If you experience incontinence, you are probably on the lookout for products and solutions that make managing your bladder issues easier. You may have even heard of panty liners or pads made specifically for those who deal with incontinence, but do they actually make your life easier? Are there other ways to effectively handle your bladder issues?
If you’re interested in learning how to treat your incontinence from home, we have a few suggestions that you might find helpful. We’re about to offer our thoughts on panty liners for incontinence, as well as break down our tips and tricks for effectively managing your bladder issues. Continue reading if you’re interested in learning more about at-home incontinence management.
The Benefits of Panty Liners for Incontinence
Panty liners made specifically for those experiencing incontinence can be extremely beneficial for a number of reasons. This is because these panty liners are made to stay dry, protect your skin’s natural pH, neutralize odor, and stay discreet. All of these aspects can make it far easier to manage your incontinence, especially if you’re interested in staying healthy and avoiding embarrassment.
Additionally, if you have a menstrual cycle, some incontinence panty liners can be useful for these as well. If you think you might deal with your period and bladder issues simultaneously, you no longer need to worry about utilizing two different products to address these separate issues. Incontinence panty liners are highly absorbent and can neutralize the smell of blood and urine simultaneously.
Although panty liners may not treat your incontinence, they make it much easier for you to walk out of the house in confidence. Further, if you are actively treating your incontinence issues, these can also be useful in the short term as you establish healthier habits and communicate with medical care providers.
Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor
One of the leading causes of incontinence, as well as some other bladder issues, is a weak pelvic floor. But, just like other parts of your body, you can strengthen your pelvic floor, effectively reducing the need to constantly manage your bladder control. You can increase the control you have over your bladder by doing Kegels on a regular basis.
Kegels are the most popular exercise used to strengthen the pelvic floor, and they can be done by contracting or flexing the muscles you use to control the stream of urine whenever you use the restroom. As an added bonus, strengthening your pelvic floor can make orgasms feel more intense and pleasurable, and this aspect encourages many people to do Kegels daily.
However, if you’re planning on doing Kegels regularly, it’s important to avoid overworking the muscles. We recommend starting with just 20 repetitions of Kegels per day, holding each rep for as long as you can. If you’d like to do more than this, we strongly recommend discussing this with your doctor and increasing gradually. Doing too much at once may cause strain or injury to your pelvic floor, as can occur with any other muscle, so please practice caution with your exercises.
Lose Excess Weight
If you are carrying excess weight on your body, this could be exacerbating your issues with incontinence. Extra weight can apply extra pressure to your bladder, making you less likely to maintain control over your urination. According to some medical health providers and experts from NCBI, weight loss may be significantly helpful in reducing this issue.
Some have even found that reaching a healthy weight for your body can easily be the most effective treatment for incontinence. Many people have found that losing weight has completely eradicated their bladder issues. Therefore, if you are overweight, your condition may significantly benefit from shedding a few pounds.
Reduce Caffeine Intake
If you drink coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or other caffeinated beverages, the presence of caffeine may be making your incontinence more difficult to manage. This is primarily because caffeine can irritate your bladder, making you more likely to lose control of the muscle.
Additionally, many caffeinated beverages are diuretics, which are substances that make you more likely to use the restroom and lose control of your bladder. Therefore, reducing your caffeine intake can make it far easier to manage your incontinence and avoid embarrassment while you’re out and about.
Stop Smoking
Smoking, whether cigarettes or other substances, can also make your issues with incontinence worse. This primarily has to do with the increased probability of coughing whenever you smoke. Coughing frequently causes our bladders to contract uncontrollably, so breaking this habit will significantly reduce how often you lose control.
Smoking can also cause you to develop bladder cancer, which can intensely irritate your bladder and pelvic floor. This development can easily weaken your bladder, making it far more difficult for you to hold in your urine.
Conclusion
If you deal with incontinence, you may find panty liners extremely beneficial in your day-to-day life. However, there are many other long-term habits you can develop that can eradicate your incontinence issues entirely. If you cut back on smoking, lessen your caffeine intake, or otherwise improve your lifestyle, easy incontinence management may be just around the corner.