10 ways to stop leaks - Urinary incontinence

For many people with urinary incontinence, the following self-help tips and lifestyle changes are enough to relieve symptoms.

Do daily pelvic floor exercises

Pelvic floor exercises can be effective at reducing leaks. It's important to do them properly and include short squeezes and long squeezes.

You can feel your pelvic floor muscles if you try to imagine stopping yourself peeing and farting.

To do pelvic floor exercises:

1. Squeeze your pelvic floor muscles quickly – try not to pull your tummy in.
2. Hold the squeeze for 2 seconds.
3. Relax the muscles.
4. Repeat 10 times.

Breathe normally and relax while you’re doing pelvic floor exercises. Aim to gradually increase the hold to 10 seconds with each squeeze.

You may have to do pelvic floor exercises for a few months before you see any benefits.

Stop smoking

If you smoke, you put yourself at risk of incontinence, because coughing puts strain on your pelvic floor muscles.

Find out more about how to stop smoking.

Do the right exercises

High-impact exercise and sit-ups put pressure on your pelvic floor muscles and can increase leaks.

To strengthen your pelvic floor to relieve symptoms, replace high-impact exercise, such as jogging and aerobics, with strengthening exercise, such as pilates.

Pilates strengthens your core muscles, which is beneficial for stress incontinence.

Avoid lifting

Lifting puts strain on your pelvic floor muscles, so avoid it whenever you can.

When you do need to lift something, such as picking up children or shopping bags, tighten your pelvic floor muscles before and during the lift.

Lose excess weight

Being overweight can weaken your pelvic floor muscles and cause incontinence because of the pressure of fatty tissue on your bladder.

Your symptoms may improve, and could go away completely, if you lose any excess weight.

Use the healthy weight calculator to check you're a healthy weight for your height.

Find out more about managing your weight.

Treat constipation promptly

Straining to poo weakens your pelvic floor muscles and makes urinary incontinence worse.

Never ignore the urge to poo. If you have constipation, it may help to change your diet and lifestyle.

Eating more fibre and exercising more can help. It may also help if you change the way you sit and use your muscles to empty your bowels. A specialist physiotherapist can advise you on this.

Find out more about how to have a healthy diet.

Cut down on caffeine

Caffeine irritates the bladder and can make incontinence worse.

Coffee has the biggest effect, so stop drinking it or switch to decaffeinated coffee.

Fizzy drinks, tea, green tea, energy drinks and hot chocolate also contain caffeine, so cut down on these too and replace them with water and herbal or fruit teas.

Cut down on alcohol

Alcohol is a diuretic, which makes you urinate more often. Cutting down may help incontinence symptoms.

Find out more about how to cut down on alcohol.

Drink plenty of water

Drink 6 to 8 glasses of fluid a day (but no more) unless your doctor advises you otherwise.

Many people with urinary incontinence avoid drinking fluids, as they feel it causes more problems. However, limiting your fluid intake makes incontinence worse, because it reduces your bladder's capacity.

Not drinking enough fluid can also cause constipation or make it worse.

Find out more about water, drinks and your health.

Eat the right foods

Avoid spicy and acidic foods, such as curries and citrus fruits, as they can irritate the bladder and make leaks and other incontinence symptoms worse.