Bladder leakage or incontinence is a bit of a ‘secret subject’. Many of us suffer in silence than talk about something that is still considered awkward and embarrassing. Which is a shame considering the surprising number of women that bladder leakage affects in some way? Whether you’re jumping on a trampoline with the kids, laughing with friends or lifting a heavyweight there is nothing worse than having to worry about a pesky bladder.
5 Degrees of Urinary Incontinence
On a scale, there are 5 degrees of urinary incontinence that can affect otherwise healthy women from any age but mainly after childbirth. They range from:
1. “I pee when I laugh.”
2. “I always have to wake a few times a night to go to the bathroom.”
3. “I find it hard to fully empty my bladder.”
4. “Some days I have light leakage, other days open the flood gates!”
5. “To put it simply I don’t make it to the bathroom.”
Pregnancy and childbirth can stretch and weaken the pelvic floor muscles that support the bladder and urethra. It’s common that with the loss of oestrogen after menopause these connective tissues lose their elasticity and it becomes more of a problem to control the muscles (urethral sphincter, to be exact) which controls your flow of urine.
It’s this combination of weak pelvic floor muscles and the loss of tone in the urethra that can cause the odd spot or leaking bladder.
What you may not know is that the foods you eat and the drinks you consume can irritate your bladder. What you eat and drink can be the difference between a ‘good day’ or a ‘bad day’ in terms of your pesky bladder.
11 Foods To Avoid If You Have a Pesky Bladder (and some drinks)
You may find it beneficial to limit or avoid:
- carbonated beverages, such as sparkling water
- caffeinated beverages, such as coffee and tea
- chocolate
- alcoholic drinks
- sports drinks, such as Gatorade
- citrus fruit
- tomatoes and tomato-based products, including ketchup, tomato sauce, and chilli
- spicy foods
- foods containing artificial flavourings and preservatives
- foods containing sugar or sugar substitutes
- honey
- raw onion
You may find that not all these foods and beverages affect your bladder but it may help to eliminate all and then slowly reintroduce one, one day at a time until you can identify what may be causing the irritation to your bladder.
Have you found certain foods affect your bladder?
List of foods sourced from: healthline.com
