Incontinence Guide

7 Tips to Manage Incontinence in the Workplace

 

Dealing with incontinence on a daily basis can be frustrating. Now imagine trying to deal with it in the office or at work. Not only does incontinence present health issues, but it can also lead to some embarrassing moments in front of coworkers, a room full of students, or even clients. No, incontinence is not life-threatening but negatively affects many aspects of incontinence sufferers’ lives. Everything from social and family relationships, work, finances, and psychological or sexual health. Approximately 25%-45% of adults can experience incontinence at one time or another, and it affects both men and women of just about any age, but it does increase as we get older. Dealing with urine leakage at work and managing incontinence in public does require a plan.

Symptoms of Incontinence

Who hasn’t had a sudden urge to rush to the bathroom? So, what exactly does incontinence entail? The symptoms of incontinence can include:

• Leaking urine during everyday activities
• The inability to hold urine during urges
• Urine leakage without warning
• Nocturnal leakage
• Leakage during sexual activity

7 Tips for Managing Workplace Incontinence

Dealing with incontinence during work hours can be a little complicated, but it is possible. Producing a plan for urine leakage at work might seem impossible, but I have 7 tips to help. These steps include:

1. Time your bathroom breaks

Try scheduling your bathroom breaks at certain times instead of when you feel the urge to go. Urologists and incontinence experts call this “timed voiding.”

2. Minimize liquids

Avoid trips to the water cooler or the coffee pot. Coffee can be a diuretic that causes you to urinate more frequently, and overdoing your water intake can also increase your need to go to the bathroom. Stay hydrated, but don’t overdo it!!

3. Wear dark and loose clothing

The old joke is “doing a good job around here is like wetting yourself in a dark suit, it gives you a warm feeling and no one notices.” Use this to your advantage. Dark clothing can hide small urine leakages. Also, wear loose clothing to keep incontinence products discrete.

4. Freeze and squeeze

If you feel like you’re not going to get to the bathroom on time, try these steps. First, stop/sit down, then squeeze your pelvic floor 3-5 times. Secondly, be sure to breathe slowly and deeply, focusing your mind on breathing and preventing any leakage. Once the urge has passed, continue to the bathroom.

5. Bladder training

Controlling the urge to urinate can be accomplished by training your bladder. It can take 3-12 weeks to train an overactive bladder by breathing or other relaxation methods to hold urine longer until urinating every 3-4 hours.

6. Practice Kegels

These exercises help strengthen the pelvic floor and can help prevent certain types of incontinence. Simply lie down and squeeze as if you were trying to stop urinating. Hold this for three seconds and release. Work your way up to three sets of 10. You can even do them at your desk, and nobody will be the wiser!!

7. Utilize incontinence products

Today’s incontinence product market is leaps and bounds better than adult diapers of yesteryear. Try using adult briefs (some are anatomically designed for men and women separately), liners, and diapers. These are all available at different levels of absorbency and discretion.

When to Seek Medical Attention

Yes, incontinence can be extremely frustrating and time-consuming, but normally, it can be managed at home by yourself. However, you should see your doctor if conditions such as trouble urinating, loss of bladder control, waking to go to the bathroom, or pelvic pain present themselves. Often, incontinence can be caused by UTIs or other medical conditions. Even pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause can cause incontinence.

Products That Can Help!

References

• Managing Your Incontinence at Work - WebMD 
• 6 helpful tips for managing urinary incontinence - Mayo Clinic Health System 
• Symptoms & Causes of Bladder Control Problems (Urinary Incontinence) - NIH 
• Urinary Incontinence - Cleveland Clinic 

 

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