Fluid Management

The average fluid intake for a healthy adult is considered to be 50 to 70 ounces of liquid each day. This means that each day you should consume the equivalent of six to eight eight-ounce glasses of liquid (including any beverages and soups).

If you are drinking more than this (unless you work in hot conditions or exercise heavily and perspire a lot), limiting your fluids to six to eight eight-ounce glasses per day may improve your bladder control.

Try to:

• Sip small amounts of fluids
• Use a smaller glass
• Not carry a water bottle around
• If your mouth is dry, try using sugar-free hard candy or chewing gum

Duke offers several treatment options for urinary incontinence, read the Urinary Incontinence Treatments care guide to learn what your options are.

Urge Management

Some women also have urge incontinence -- the urge to urinate and lose bladder control before they reach the toilet. If you have urge incontinence, the following tips may help.

When you get the urge to urinate:

• Stop and stay still -- sit down if you can.
• Squeeze your pelvic floor muscles quickly three to five times. Repeat as needed.
• Relax the rest of your body. Take a deep breath.
• Concentrate on suppressing the urge.
• Wait until the urge subsides.
• Walk to the bathroom at a normal pace.

Additional Bladder Health Tips

• Spread out drinking liquids rather than consuming a lot at one time, particularly before you go out of the house or go to bed.
• Caffeine may irritate the bladder. Try eliminating your intake of caffeine (coffee, tea, soda) to see if your bladder control improves. If you drink a lot of caffeine, you will need to taper off by 1/4 per week.
• Other fluids may irritate the bladder for certain women, such as beverages with aspartame or saccharin. For others it is citrus juice or milk. However there are no scientific studies of bladder irritants other than caffeine. Try going without suspected irritants for a week and see if it makes a difference.

Constipation

Constipation can worsen bladder control. Adequate fluid and fiber intake is very important to prevent constipation.

The average American eats 12 grams of fiber daily compared with the 25 grams that is recommended. Foods high in fiber include bran cereals, beans and peas, corn, broccoli, skin of the baked potato, whole grain bread, dried fruit (apricots, figs, dates, raisins, prunes), berries, cherries, pears, apples, plums, and greens.