Urinary incontinence is often treated with shame. People feel as if they’re alone when dealing with this problem; it’s something they feel that they can’t talk about. Urinary incontinence is often associated with the very old and the very young. It’s therefore connected to a lack of freedom. However, urinary incontinence can happen to anyone. It’s considered a debilitating condition, and it’s quite widespread, affecting anywhere from 10% to 20% of the entire population of Europe.

You can’t necessarily eliminate your urinary incontinence, depending on its source. But you can ensure that it affects you less severely, even in your daily life. With that being said, let’s look into some of the ways that you can fight against your urinary incontinence.

1. Prepare

There are several ways that you can prepare for incidents involving urinary incontinence, even if you can’t stop the incontinence yourself. Incontinence often occurs most when people are sleeping, ruining their bedding and causing embarrassment and frustration. You may want to consider purchasing waterproof bottom sheets. That way, you can easily clean your sheets and reuse them over time. Additionally, it may be worth it to wear absorbent underwear if incontinence affects you during your daily life. This isn’t a necessity for everyone, but for those that need it, absorbent underwear can make a major difference.

2. Try Pelvic Floor Exercises

Urinary incontinence is often connected to pelvic floor weakness. While pelvic floor exercise alone may not stop the problem completely, daily practice has been connected to lessening the effects. Do these exercises with your doctor’s advice, and count on your waterproof bottom sheets to keep you comfortable at night. Give pelvic floor exercises a try!

3. Avoid Lifting Heavy Objects

Incontinence episodes don’t always occur randomly; sometimes, they’re connected to actions. If you lift heavy objects often, bear in mind that it may affect your incontinence. When possible, try to avoid lifting these objects. You’ll be glad that you did!

4. Be Mindful of What You Consume

Excessive consumption of alcohol and caffeine have also been linked to incontinence. Consider talking to your doctor about how you can change your diet to reduce these episodes.

Incontinence is more common than you think. Remember: even if you can’t eliminate it, you can potentially lessen it.