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Why alcohol is a bad choice for people with bladder weakness
Let’s be real, a lot of people like to kick back with a glass of wine or a beer after a tough day. Alcohol has traditionally been at the heart of most social affairs and is strangely intertwined with the very fabric of British culture. The average person in the UK is consuming 18 units of alcohol per week. But, for people with urinary incontinence or bladder weakness, alcohol can be quite problematic. In this article we’ll be taking a brief look at the different types of urinary incontinence, and how alcohol has a negative impact on bladder health.
What is urinary incontinence?
Urinary incontinence is a catch-all term defined as the involuntary leakage of urine. Whilst it sounds simple, different types of bladder weakness have their own individual nuances making the whole thing slightly more complex. According to the UK Gov, 1 in 10 people experience some form of urinary leakage. That’s a ridiculously high number of people leaking pee, yet still it’s barely talked about. People talk all the time about heart conditions, asthma and whatever else, but still bladder weakness is a bit of a taboo. Weird right? Anyway, I digress.
To manage urinary incontinence effectively, you need to do some reading (knowledge is power), make some lifestyle changes, and probably buy some wearable incontinence products. One of those lifestyle changes is reducing your alcohol intake. Alcohol consumption is a particularly detrimental trigger for incontinence symptoms (we’ll cover this more later on). So, what are the different types of urinary incontinence?
Types of urinary incontinence
We mentioned previously that urinary incontinence isn’t simply ‘leaking urine’ there are different types that affect people in different ways. The most common types are stress incontinence, urge incontinence, overflow incontinence and mixed incontinence. Each type is different:
- Stress incontinence occurs when physical acts like coughing or lifting something increase pressure on the bladder, leading to leakage. For example, your grandkids come to visit, the door opens and they come running in like a pack of wild animals. You pick them up for a big hug and all of a sudden, you’ve leaked some pee. It’s super common.
- Urge incontinence is a sudden, intense urge to urinate followed by leakage, there’s often only a few seconds between feeling the need and then the release. It can be triggered by all kinds of things, a sudden change of position, the sound of running water or even just seeing a toilet.
- Overflow incontinence results from your bladder not emptying completely. If you can’t empty your bladder properly, it can cause your bladder to swell above its usual size. If you have overflow incontinence you might find that you have small trickles of pee very often, feeling like your bladder is never fully empty no matter how much you try.
- Mixed incontinence is quite simply a combination of stress and urge incontinence.
Alcohol is a diuretic
One of the biggest reasons alcohol makes bladder weakness symptoms worse is its diuretic effects. A diuretic is something that increases urine production. You might know exactly what I’m talking about, after a few beers it feels like you just can’t stop peeing. This is the diuretic effect of alcohol. For someone experiencing incontinence, this increased urine production can quite quickly become overwhelming. If getting to the toilet is already a bit of a struggle, the last thing you need is more trips. All of this can add up to increased leakage.
Alcohol irritates your bladder
It’s well known that alcohol can irritate your bladder lining. This irritation can make your bladder more sensitive, reducing the amount of urine it can hold, and increasing your chances of leaking. For people with urge incontinence, increased bladder sensitivity can really have a significant impact.
It relaxes your muscles
Drinking alcohol impairs your muscle functions, including those in your bladder. Excessive alcohol consumption can have an impact on the signals being sent between your brain and your bladder, leading to accidents and leakage. As it depresses your central nervous system, your bladder muscles begin to relax. Eventually, urine will begin to release involuntarily. The weakening of muscles can reduce your ability to control your bladder, making it difficult for people with incontinence to hold their pee (especially if you’re doing anything physical).
Affects sleep and exacerbates nocturia
Nocturia is another name for bedwetting during the night. It’s a really, really, common issue for people with any kind of urinary incontinence. It disrupts sleep, makes a mess and can sometimes be a bit embarrassing. Drinking alcohol around bedtime can make it worse. You might find yourself waking up more in the night to pee, ruining a good night's sleep. The diuretic effects we mentioned earlier don’t just stop because you’re asleep. Drinking alcohol before bed means these diuretic effects can spill over into bed time, leading to bedwetting and leakage.
Concentrates urine and can lead to UTI’s
If you’ve ever had a UTI before, you won’t need me to tell you how painful they are. Alcohol causes dehydration, which results in more concentrated urine in fact, it’s thought that dehydration is one of the leading causes of UTIs. Concentrated urine also seriously irritates your bladder lining, making incontinence symptoms worse.
So, what can you do?
For people with bladder weakness, reducing your alcohol consumption or eliminating it entirely could be a really important step in managing your symptoms and living your best life. While this isn’t easy, alcohol is really not your bladder’s friend.
Limit Alcohol Consumption: Gradually reducing your alcohol intake can help limit its diuretic and irritant effects on your bladder. Going cold turkey and straight up leaving alcohol behind forever probably isn’t sustainable. With some lifestyle changes and a gradual reduction, you’ll probably find the whole thing a bit more manageable.
Stay Hydrated: Drinking plenty of water throughout the day is essential for people managing urinary incontinence. Proper hydration will dilute your urine, reducing its concentration and its potential to irritate your bladder. While it may seem a bit odd (why would drinking more water make me leak less?) maintaining good hydration will prevent dehydration and give you the nice, diluted pee that you need. Wondering how much water to drink if you’re incontinent? Check out our blog post where we cover just that.
By limiting alcohol consumption and staying hydrated, you’ll be able to better manage your incontinence and live your best life.
