Are you facing the problem of a leaky bladder? Or, maybe you feel a sudden urge to relieve yourself, leading to involuntary urination. This condition is known as urinary incontinence or UI. Reports reveal that 15% and 16% of women in Singapore and Malaysia respectively suffer from UI, which negatively affects their lives. 

Several factors, like childbirth or hysterectomy, neurological disorders, diabetes, UTI, menopause, etc., can result in incontinence. Most women feel embarrassed and avoid talking about it. But, the truth is that UI — of both temporary and recurring types — can be managed with the help of diet, lifestyle changes, and exercise. 

If you’ve been looking for effective natural remedies for incontinence, here are four things that can help.

1. Dietary changes

Spicy foods, sugars, fizzy drinks, artificial sweeteners, and caffeine are the types of foods that can irritate a sensitive bladder. Caffeine, in particular, and alcohol are diuretics and hence, induce frequent urination. Replace these foods with green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds. A diet rich in vitamins and minerals will promote proper nerve and muscle function, which plays a crucial role in maintaining bladder health. 

2. Kegel exercises

Our pelvic muscles control the urine flow from the bladder. Stressful situations like childbirth, surgeries, or ageing often cause these muscles to loosen up, leading to incontinence. Daily practice of kegel or “clench and release” exercises can tighten your pelvic muscles, thus giving you better control over your bladder. These exercises don’t require any fancy equipment, and you need to do them only a few minutes twice or thrice a day.   

3. Bladder training 

Practice timed voiding by setting up a schedule to empty your bladder rather than waiting for the urge to urinate. This way, you’ll be training your bladder to follow a routine to relieve itself. Training your bladder to put off your bathroom visits a few minutes at a time is also another effective technique to improve incontinence problems. Aim to stretch the time between each bathroom break to build the holding capacity of your bladder. Medical practitioners advise a bathroom break every four hours. 

4. Herbal Drinks

Drinking specially formulated herbal teas like the Bladder Control Tea for Women are another excellent yet simple remedy for UI. Made from natural ingredients like cranberry, stinging nettle, corn silk, and lemon, among others, this concoction of therapeutic herbs helps reduce frequent urination and incontinence besides keeping your urinary tract in top shape. Enjoy a cup or two of this tasty brew every day to relax and heal your bladder naturally.

Now that you have four effective remedies to get started with, we hope you’ll give them a try and be on your way to an incontinence-free life.