Lifestyle Tips for Managing Incontinence

Last Updated on May 16, 2013

Incontinence can be a very difficult condition to live with, but there’s no reason to let it stop you from living the life you want. By making a few simple lifestyle changes, you can learn to live with your incontinence. Read below to learn more:

• Purchase Adult Diapers for Home Use

If you can’t control your bladder or bowel movements, the best step you can take is preparing yourself. Adult diapers are comfortable and relatively affordable, and provide a little extra insurance in the event of an involuntary movement. They can also be removed very easily.

• Use Pull-Up Protective Underwear in Public

Some adult diapers are made with a certain amount of plastic, which can be noisy on some wearers. If you want to keep your incontinence a secret, pull-up underwear is a good choice for when you are around others. The underwear is much quieter than plastic diapers, while still offering the same protection.

• Set a Urination Schedule

Even if you don’t feel like you need to urinate, keeping your bladder empty at all times is the key to keeping your incontinence in check. For this reason, many people who suffer from incontinence seem to benefit from creating a urination schedule for themselves. Figuring out the right intervals for you may take some time, but urology experts believe that intervals of one to two hours are a good starting point for beginners.

• Quit Smoking

If your incontinence is stress-related–in that “stress” such as laughing and coughing causes your movements–quitting smoking is a great control method. The smoky residue and tar deposits in your lungs can cause you to cough more often, which in turn could lead to more frequent accidents.