Share this page with friends
Natural Remedies For Bladder Weakness In Older People
Bladder weakness, or urinary incontinence, is really common among older people. However, it's not a normal part of ageing and should always be investigated by your GP. In fact, bladder weakness is common regardless of age.
It’s thought that 1 in 10 people in the UK have some form of bladder condition or weakness.
It’s important to remember that whilst challenging, bladder weakness can be manageable with the right lifestyle changes, pelvic floor exercises, as well as the right products and even some natural remedies.
Natural remedies are a great first step and fairly low-cost. They can provide some great long-term benefits and will be super helpful if you decide to explore other options down the line.
So here's some helpful tips on natural rememdies for bladder weakness, so you can benfit from a stronger bladder and improve your quality of life.
The Different Types Of Urinary Incontinence
If you’re experiencing bladder leakage, you’ll know that it’s not a one-size-fits-all issue. There are different types of urinary incontinence, all with different names and they’re triggered by different things.
Before we touch on the natural remedies, let’s touch quickly on the different types of urinary incontinence.
- Stress incontinence – Tied to certain activities, such as leaks when you laugh, sneeze, or exercise.
- Urge incontinence – Brought on by a sudden, intense need to go to the toilet.
- Overflow incontinence – Constant dribbling or frequent leaks due to a bladder that doesn’t fully empty.
- Functional incontinence – Leaks caused by physical or cognitive challenges getting to the toilet in time.
- Additionally, if you experience more than one type of incontinence on a frequent basis, it’s often referred to as mixed incontinence.
Depending on the type of bladder weakness or incontinence you are dealing with, you might some of the remedies listed below, more effective than others. Our advice would be to try each of them out in turn and see what works best for you.
Pelvic Floor Exercises (Kegel Exercises)
Building a strong pelvic floor is a great first step in managing urinary incontinence. It doesn’t require any medication or expertise, just a bit of know-how.
The pelvic floor makes up a group of muscles that form a hammock-like structure at the base of your pelvis.
A strong pelvic floor will help keep bladder leaks in check, especially if you’re experiencing stress incontinence.
Your pelvic floor has several vital functions: It supports organs like your bladder, uterus, and rectum while also maintaining continence and providing stability to your spine and pelvis.
Pelvic floor exercises are super easy to perform, and you can do them anywhere, at any time, without anyone noticing. The most common and easiest to perform is the humble Kegel.
How To Perform A Kegel Exercise
The Kegel has quickly become the go-to pelvic floor exercise. They’re really simple, and you can perform them absolutely anywhere and at any time.
- Empty your bladder before starting
- Imagine you’re urinating and you suddenly need to stop mid-stream (alternatively, imagine you are trying to stop passing wind)
- You should feel a contraction inside your body in the pelvic area
- Hold the contraction for 3 to 5 seconds, then release
- Wait 3 to 5 seconds and then repeat the contraction
- You can perform this stood up, sat down, or lay down
There are plenty of useful pelvic floor exercises that you can try at home. If you’re keen to learn some more techniques, why not watch our YouTube video?
We enlisted the help of personal trainer, Natalie Small, to run through some pelvic floor exercises that will keep your bladder strong and healthy.
Maintain A Healthy Weight
We can start small here, as it's important not to take too much on at once. However, the importance of regular exercise and daily movement cannot be overstated.
One of the many things that can affect our bladder is excess weight, as is can add mounting pressure on our bladder, which can make incontinence symptoms worse.
Keeping active and trying to maintain a healthy diet will help to alleviate pressure and improve bladder control. Later on in this article, we've outlined some useful food and drinks that you can incorporate into your diet to help support your bladder health.
Beginner-Friendly Exercises For Older People
Here's a list of a few accessible exercises, that should be suitable for a range of capabilities. If mobility is restricted and you’re not able to perform them, don’t be too disheartened.
Just trying to add in a little more movement in your day-to-day can go a long way, whether that's a short walk or at-home exercises.
-
Walking: Walking is a low-impact exercise that will help to maintain your overall fitness. Walking outside also has lots of mental health benefits and can improve your general well-being. If you’re worried about having bladder leaks whilst you’re on the go, you can find some helpful products in our article: How to choose incontinence products for active lifestyles.
-
Yoga: Yoga is a great way to stay limber, improve your mobility, and even strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. If you’re not sure which poses to try, take a look at our article, which outlines some incontinence-friendly yoga positions.
-
Swimming: Swimming is definitely tougher than the other two exercises we’ve talked about. But, it gets a special mention as it’s widely renowned as a joint-friendly exercise that’s great for building strength and losing weight.
Try To Stay Hydrated
Okay, this one might seem odd at first glance. Drink more to pee less?
Well, whilst many think that avoiding drinking liquids is the right thing to do, it actually can make symptoms much worse.
People with urinary incontinence are encouraged to still drink the recommended allowance of water. But you may rightly be thinking, why?
Dehydration can quickly lead to darker, more concentrated urine that can seriously irritate your bladder or even lead to a UTI in the worst cases.
In fact, it’s thought that dehydration is one of the leading causes of UTIs.
By staying hydrated and drinking enough water, you’ll keep your urine diluted, minimising bladder irritation. You should ideally aim for a champagne colour in your urine.
The best way to tell if you’re drinking enough is to have a quick look at your pee.
Food & Drinks To Support A Stronger Bladder
What’s a more natural remedy than food and drink? By incorporating some bladder-boosting food and drink, alongside cutting out bladder irritants, you can better maintain control of your bladder.
Here are some top foods and drinks to include in your diet to help with incontinence:
-
Water: Like we covered before, dehydration will cause your urine to become more concentrated and irritate your bladder, making things much worse. So, make sure you’re drinking plenty of water.
-
Cranberries: They contain compounds called proanthocyanidins (a big word to describe the chemical that gives fruits and flowers their colours) which can help prevent bacteria from sticking to the bladder walls, reducing the risk of infection. Cranberries can be enjoyed as a snack or a juice drink. Both are easily obtainable from the supermarket.
-
Fruit, Vegetables & Whole Grains: Foods high in fibre, such as fruit, vegetables & whole grains, will help ease constipation. This is important as constipation can put pressure on your bladder, increasing bladder weakness symptoms. Keeping the digestive system regular with a high-fibre diet can help to soften your stool and ease pressure on your bladder.
-
Leafy Greens: Spinach and kale are rich in Vitamin C, which can help prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTIs are an absolute nightmare, especially for people experiencing bladder weakness, so this can be a gamechanger.
-
Bananas: Banans are an excellent source of potassium, which can help regulate fluid balance in the body. This can be particularly helpful for those with incontinence, as too much fluid can put pressure on the bladder.
Food & Drink That Can Make Incontinence Symptoms Worse:
- Coffee (Caffeine In General): Unfortunately, coffee and caffeine have diuretic effects, which can irritate the bladder lining and worsen symptoms. A diuretic is a substance that increases urine production and can make incontinence worse.
- Fizzy Drinks: Fizzy drinks like lemonade, Coca Cola and sparkling water can be problematic because the bubbles can create gas in your bladder, leading to urgency and leaks. The caffeine in some of these drinks can also worsen symptoms.
- Alcohol: Lots of people enjoy a drink here and there, but, like coffee, it’s actually a diuretic. If you’re experiencing bladder weakness then it’s a good idea to stay away from alcohol.
- Spicy Foods: Spicy foods and artificial sweeteners have also been linked to bladder irritation and incontinence.
Bladder Training (Toilet Scheduling)
For some, it might be beneficial to set up a toilet schedule.
This works by being proactive and emptying your bladder in advance on a set schedule. This is sometimes called timed voiding or bladder training.
By setting a toilet schedule, you can help to reduce your risk of having an accident and subconsciously train your bladder.
It might seem like a bit of an odd thing to do at first, but if you stick with it, you can regain some control over your incontinence.
Here's how to get started with toilet scheduling:
- Set Intervals: Pick a time period to go to the toilet. (For instance, every 2-3 hours)
- Be Strict With It: Stick to the schedule (make use of alarms) and try to go at your set schedule
- Monitor Progress: Over time, try to increase the intervals between toilet trips.
Avoid Smoking (Nicotine and Vaping)
Smoking can be a huge contributor to incontinence and bladder weakness.
You might be thinking "how can inhaling smoke affect my bladder?" Studies into this area have shown that smokers have an increased risk for incontinence or bladder health issues.
This is because many smokers develop a chronic cough over time, which can put enormous pressure on the pelvic muscles, causing them to weaken and increasing the chance of stress incontinence.
Smokers may also experience more regular urges to use the restroom, as the chemicals in cigarettes and some vapes are irritanting for the bladder.
These chemicals have been shown to build up in urine, negatively affecting a smoker's bladder lining and increasing their risk of facing bladder cancer.
Herbal Remedies & Useful Supplements
Herbal remedies and supplements are simple to incorporate into your daily life, and when consistent, can show some really great results.
However, it is important that you consult a health professional whenever you’re thinking of starting a new supplement regime.
- Pumpkin Seed Extract: Known for its potential to strengthen bladder muscles and improve urinary function.
- Vitamin D: Vitamin D is essential for muscle health and can support the proper functioning of your pelvic floor muscles. Studies suggest that people with lower levels of vitamin D may be at a higher risk of urinary incontinence.
- Corn Silk Tea: Corn silk tea is made from the silky threads found on corn. It’s commonly used to help treat bladder infections in traditional Chinese medicine. It’s thought to soothe and relax the lining of the bladder and urinary tubules, reducing irritation and increasing urine secretion.
- Magnesium Supplements: Magnesium plays a key role in muscle function. Taking a magnesium supplement can help relax bladder muscles and reduce the symptoms of urinary incontinence.
Vivactive Bladder Supplements:
Our industry-leading bladder supplements are created with a blend of pumpkin seed extract and soy isoflavones to deliver a bladder-boosting experience.
Using only natural ingredients, you can strengthen your bladder and experience 73% fewer leaks in as little as 8 weeks.
Some supplements on the market take 10 weeks, or even 12 weeks. To us, that’s too long. Our unique blend of ingredients can ease your symptoms in just 8 weeks, saving you money in the long run.
Our clinically tested formula is a groundbreaking achievement in the incontinence market, boasting a 69% reduction in night-time leaks. Nocturia (leaking at night time) is a super common type of incontinence and one that most people could do without.
You can give them a try here.
