Some individuals look forward to the colder weather because it means more cozy sweaters, time spent cuddling by the fire, and hot chocolate dates with their loved ones. For many reasons, the change in season should be exciting and anticipated, but cold weather and bladder control are incompatible for one in four women.
Many of us undergo our struggles with bladder leakage as wintertime female incontinence develops. Therefore, learning essential incontinence winter health advice is crucial to avoid accidents during the chilly months.
Why Are People Unable To Control Their Bladders In Cold Weather?
Lack of sweating in winter leads to increased restroom visits. Women with incontinence are more likely to suffer from frequent bladder leakage— it’s inevitable. Besides, we also tend to increase our intake of tea and coffee.
The winter festivities also call for higher consumption of alcoholic beverages. However, keep in mind that alcohol and caffeine make incontinence symptoms worse, which is why leakage among women increases in the winter.
According to studies, the muscles around our bladders tighten when it becomes colder and thus making it harder to hold urine. That is why women with incontinence suffer from frequent leaks during winter. However, here we share a few quick tips to make incontinence management more straightforward and effective.
Tips For Managing Urinary Incontinence
The key is to stay mindful of your eating habits, water intake, exercise, and toilet habits. We’ve put up some tips to help people dealing with urine incontinence in the winter.
Avoid Diuretics
Be mindful of the types of liquids you consume. During the colder months, you might drink more hot beverages like tea, coffee, or chocolate, including some caffeine. A well-known diuretic, caffeine can irritate the bladder and exacerbate the signs of incontinence.
Empty Your Bladder Before Leaving the House
Urinary incontinence symptoms can strike suddenly. Use the restroom ahead of time if you know you’ll be gone for a while. It is crucial to ensure your bladder is empty. The weather may increase your travel time.
Stay Hydrated
We frequently neglect to hydrate when it’s cold. While it is true that we require less water when the weather is colder, you should still strive for two liters per day—dehydration results in concentrated urine, which can irritate the bladder and induce constipation.
While it may seem contradictory to advise those who have urine incontinence to drink more water, doing so can be beneficial. Urgency increases when your bladder is irritated, which is bad news for people with urinary incontinence. So, when done right, drinking extra water can be beneficial.
Drinking enough water can limit incontinence, avoid bladder irritation, dilute urine, and prevent dehydration.
Bonus Tips
These additional tips can help you manage urinary incontinence in winter.
Diet
Maintain a balanced, healthful diet. Even though it may be alluring to overindulge in unhealthy comfort foods, carrying too much extra weight can strain the bladder and aggravate urine incontinence.
Be Mindful Of Weight Gain
Winter foods are high in calories and filling, so you’re more likely to put on a few pounds when combined with decreased activity. However, carrying excess weight puts additional strain on your pelvic floor muscle, which can weaken it and cause urine incontinence.
Stay Consistent
Urinary incontinence can result from the weak and injured pelvic floor muscle due to the strain caused by constipation. To keep your bowels regular, ensure you eat healthily, drink lots of water, and exercise.
Wrap-Up To Prevent Tightening!
Grab your favorite turtleneck, fashionable coat, caps, and mittens! The more comfortable you are, the more control you will have over your bladder and the more relaxed your muscles will be. Therefore, it is time to layer up! Remember to bundle up and prepare for the cold; your pelvic floor will thank you.
Avoid Meals That Can Aggravate Your Bladder
This winter, give your bladder a break by avoiding tomatoes and tomato-based products (such as pastes, soups, and sauces), chocolate, and spicy foods.
Summary
Next time it snows, don’t be afraid to go outside with your family and enjoy the weather! Try shoveling the driveway, going on a snowshoe stroll, or helping your kids create a snow fort. These activities may seem quite unappealing due to your incontinence, but it’s crucial to start moving and make an effort to live a healthy lifestyle.
By bringing back memories of how much you like being active and living life on your terms rather than the times of incontinence, these activities will assist you in maintaining motivation. Moreover, you can browse Active Life Medical Products to purchase quality products.
How Active Life Medical Products Can Help With Incontinence Supplies
You need a trusted incontinence product supplier when you require incontinence supplies. Active Life Medical Products makes ordering the entire incontinence supply process easy. Our Product Specialists can help you get your prescribed incontinence supplies covered through most insurances. Everything will be delivered directly and discreetly to your front door.
Call Active Life Medical Products at (800) 319-2336 to place your order.
