Incontinence can happen to anyone but it mostly effects older women but younger women and men can also experience leakage. The strong urge to urinate during the day and night is from an overactive bladder.
You can get these urges even when you only have a little in your bladder. Incontinence is a problem with the urinary system. The bladder holds the urine that is produced by the kidneys until it is time to urinate. When the urinary system breaks down, incontinence occurs. Incontinence symptoms are highly ignored yet they are very treatable and often curable.
Symptoms of An Overactive Bladder
Some of the symptoms of an overactive bladder are a pressing need to urinate, need to go 7 or more times a day, waking up to urinate 2 or more times at night time, leaking urine, going to the bathroom only to go a few drops. One in five adults over the age of 40 have overactive bladders which causes urgency and frequency of urine release. It can also be the cause of uncontrollable bowels. People suffering from incontinence symptoms often have emotional and physical symptoms as well. People are to shy to talk about their incontinence but only by talking can you get the proper treatments and maybe cured.
Causes
An overactive muscle in the bladder pushes urine out. Many different life's situations can cause incontinence and uncontrollable bowels. Injuries to the pelvic from an accident, birth defects, neurological diseases, multiple sclerosis, infections, and aging are just a few causes of incontinence symptoms and uncontrollable bowels. Pregnancy is a common cause although usually it doesn't last long past the pregnancy with proper exercises. Some women will have further risks because a vaginal delivery will deteriorate the muscles used for bladder control and damage the bladder nerves. Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is when the pelvic floor muscles become weak. This will create leaks while coughing, sneezing, laughing, or sometimes just simple body movements. This affects both men and women. Men can be affected after prostate cancer treatments or surgery. Restricted movement can cause incontinence symptoms as well as uncontrollable bowels. People with arthritis hampers the use of their fingers so using zippers, and buttons makes moving quickly to get to a bathroom almost impossible. Some medications can cause incontinence symptoms or uncontrollable bowels but don't stop taking your medicine before discussing the problem with your doctor.
Treatments for Overactive Bladders
Talk to your doctor as to what treatments can be done at home for your incontinence. Try the simple things first like urinating at scheduled times. Start with every 2 hours going to the bathroom even if you don't feel the urge. You might just do a little or nothing but it will help improve the muscle control. This is called bladder retraining and it helps you regain control. You should also cut back on caffeine drinks, like coffee, tea, and sodas. At night time you should cut down on what you are drinking four hours before bedtime. The next time you go to the bathroom, don't be in such a hurry. Urinate as much as you can relax for a moment and try to go some more. Do this each time you go. At night make sure you have a clear way to the bathroom so you can hurry if need be or use a portable toilet in your room for a while.
You may be given medicines for your particular situation, but doctors would prefer to try bladder training and exercises to control the problems. Surgery is the final step with incontinence symptoms and uncontrollable bowels but most doctors will try other treatments first.
