Bladder control isn't just an issue for older women; younger women should also think about bladder health and wellness. Bladder problems may range from leakage when sneezing to complete loss of urinary stream control. Women can help train their bladders to hold more urine for longer periods of time with a number of effective exercises. Discuss bladder training with your doctor if you're at all concerned about your ability to control urine flow or continence.
Kegels
Kegel exercises are perhaps the best known exercise for bladder control for both men and women, though they are especially effective for women. Kegel exercises tone and strengthen the pelvic floor, according to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. You can do Kegels while sitting, lying down or standing.
To perform Kegels, pretend you're trying to stop urine flow to feel the muscles you'll work. Women can use a variety of visual exercises to perform Kegels, including imagining you're stopping an elevator car on the second, third and fourth floor of a building. Tighten the muscles in increments and then when you can't tighten any more, hold that contraction for about three seconds. Release. Repeat this exercise about 10 times several times through the day.
Holding It
Drink smaller amounts of fluids at a time so that your bladder doesn't fill up too quickly. Try to wait 15 more minutes after you first sense you have to go to the bathroom, suggests the Mayo Clinic, to help train the bladder to hold urine longer. Develop a pattern of urination that your body can count on throughout the day. While you should always allow a little leeway with a schedule, try going to the bathroom at specific times throughout the day until you feel you have better control over your bladder. Discuss bladder training and retention exercises with your doctor in order to gain the most benefit from them.
Biofeedback
Think about biofeedback behavioral training if other methods of bladder training don't work, suggests the Mayo Clinic. Biofeedback can help strengthen pelvic floor muscles through sensors that can visually display contraction of muscles for those practicing tightening the pelvic floor for more bladder control. Biofeedback is especially effective in helping women locate and exercise the specific muscles that control urine flow and continence, according to University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.
Biofeedback exercise sessions take roughly 30 minutes, and many women can benefit from about four sessions with visits scheduled between two and three weeks apart.
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