Enjoying autumn activities with bladder problems

As the days begin to get shorter, the leaves turn orange and we prepare for all the indoor activities of the autumn and winter without neglecting our bladder health and prohibiting bladder problems. Here at iD, we want you to live life in full view, so we’ve got our top five tips for enjoying this season and all the fun it has to offer. 

1. Eat and drink to help your bladder  

Many people know that certain foods (such as caffeine, spicy food and alcohol) have a negative effect on symptoms of bladder weakness, but you may not know that there are actually foods and drinks that can help to alleviate your symptoms. It may be tempting in the cold weather to reach for a pumpkin spiced latte to warm you up, but the coffee in it is a diuretic (something that makes you wee) and will make your symptoms worse. Instead, reach for a nice warm peppermint tea or a milky hot chocolate, as whole or semi-skimmed milk can actually soothe your bladder1. For more tasty recipes for autumnal and wintery drinks read more here

Furthermore, tomato soup is a firm favourite on Guy Fawkes night, but for those with bladder problems, it can actually worsen your symptoms2. Instead, opting for a bean-filled soup, which is high in fibre and could lessen your symptoms, as increased fibre intake can benefit your bladder.3 

For more information, we have posts on bladder-friendly foods and drinks and changing your diet to handle bladder weakness

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2. Keep wrapped up nice and warm 

Of course, you’ll want to keep nice and warm anyway, but it’s also beneficial for your bladder. As the weather is colder, you sweat less and therefore you produce more urine instead.4 This can be problematic for people with bladder problems, because it’ll make you need to go more frequently. In addition, when your bladder muscles get cold, they can tense up, which makes it difficult to control them.5 So, keeping wrapped up with plenty of layers will help relax the muscles around your bladder, meaning it is easier to keep control over your bladder weakness symptoms.  

3. Stay fit and active  

While the poor weather can make it tempting to stay indoors and not exercise, it is important for your bladder health to keep moving. We have a blog with tips on how to prevent leaks during exercise, but simply, you can still get out and enjoy low intensity exercise, such as walking. You could even take up yoga, which can be done from home and has been shown to strengthen your pelvic floor and gain control of your symptoms6. We have summed up pelvic floor exercises for women here and pelvic floor exercises for men here.  Some poses can even be done from a chair, if you have limited mobility. 

4. Keep healthy and avoid getting sick  

All of the tips above will help to keep you healthy, but it’s also important for your bladder health. If you experience stress incontinence, then you may find you leak when you sneeze or cough, meaning that you definitely want to avoid all the coughs, colds, flu and coronavirus that is around. Wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds, maintain social distancing and wear masks where advised to.7 Also, keeping hydrated is important for your general health and for your bladder health. Drinking less will actually teach your bladder to hold smaller amounts of liquid, which means you’ll need to wee more frequently.8 

5. Plan ahead and be prepared  

If you’re planning a trip out to go trick or treating or watch the fireworks, then it may be worth going to the loo first before you leave9 and finding out what the toilet situation is at the venue. You could also consider using a continence product to help manage your symptoms, especially if you’re likely to be unable to access a toilet for a while. 

At iD, we have a wide range of high-quality continence products to help you manage your bladder problems. They are dermatologically-testedcomfortable and discreet, meaning no-one will know, especially under the bulky layers we wear in the colder seasons. You can shop the full range here.  

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