How to Keep a Proper Hydration Routine and Hygiene Care in Winter
Do you pass urine more frequently than usual when it’s cold? Are your bladder issues getting worse during the winter months? If you answered yes to these questions, then you’re likely experiencing a phenomena called cold diuresis. It essentially means increased urination caused by cold temperatures.i
Imagine the number of fluids you lose in a day when you have both bladder weakness and cold diuresis. This even increases your risk of getting dehydrated, which can lead to urinary tract infections. For this reason, keeping up with your daily hydration routine and hygiene care must be your utmost priority. If doing this is difficult for you, don’t worry, we’ve got your back!
In this article, we’re going to share some proven tips for managing bladder weakness during the colder months, whether you’re at work or at home.
Check Your Urine Colour
While drinking 8 glasses of water each day is the standard, some people might actually need to drink more to stay well hydrated. The simplest way to know that you’re drinking enough fluids is by checking your urine colour. If it’s light yellow or colourless, you are hydrated. But if it’s dark or amber, you may need to increase your water intake.ii This will also help your urinary system flush irritants from your bladder.
Stay Well Hydrated
This tip might seem like common sense, but water does a lot of important things to your body, more than you probably realise. Staying hydrated can help regulate your body temperature, decrease joint inflammation, and remove toxic waste from your system.
Aside from water, it’s also best to eat fruits and vegetables that have high water content, such as cucumber, tomatoes, watermelon, lettuce and even soups. If you spend most of your time outside, always bring a bottle of water with you. At the gym, drink water before, during and after exercise. Also, keep a bottle of sports drink handy to replenish carbs and electrolytes that you will lose from working out. If you experience urine leaks while doing physical activity, take some extra adult pads to manage accidents discreetly.
Lastly, always recognise the symptoms of dehydration to prevent health complications associated with it, including UTI. These include dry mouth, extreme thirst, dizziness, fatigue, confusion, and headache.iiiIf you checked out all of the symptoms, go to the hospital immediately to get treatment.
Limit Caffeinated and Alcoholic Drinks
If you want to stay well hydrated each day, then it also means that you have to make little sacrifices to make that happen. We know how difficult it is to say no to hot chocolate, tea, or coffee during the colder months, but these drinks are known diuretics; which means they can irritate your bladder and worsen your bladder weakness symptoms.
For most people, sipping a drink with about 200mg to 300mg of caffeine is safe, but this may not be the case for some who have bladder issues.iv We suggest consulting your physician to get some advice on how much caffeine you can consume per day.
Practice Bladder Training Techniques
When travelling, having a frequent need to urinate followed by involuntary urine leakage can be inconvenient, especially if you’re nowhere near a bathroom to clean up. By training your bladder to hold it in for 5 more minutes or respond at appropriate times, you might be able to avoid such accidents.
Bladder exercises like Kegel and squeeze and release are some of the effective ways to retrain your bladder.v Simply sit upright, lift and hold your sphincters for 3 seconds, and then release. Repeat 10 times and do it twice a day for 3 to 6 months.
Stay Clean and Dry
Your skin may be sensitive to the irritants present in your urine. Plus, urine can contain disease-causing bacteria that may re-enter your urethra if not wiped away after urinating.
For this reason, make it a habit to wipe your bottom area clean and dry after you wee to avoid skin problems and urinary tract infections. Change your absorbent pad if it has reached its capacity already. Regular hand washing is also important when it comes to lowering your risk of catching viruses that can cause influenza, rhinovirus, enterovirus, among other respiratory diseases.
Finally, to maintain proper hygiene at work and anywhere else, sit close near the bathroom to ensure you’ll make it on time and plan your toilet visits (e.g., every 3 hours of your journey). If you’re able to avoid having leaks as much as possible, you’ll be less susceptible to infections.
Pack a Bladder Weakness Kit
If your bladder weakness causes you to have moderate to heavy urine leaks, make sure that you always bring an incontinence kit with you, especially if you’re going on a trip. In your duffle bag, put some extra clothes, cotton underwear, absorbent pads, tissue, towels, prescription drugs, and/or a catheterisation kit (for men).
Now, you might be curious to know if wearing a pad can cause skin infection and odour. Well, it can, but that generally depends on the quality of materials used and hygiene care. If your pad isn’t highly absorbent, you’ll likely have increased wetness after a few leaks, which may result in skin irritation and microbial growth.vi
Luckily, we have a wide range of super absorbent protective underwear products for men, women, and children. Designed to fit all sizes and with patient’s discretion in mind, we have different pads for different levels of bladder weakness: light, moderate, and heavy. They are also made from breathable and dermatologically tested materials for maximum comfort.
ii 10 Colors that Suggest Urine Trouble
iii Dehydration
iv Hydration: What It’s So Important?