Here are 5 tips to help you stop leaking! Over 50% of women will develop some leakage at some point in their lives. It’s incredibly common BUT it is not normal.
Yes, you read that right – IT IS NOT NORMAL to leak!!
Despite what you may have been told, leaking is not a normal part of having a baby or going through the menopause, it is just incredibly common and it is fixable.
5 tips to help you stop leaking
Our 5 tips to help you stop leaking start with understanding. It’s important to understand your bladder and know what causes you to leak. In fact, this is half the battle when treating the problem.
What is the bladder?
The bladder is a muscular storage organ. It slowly expands to collect and store urine until we’re ready to get rid of it.
The bladder is constantly being filled with wee (approx. 1ml every minute). As it fills, it sends signals to your brain letting it know how full it is. Eventually, when the bladder has collected around 250ml-300ml of wee, it will send a signal telling the brain to go to the toilet so it can be emptied.
The bladder is supported by the pelvic floor muscle, which helps to keep it in place and acts as a gate keeper: keeps the week inside the bladder until it is time to go to the toilet, when the pelvic floor muscle relaxes to let the wee out.
However, sometimes the friendship between the bladder and the pelvic floor can go south and we can develop problems like urgency or stress incontinence.
There’s 2 types of incontinence?
Yes, there are 2 types of leaks: Urgency and stress. Both have slightly different symptoms and are treated in slightly different ways:
Urgency incontinence
Think of urgency incontinence a bladder sensitivity problem: It is when you get a sudden and overwhelming desire to wee and are unable to resist the urge to go causing you to leak.
Stress incontinence
Think of stress incontinence a bladder support problem: it is when you leak when you cough, sneeze, laugh or exercise due to your pelvic floor muscle struggling to support the bladder.
To help keep your bladder happy and healthy, try these 5 tips to help you stop leaking:
1. Do your pelvic floor squeezes
Squeeze your pelvic floor when you get a sudden urge to go. This help it pass and, over time, will help desensitise your bladder. Squeezing before you sneeze, cough, laugh or bend over helps to prevent leaks and strengthen your pelvic floor.
You can do these exercises anywhere and any time. They only take a few seconds and nobody will even know you’re doing them! Remember to relax your muscles after each squeeze. As with any muscle, you don’t want to tire out your pelvic floor muscles as this will actually weaken them further!
2. Wee every 3-4 hours during the day
Going to the toilet “just in case” (e.g: going when you see a toilet or before leaving the house) trains your bladder to get used to not holding as much liquid. This means you’ll start needing the toilet more often. In other words, the more you go, the more you’ll go.
Instead, listen to your body and only go to the toilet when you feel the urge.
3. Drink 2 litres of water a day (around 6 to 8 cups)
Don’t restrict what you drink. By reducing your fluid intake, your body dehydrates but your bladder will continue to fill anyway, just with more concentrated wee. Concentrated urine irritates the bladder meaning you’ll need to wee more often.
The general guidance is to drink 2 litres of water a day. Remember that soft drinks and caffeinated beverages often dehydrate you more!
4. Relax on the toilet and breathe!
Don’t power-wee! Avoid pushing or straining to get your wee out faster. This puts pressure on your pelvic floor causing it to fatigue and weaken.
Try to relax as much as possible when you go to the toilet.
5. Sit down on the toilet
Don’t hover over the toilet seat. Hovering causes your pelvic floor muscles to clench and can make it difficult for you to fully empty your bladder.
By optimising your bladder habits and working on your pelvic floor strength in with your pelvic floor squeezes, you too can stop leaking!
Physiotherapy for women
If you are struggling or need more support in stopping your leaks, get in touch, there is always hope!
Don’t let the fear of leaks hold you back from living your best life. Our 5 tips to help you stop leaking are a great place to start. However, sometimes it’s best to seek professional help.
At Thrive Physiotherapy for Women we offer a range of services to help you strengthen your pelvic floor. Whether you want to overcome pain or leaks, we can help! We offer a tailored service where you’ll be listened to and understood.
Our Pelvic Strength Exercise Classes run over the course of 8 weeks. They’re designed to help you strengthen your pelvic floor. And you’ll gain all the tools you need to continue your strengthening exercises even after the classes have finished.
This is all part of empowering you to regain your confidence and move fearlessly!