Weak Bladder: 10 Tips to Manage Symptoms

At Este, we understand how problematic and embarrassing a weak bladder can be and that’s why we’ve put together this guide of top ten tips for how to improve a weak bladder.

What Causes a Weak Bladder?

Weak bladder causes can be a result of many underlying concerns, and it may take some time to get to the root of the problem. A weak bladder often results in -

• The need to pass urine often
• Waking in the night to go to the toilet. This is called nocturia and this can become a problem when you wake more than twice with the need to pass urine
• An urgent and uncontrollable need to wee
• Leaking urine when doing certain things such as lifting heavy objects, sneezing or coughing

Fortunately, there are weak bladder remedies you can try, whether you’re looking to address weak bladder in women or weak bladder in men. Let’s take a look at the best weak bladder treatment options you can try...

1. Reduce Stress

Stress wreaks havoc on so many areas of our lives, but did you know, it could also be responsible for your weak bladder symptoms? According to this article in Medical News Today, if you’re experiencing stress, depression, and/or anxiety, you could be increasing your risk of a weak bladder.

A study that involved over 16000 women in Norway found that if they were experiencing such mental symptoms, they were increasing their risk of having a weak bladder by 1.5 - 2 times.

2. Emsella Treatment

A ground-breaking treatment for bladder weakness can be found courtesy of Emsella. Emsella is a special chair device that patients simply sit on for 28 minutes. During this time, the chair works to emulate approximately 11,000 pelvic floor exercises all whilst being completely non-invasive.

It is pain-free, involves zero downtime, and uses HIFEM High-Intensity Focussed Electromagnetic energy to improve your pelvic floor muscles. Results with Emsella last for around 6-12 months. You can find Emsella treatment at Este, so call us today to find out more!

3. Pelvic Floor Exercises

Both men and women can benefit hugely from doing regular daily pelvic floor exercises. Not only do they help to support your bladder function, but they can also help with better sex too. You can find out more information on weak bladder exercises on the NHS website here.

Pelvic floor exercises are also vital if you want to help conquer a weak bladder in pregnancy. Find out more about the right exercises for pregnancy here.

4. Reduce Caffeine

Cutting down or completely ditching caffeine is another great way to help in the improvement of weak bladder symptoms. Caffeine is a diuretic which means it makes you produce more urine, and it is also thought to contribute to making your bladder muscles overactive.

Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, hot chocolate, fizzy drinks, and energy drinks so try to avoid them.

5. Stop Smoking

It’s at the top of the list for most things you can do to help improve your health, and it’s no different for when it comes to treatment for weak bladder.

Smoking irritates the bladder muscles, and what’s more, if you have a chronic cough caused by smoking, you’ll be putting further pressure on your bladder every time you cough.

6. Check You’re Not Constipated

One of the main causes for a weak bladder can be due to a problem with your bowel. If you’re constipated, your bowel will be placing pressure on your bladder which will lead to irritation. You can ease constipation with an off-the-shelf product such as Dulcolax.

7. Drink Enough Water

Drinking plenty of water helps flush toxins through the body and works to ensure your urine is properly diluted. By drinking plenty of water, you’ll also be helping to make sure your bladder’s capacity is maintained.

If you stop drinking fluids because you’re worried about having to go to the toilet too often, you’ll be boosting your chances of developing constipation, which will further affect your bladder’s strength.

8. Check Your Diet

One of the best weak bladder remedies you can try straight away, is to check that you’re eating a healthy and balanced diet. Fibre is an important part of any diet and greatly helps to reduce constipation.

However, if you suffer from weak bladder symptoms, there are certain foods you should try to avoid. The main one being acidic foods such as -

1. Oranges
2. Grapes
3. Lemons and limes
4. Blueberries

Acidic food is known to be a bladder irritant, so try cutting it out of your diet, or at least reducing your intake and see if it makes a difference.

9. Lose Weight

Being overweight and carrying excess lbs in your midsection can lead to a weak bladder in women and a weak bladder in men. That’s because the excess weight can place pressure on your bladder and may even damage your bladder muscles. This, in turn, can lead to urinary incontinence.

10. Avoid Alcohol

Like caffeine, alcohol is a diuretic which makes you produce more urine. It can also irritate the bladder too. Want to see an improvement in your weak bladder symptoms? Take some time off alcohol and see what difference it makes.