ‘kegel exercise’, and simply refers to the action of squeezing or tightening your pelvic floor for a count of three before releasing. They’re not only easy in general, but even easy to do on the move. You can commit to a quick kegel muscle workout wherever you are – lying on your yoga mat, at your desk, or even sitting in your car in traffic. Start with however many ‘squeezes’ feel comfortable at first, before building up to a routine of 10 to 15 three times a day. Your bladder control should grow stronger as the muscles do!
3: Using odour-controlling liners
We’re all about helping you discover strategies for reducing LBL, but honestly, while you’re still struggling with it, we’re also 110 per cent certain you’re craving something that just helps you feel more comfortable during the day. Two of the biggest things we bet you’re in need of? Dryness and odour control. LBL can obviously leave you feeling less than fresh in both the ‘feel’ and ‘smell’ stakes, but blessedly, we have a solution that’ll help across the board. Try adding the Poise Advanced Odour Control Liners with Charcoal ($6.40 at Woolworths) to your bag (and bathroom) for multifaceted LBL relief. Powered by charcoal and the brand’s ABSORB-LOC® technology, these clever liners offer comfort-boosting absorbency as well as dual-layer odour protection (so much so that you can expect 95 per cent of odour reduction, compared to using no liner).
4: Cutting down on caffeine/alcohol
We know, we know: not ideal news for any coffee/wine lovers out there, but unfortunately caffeine and alcohol are two of the biggest bladder irritants around. And when a bladder is aggravated, it can become more overactive than ever – not the goal! While we understand it’s not quite the same for those times you’re hoping to pep up or wind down, a drink of water (or at least a smaller cup of coffee or glass of wine) is your best bet for keeping your bladder happy and regulated.
5: Consuming the right foods
Beverages aren’t the only bladder aggravators that could be triggering your LBL; the foods you consume can also play a major part. Foods that are acidic (think citrus fruits), spicy (sorry, chili lovers), salty (yep, that’s chips), or packed with caffeine (we hate to say it, but that does include chocolate) can all be causes of bladder irritation (and thus can equal less control over leakage). You may still be able to enjoy more modest amounts of each category while reducing LBL, but we suggest trying a strategy of elimination per sector (acidic, spicy, salty, and caffeinated) to see if your symptoms reduce, and assessing your path forward from there.
Main image credit: Getty
Have you dealt with light bladder leakage before? Have you tried any of these strategies?
Too much freshly squeezed orange juice it certainly a trigger for me.
Fortunately, I don’t suffer from bladder leakage (yet?), but I notice that I need to urinate more from tea or coffee, yet I can drink buckets of water & be OK.
excess exercise can do it too
Diet logically makes some difference but these are good tips.
This is such a problem. Lucky there are products that can help.
Sometimes it can be something is out of whack in your pelvic/hip region putting too much pressure, and also your brain is what controls the urges so you can do work to control that, there are ways and means. Drinking less will only make you dehydrated and cause numerous health issues. Drinking smaller amounts, sipping throught the day and not guzzling when you are thirsty can also help a lot.
I use liners for LBL. I’ll have to try the Poise ones with charcoal for odour control
Thankfully I haven’t had this problem. Good tips to keep in mind.
Thanks for this as I have never considered different foods as a trigger. Will keep this in mind and see if any of these foods affect me.
Luckily never. Thought only women who gave births can have this.
Thankfully not a problem for me (yet)
That’s interesting
Thankfully not really an issue for me!
Thankfully i don’t suffer from any leakage but poise would be my go to if i did.
Thanks for the great tips 🙂
I need to go to the loo more if I drink a Kombucha drink or have black tea. Thankfully no other issues though!
Great tips here. I need to consider.
Yep, will definitely keep these in mind. The odds are that the majority of us will experience it
I had no idea that those foods could trigger it. i love spicy foods
Great advice.