Urge incontinence is a really tricky condition to overcome. Having an accident is so embarrassing that it’s difficult to know how to avoid going to the toilet all the time. However, this puts you in a vicious cycle as by giving in to the urge to go when you don’t need to you are training your bladder to hold less urine.
We can help! We’ve put together a bladder diary that you can use to understand your symptoms and retrain your bladder. It can also help you to see the progress that you’re making with your Kegel8! Read on for a guide to using your new bladder diary to take control of your incontinence.
A Quick Guide to Bladder Training
Bladder retraining involves gradually increasing the amount of time between your visits to the toilet. This sounds simply but it can be pretty tricky, particularly if you suffer from urge incontinence. Ignoring the urge to urinate feels very unnatural at first and you may feel stressed out about the idea that you could have an accident. However, a lot of the urgency that you’re feeling is mental and it’s entirely possibly for you to be in control of when and where you go.
When you give in to the urge to urinate you are reducing your bladder capacity. There’s not physically less room in your bladder, but your body has learned to think that it can only hold a small amount of urine. Every time you give in to this urge you will be making your symptoms worse! You need to stay focused and not panic. Use the attached bladder diary every day for a week. You’ll notice patterns of urinary frequency; you’re quite possibly going even more than you realise. You can also see if you’re sensitive to anything on The Urine Incontinence Blacklist.
The average person pees around 5 -8 times in one 24-hour period. Ideally you should be able to go for 3 or 4 hours without urinating. You shouldn't need to get up during the night more than once. Frequent urination at night is a definite sign that your bladder needs retraining.
You can use kegels to help you avoid leaks while you are retraining your bladder:
- When you feel the urge, stop and do 3 – 5 quick kegels
- Relax, take a deep breath and concentrate on something else
- When the strong urge is gone, you can go to the toilet if you still need to
A Kegel8 Ultra 20 Pelvic Toner will help you maximise the strength of your kegels so that your urinary retention is a lot better.
Using the Bladder Diary
Your bladder diary allows you to keep track of every instance of incontinence and every visit to the bathroom throughout the day. By recording when you leak, what you were doing at the time and how much you’d had to drink you can identify what triggers leaks for you. For example, you may notice that drinking alcohol or coffee causes a leak a couple of hours later. You can use this information to avoid big triggers, as well as to work out a good schedule for your bladder training. For more info on making your bladder training process easier, read our blog on practical tips for living with urge incontinence.
There is also a space on the diary for you to note whether you’ve done your Kegel8 training that day. We’re confident that using a Kegel8 Tight & Tone Electronic Pelvic Toner will improve your sensitive bladder in only 12 weeks. We recommend tracking your bladder activity through the initial 12-week period as these changes can be gradual. By seeing evidence of how much your Kegel8 is reducing your excessive urination you can stay motivated to keep improving your pelvic health!
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