Incontinence impacts over 14 million of Britons in some shape or form - yet there are still numerous myths surrounding it. It's important to differentiate between true information and non-factual advice.

While everyday life can be more challenging when managing continence, the proper care and support can remove many of the limitations often associated with incontinence. Understanding the causes of incontinence, potential treatments, and resources available can make continence management much easier.

Myths, unfortunately, get in the way of easy access to accurate information, tools and support systems.
Let’s debunk some of the most common myths surrounding continence management - it’s time to put them to the test!*

Unfortunately, the notion that drinking fewer fluids will help with urinary incontinence is not only false but can also lead to other issues. The logic underpinning this myth is ‘if I drink less, I’ll have less urine to pass.’

However, in reality, unnecessarily limiting your water or fluid intake without the appropriate medical advice can actually lead to increases in continence management issues.

Without enough fluid, we’re at risk of becoming dehydrated. This results in a higher concentration of urine, causing bladder irritation and increasing incontinence episodes.

One easy way to check if you’re drinking enough water is to check the colour of your urine. Urine that’s yellowish to amber in colour represents healthy urine. Darker urine is often a clear marker of dehydration.

These 2 tips can help you to control your water intake and reduce the number of trips to the bathroom:

• Consider the time of the day. Stop drinking all liquids a couple of hours before bed to allow the bladder to fully empty before it’s time to sleep.
• Drink water slowly throughout the day. Instead of drinking large amounts of liquids at once, drink slowly over the course of several hours to avoid overloading the bladder.

There are many small lifestyle changes that can have a big impact on continence management. Lifestyle choices aren’t often the key focus when it comes to diagnosing incontinence. However, by prioritising healthy, active living, there is the potential for noticeable, positive outcomes.

These lifestyle changes include:

• Maintaining an adequate fluid intake to remain hydrated.
• Eating a diet that’s appropriately high in fibre. As dietary fibre isn’t digested, it plays an important role in adding bulk to stools. This helps with regular bowel movements, preventing chronic constipation, which is directly related to faecal incontinence and can play a part in urinary incontinence.
• Regular physical activity. Regular stimulation of muscles around the pelvic floor helps to prevent constipation, and the maintenance of healthy body weight reduces pressure on the pelvic floor. As the pelvic floor is responsible for controlling bladder and bowel movements, regular exercise can help to prevent incontinence and minimise its impact.
• Healthy toilet habits, which include:
  - Only using the toilet when you have a full bladder (avoiding the ‘just in case’ trips).
  - Taking your time on the toilet, and visiting the bathroom when you feel the urge to pass a bowel movement. Allowing enough time for healthy bowel movements can also help to reduce the risk of constipation.

If you’ve ever heard of pelvic floor exercises and dismissed them as a myth, it’s time to give them another go. Pelvic floor exercises can be extremely useful for those living with incontinence or those looking to minimise its likelihood. They offer a clinically proven, non-invasive method that can lead to noticeable improvements in continence for men and women alike. 

These exercises strengthen the muscles that surround the bladder, bottom, and sexual organs. By focusing on strengthening these muscles, urinary continence can be improved, and pelvic organ prolapse can be treated.

Pelvic floor exercises need to be done regularly and properly to see slow, consistent benefits. A simple pelvic floor exercise can be completed by:

• Sitting comfortably and squeezing the pelvic floor muscles 10-15 times. If you’ve never felt these before, squeeze the muscles you would if you were trying to stop urinating mid-stream.
• Don’t hold your breath or tighten your stomach, bottom or thigh muscles while you squeeze the pelvic muscles.
• Once you’ve completed a number of these squeezes, you can move on to holding each squeeze for a few seconds.
• Over time, you can add more squeezes. Make sure to have a rest between sets.

Once you start to see improvement, it’s important to continue doing the exercises daily to maintain this progress. By bringing pelvic floor exercises into your daily routine, you can support your body by strengthening its defence against incontinence, and reduce its impact on your daily life.

One of the biggest myths surrounding incontinence management is that continence management products are difficult to use, prone to leaking, and over-priced. ConfidenceClub is passionate about dispelling this myth, which is why we created our 'It Fits Or It’s Free' guarantee. Delivering the best continence management products directly to your door is our top priority, and if they don't fit perfectly, we'll pay for them.

With European-made premium continence management products, ConfidenceClub equips individuals of all ages helping you to save time, money, and hassle. We deliver discreetly to your door, bringing the best in comfort and quality.

Find the support you need for myth-free continence management with ConfidenceClub.

*Content of this article is created and published online for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.