Surprising Link Between Hydration and Bladder Health

Surprising Link Between Hydration and Bladder Health: How Increasing Your Water Intake Can Improve Incontinence Issues

If you suffer from bladder control issues such as leaks, urgency or frequency, you may have considered cutting back on your daily fluid intake in an effort to reduce bathroom trips and the need for pads. However, this approach may actually make your symptoms worse.

When working with clients who are dealing with incontinence, one of the first things I ask about is their fluid intake and what they're drinking. This is important because certain fluids and foods can be more acidic or irritating to the bladder, causing the urine to become more acidic and potentially irritating the bladder lining.

Drinking less water may seem like a logical solution to reduce bathroom trips and leaks, but it can actually have the opposite effect. When the urine becomes more acidic, it can irritate the bladder lining and cause the bladder to spasm. If the pelvic floor muscles aren't prepared for this spasm, it can lead to leaks and a sense of urgency. Additionally, drinking less combined with caffeine, spicy foods, or acidic fruits like grapefruits and oranges can further irritate the bladder.

It's important to remember that if you've been drinking less water, your body may not be used to being fully hydrated. This means you need to gradually increase your fluid intake to give your body time to adjust. If you weigh 150 pounds, for example, you should aim to drink 75 ounces of water per day. If you've been drinking just 16 ounces per day, you can't expect to suddenly increase to 75 ounces. Instead, gradually increase your intake by half a water bottle or a water bottle a day until you reach the recommended amount.

By gradually increasing your hydration, you can help reduce the acidity of your urine and reduce irritation of the bladder lining. This can lead to improvements in your symptoms such as less urgency, fewer leaks, and less frequency. It's important to be patient, as these changes may not happen overnight. So make sure to stay hydrated and support your bladder health.

Sign up for our online Pelvic Floor Health course, for free! That’s a $300 value. Use this link to the My Core Floor course and use a Traverse City Zip Code when registering: https://www.NoMorePads.com/

Find more Incontinence Info and Resources on our Incontinence Web Page.

Check out our "Complete Guide to Healing Incontinence" YouTube playlist by Clicking Here.

Cleveland Clinic has some good info on incontinence: Incontinence: Leakage, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment & Prevention (clevelandclinic.org)