Suppose you had a few good drinks with your fellas late at night. You come home stumbling and fall right into bed, only to awaken next to a wet bedsheet. Does that sound familiar? Alcohol consumption can be accompanied by adult bedwetting, especially if you suffer from a weak bladder. Bladder weakness (nocturnal enuresis) is one of the underlying causes of pelvic floor dysfunction.

If you find yourself wetting the bed after a night of drinking, don’t worry too much about it. You are not alone. According to one study, over 35 million adults experience incontinence, and more than 5 million people account for adult bedwetting. However, alcohol doesn’t trigger incontinence, but adults with pelvic floor dysfunction can suffer as it will irritate the bladder.

Incontinence could lead to leakage of urine when jumping, coughing, or sneezing, which is why it becomes essential for you to treat your condition as fast as possible. Read on to learn how to deal with bedwetting and treat pelvic dysfunction.

What Is Bedwetting?

Bedwetting, also known as nocturnal enuresis, refers to the involuntary leakage of urine at night. This condition could lead to a range of psychological and social issues, such as avoiding holidays or business meetings, which can affect your overall lifestyle. Plus, it might even damage your self-esteem and negatively impact your relationships with others.

But worry no more, as this condition is treatable in most cases, and if not, you can always find some therapies to improve the overall condition. Pelvic physical therapy is considered one of the best ways to enhance the strength of your bladder with pelvic floor exercises and dietary changes. That way, you can mitigate the problem and improve this condition as soon as possible.

Does Drinking Alcohol Cause Incontinence?

Alcohol doesn’t trigger incontinence on its own, but it’s one of the driving factors that cause incontinence, especially for those who are already suffering from bladder weakness. Its diuretic nature can cause your body to produce urine faster, and you may have to visit the washroom a few more times than usual. Alcohol often irritates your urethra and bladder. This irritation can cause problems for the pelvic floor.

The inflammation caused in your body can affect the detoxification process of your liver. So, it’s better to avoid drinking alcohol, especially if you’re dealing with pelvic floor dysfunction. If it remains untreated, the symptoms may worsen and lead to an overactive bladder.

One can take pelvic physical therapy to strengthen their pelvic floor muscles and prevent incontinence. Performing pelvic floor exercises or Kegels helps you stretch and strengthen the group of muscles surrounding the pelvic region and enables you to keep your incontinence under control.

How To Ensure Good Pelvic Floor Health?

Anything in excess is always harmful to you. So, it’s better to limit or eliminate the consumption of alcohol and other foods that can lead to incontinence. We have prepared a list of food items to ban from your diet and incorporate healthy ways to cure this condition.

If you don’t limit the consumption of the following items, they can cause digestive problems, which further lead to overworked bladders. If your bladder is overactive, it will cause other muscles to strain and weaken the pelvic floor muscles. Here’s a list of foods and drinks that often irritate your bladder.

Carbonated Beverages 

Club soda, sparkling water, soft drinks, and even sodas made from stevia can cause urgency, urinary frequency, and/or irritation in your bladder. These drinks tend to make your bladder overactive and trigger symptoms related to pelvic floor dysfunction.

Even if these symptoms are not associated with urinary incontinence, you would be stunned to see how these soft drinks and beverages can affect the pelvic floor muscles. That’s why it’s recommended to cut them down, as a little change in lifestyle can bring drastic changes in your overall health.

Caffeinated Beverages (Tea And Coffee)

These drinks are the most common bladder irritants and diuretics. That means they cause your kidneys to produce more urine than usual. This often leads to bladder overuse and triggers the urge to urinate. If you want to urinate so badly, use your pelvic floor muscles to hold it in.

Now your pelvic muscles are over-working, often resulting in pelvic floor disorder. So, it’s better to avoid or limit caffeinated drinking beverages, and you will eventually see improvement.

Besides cutting them out of your diet, consider taking pelvic physical therapy sessions to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles so that you won’t be troubled when holding the urine a little longer before you reach the bathroom. It will reduce the sensitivity of your urethra and bladder.

Artificial Sweeteners 

Most of us know that artificial sweeteners are harmful to our overall health. Knowing that they also contribute to inflammation and pelvic floor dysfunction is another reason to avoid these types of drinks. Not to mention, artificial sweeteners are among the top bladder irritants, causing irritation, incontinence, frequent urination, and pee urgency.

Spicy Or Acidic Foods 

For most people, giving up their favorite spicy food can be a little hard, but nothing should come at the expense of your overall health. So remember, spicy and acidic foods can easily irritate your bladder and make your urine more acidic. It’s better to avoid eating acidic foods.

• Bread or wheat products.
• Rice
• Processed cereals
• Highly processed foods like store-bought cakes, boxed foods, frozen dinners, or sodas
• Deli meats
• Walnuts
• Milk
• Alcohol
• Caffeinated drinks
• Sugar
• Oats
• Peanuts

Experiment with different food items to see which spicy foods put less pressure on your pelvic floor and which ones cause irritation and inflammation. However, women with interstitial cystitis should avoid eating spicy foods at all.

In Conclusion

Changing lifestyles or diets may be hard for some people, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare your pelvic floor muscles for the future. It’s recommended to train your pelvic floor muscles and make them strong enough to prevent pelvic floor dysfunction from developing.

By attending pelvic physical therapy sessions and performing Kegels, you can easily learn to strengthen your pelvic muscles. A professional therapist will help you alleviate the issues associated with your pelvic floor muscles and enable you to live a healthy life.