As we age, the pelvic floor muscles become weaker, which increases the risk of bladder leaks. But suffering from bladder leaks doesn’t have to be an inevitable part of aging. In fact, you can train your bladder to be more effective and reduce your risk of leaks.
The best way to train your bladder is to make it stronger through exercise. Now, this isn’t the type of exercise you do in the gym, but one you can do in the comfort of your own home.
5 Steps to Bladder Training
One way to train your bladder is to extend the amount of time in between urinations. These five steps can help you achieve this type of bladder training.
Step 1: For a couple of days, document how often you urinate or leak.
Step 2: For each day, calculate the amount of time in between urinations.
Step 3: Based on the calculations, choose an interval that you can hold your urine for.
Step 4: Always empty your bladder upon awakening. Throughout the day, continue to add 15 minutes to your intervals. Continue this routine until you feel comfortable with it.
Step 5: Once you’ve mastered your initial training, create a new regimen by adding an additional 15 minutes to each interval.
Another form of bladder training to strengthen pelvic muscles is to stop your stream of urination while peeing. You can do this several times while you’re urinating.
That motion of stopping urination can also be done when you’re not urinating. This technique is called a Kegel and it can be done anytime and anywhere. Simply contract your pelvic floor muscles throughout the day in order to keep your muscles strong.
Also read:
- 9 yoga poses to strengthen your bladder
- Natural bladder supplements: 18 herbal remedies for overactive bladder