Bladder training

Bladder training is about getting rid of bad habits, learning good habits, and putting you back in control rather than your bladder controlling you and your life.

A bladder training program should also help you to recognise when your bladder is full and when it isn’t.

Tips

• Maintain a healthy weight. If you are overweight this can increase the pressure on the pelvic floor.
• Drink around 1.5-2L fluid a day. Don’t stop drinking because you think it will stop your leaking. If you drink too little, the urine becomes very concentrated. This irritates the bladder and makes it want to empty more often even when there is very little in it. A lack of fluids can also lead to urinary tract infections.
• Space your fluid intake out during the day. If you drink a lot at once, you can expect the need to go to the toilet urgently not too long afterwards.
• Avoid drinks that irritate the bladder. Usually these are alcohol and drinks with caffeine in them such as coffee, tea (both black and green), cola, chocolate drinks, and carbonated energy drinks. Try to reduce caffeinated drinks to 1 or 2 cups a day or swapping to decaffeinated.
• Avoid drinking within two hours of going to bed.

Distraction techniques

• Aim to activate the pelvic floor 3-4 times until urgency settles Don’t panic and practice your breathing.
• Heel raises or count back from 100.
• Don’t rush – aim to walk yourself to the toilet.
• Try not to jiggle up and down on the spot. Movement jolts the bladder and may make the problem worse.