Is Bojangles to Blame for my Leaking
I moved from Idaho to the South 10 years ago and I will never forget learning the culture of biscuits and sweet tea. It was foreign to me that people would pick up this for breakfast and start drinking sweet tea instead of coffee at 8 in the morning. Now, after being here, I don’t think anything of it. I still can’t drink straight sweet tea, it makes my body shake but I have become a custom to people needing their sweet tea like Northwest people need their Starbucks.
Whether it is sweet tea or Starbucks, both habits can cause increased stress on your bladder resulting in leaking symptoms. Beverages that are diet, have caffeine, or increased sugar can irritate your bladder making your body want to expel the irritate as fast as possible.
So what can you do about it? Obviously it is hard to cut out our morning coffee or tea but we can reduce it. Most of my clients with leaking problems start by filling out a bladder diary where we look at their fluid intake and what kinds of fluids they are consuming.
But you may be wondering, how can I get rid of the leaking? Here are some things to try
It is normal to pee every 2-4 hours. If you are going more frequently it means that your bladder is irritated, unless you just drank tons of water at one time.
To make your bladder less irritated try drinking the same amount of fluids in water. So if you drink a 24 oz tea, try to drink 24 oz in water around the same time.
If you are having an urge but are not close to a bathroom and need to hold it try taking 5 deep breaths followed by 5 kegels, this will help your bladder calm down. It is not ideal to hold it so try to find a bathroom soon if you are doing this.
Once you are in the bathroom, sit on the toilet. Hovering over a toilet makes it very hard for your bladder to completely empty therefore you could have to pee again soon after. Also take a few breaths to relax on the toilet to allow your bladder to fully release.
Leaking is influenced by many external factors, what we drink can be a huge contributor to your symptoms but it could just be one element of the bigger picture. For other factors that may be causing your leaking, sign up for my leaking video where we discuss posture, breathing and relaxation to improve your leaking. https://www.theperinatalpelvis.com
If this is something that you are struggling with, going to pelvic floor therapy can really help improve the coordination between your bladder and pelvic floor muscles to control your urge and symptoms. I would love to help you so that you can feel strong, functional and confident in your body again.
Best,
Kyrsten
