Incontinence is more common in elderly people and is a condition that causes a lot of embarrassment and inconvenience. Nowadays there are numerous treatments and drugs to help individuals regain control of their bladder and live a normal life.

Besides drugs and treatments, individuals with urinary incontinence can take a few important steps of their own to help reduce bladder urges.

Reducing or stopping caffeine intake completely can be very affective, caffeine irritates and stimulates the bladder causing urgent, frequent urination and an increase in urine production.

It is often believed cutting back on the intake of liquids can reduce the urge to urinate, however this not true. In fact the lack of liquids can cause dehydration, causing urine to become more concentrated resulting in increased bladder urgency which can lead to bladder infection.

Excess amounts of alcohol and spicy food can also have negative effects to individuals suffering from urinary incontinence, try to avoid those as much as possible and you should notice a reduction on incontinence episodes.

Develop a regular schedule of urinating to encourage the bladder to hold more urine and work on gradually increasing the time between urination, but don’t hold it for too long as this can increase the risk of urinary tract infection.

The last tip is well known one of the readers of our blog but is always worth remembering as it is a highly effective incontinence treatment. If you thought of Pelvic Floor muscle exercises you were right! Also know as Kegel exercises, these exercises strengthen the pelvic muscles to help prevent leakages. Check out our guide to pelvic floor exercises.