1. Pelvic Floor (Kegel) Exercises
Exercising your pelvic floor muscles can be a useful way to treat urinary incontinence, particularly in the early stages. It helps improve bladder control and reduce urine leakage in both men and women. It is beneficial for reducing stress and urge incontinence.
- Tighten your pelvic floor muscles and hold for a count of 8. If you cannot hold for 8 counts, just hold as long as you can.
- Now, relax the muscles for a count of 8.
- Do 8 to 12 repetitions of this exercise, 3 times a day.
- Here’s a simple way to help locate your pelvic floor muscles: When emptying your bladder, stop urinating in midstream and then start again. The muscles you used during this task are your pelvic floor muscles.
- You may want to seek the help of a physical therapist so that you do not end up practicing the wrong technique. Your physical therapist can also give you further advice specific to your case.
Note: While doing pelvic floor exercises, keep the muscles in your abdomen, thighs and buttocks relaxed. Avoid holding your breath during the exercises; instead, breathe freely. Make sure to empty your bladder before you begin the exercises.
2. Magnesium
You can also consider taking magnesium to help treat incontinence, especially if you experience other signs of magnesium deficiency like leg cramps at night. Magnesium is important for muscle relaxation throughout the body. Thus, it can help reduce bladder muscle spasms and allow complete emptying of the bladder.
A 1998 study published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that taking magnesium hydroxide helped treat women with urge incontinence due to detrusor overactivity.
- Take 350 mg of magnesium hydroxide supplements twice daily for several weeks. Make sure to consult your doctor before starting this or any other supplement regimen.
- Include magnesium-rich foods like nuts, seeds, bananas and yogurt in your diet.
- You can also soak in an Epsom salt bath for 15 to 20 minutes, a few times a week. Epsom salt is made of magnesium sulfate. Soaking in an Epsom salt bath allows the body to absorb magnesium through the skin. To prepare this bath, stir 1 to 2 cups of Epsom salt in a bathtub filled with warm water.
