The loss of bladder control when sneezing or coughing, called stress incontinence, occurs because the muscle action in the body required for such actions puts pressure on the bladder. Such things as lifting heavy objects can have the same effect. This pressure, called stress, according to the Mayo Clinic, causes the bladder to leak urine. The condition occurs most often in women.
Step 1
Follow your physician’s recommendations about consuming liquids, the Mayo Clinic recommends, including when you drink liquids and how much you can drink. The Mayo Clinic recommends avoiding beverages containing caffeine and alcohol altogether.
Step 2
Lose weight. Because stress incontinence occurs when pressure occurs on the bladder, having less body weight can reduce this pressure. The Mayo Clinic suggests that if you already suffer from stress incontinence, losing weight can help reduce symptoms.
Step 3
Quit smoking. Smoking, too, can cause you to become vulnerable to losing your control of your bladder when you cough, the Mayo Clinic says.
Step 4
Train yourself to go to the bathroom at specific times. By urinating at specific and frequent times, you can reduce the amount of urine in the bladder at any one time. This can prevent leakage when coughing or from other stress incontinence causes.
Step 5
Learn to perform Kegels. These exercises, the Mayo Clinic says, can help you regain control of your bladder function. Do the exercises with an empty bladder to prevent a weakening of the muscles. A physician or physical therapist can tell you how to perform Kegels.
Step 6
Use a device such as a urethral plug or a vaginal pessary to help prevent bladder leakage. The Mayo Clinic states that a urethral plug, recommended for temporary use, is like a tampon that you place into the urethra, the tube from the bladder out. Use the ring-like vaginal pessary to help support your bladder. A physician or nurse may insert this device for you to help prevent leaks.
Step 7
Ask your physician about using the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine. The Mayo Clinic states that this medication can help with stress incontinence if the condition combines with another form of the condition called urge incontinence. Tricyclic antidepressants, however, can produce side effects.
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