Bladder training (toilet training) for urge incontinence
With the urge incontinence it is necessary to increase the holding capacity (volume) of the bladder. Frequent visits to the toilet reduce the bladder and it loses its elasticity. In order to reach a normal bladder volume again, it is very important to carry out a targeted training. The purpose of exercises is to prolong the time between each bladder emptying.
Control of bladder emptying:
- Keep track of the volume and time of liquids intake.
- Keep track of the number and time of each toilet visit.
- Do not go to the toilet as preventive measure, for instance before going for a walk, wait until toilet visit is really necessary.
- When you feel the urge, sit for a moment. The pressure may abate and you can delay your visit to the toilet.
- Do not drink excessive quantities of liquids in the evening. Note that coffee, tea and beer push you to more frequent emptying than other beverages.
Sometimes during bladder exercises it may come to uncontrolled loss of larger amounts of urine because you are trying to delay the emptying of the bladder. This is normal and it will stop at some point during exercises.
Toilet training requires time, patience and a lot of exercise.