Caffeine is a diuretic and a bladder stimulant that can cause a sudden need to urinate. If you already have incontinence, this added irritant and stimulant can push you over the edge and cause even more accidents. Unfortunately, cutting caffeine is not always as easy as just deciding you are not going to intake caffeine anymore.
There are many reasons to cut caffeine intake besides helping to manage incontinence. For example, too much caffeine is linked to early death, it can raise blood pressure, caffeine consumption is linked to gout, causes indigestion, insomnia, is tied to reduced fertility, and is not healthy for type 2 diabetes, just to name a few. While caffeine can boost your energy and help you get through the day, it has a lot of potential negatives, and you can build up both a tolerance and addiction to it, making it challenging to cut your intake.
Here are a few tips for cutting down your caffeine intake in order to better manage your incontinence without going through the painful symptoms of withdrawal.
1. Know what has caffeine.
It is important to learn which foods and drinks contain caffeine. It is hard to wean yourself from caffeine if you are ignorantly adding it to your diet. Some painkillers, for example, contain caffeine. Check the labels, and do what you can to avoid adding extra caffeine to your intake. Avoid caffeinated beverages and chocolates.
2. Slow and steady wins the race.
Many people suffer from a caffeine addiction, whether it is a bite of chocolate on a hard day, or a daily dose of coffee to wake you up and get you going. Remember that if you go cold turkey you may end up bouncing back due to headaches and withdrawals. Figure out what foods you currently eat and drink that have caffeine and slowly remove them from your diet. Switch to decaffeinated, eat less, and wean yourself off.
3. Increase water intake.
If you are use to caffeine intake, one way to really decrease the withdrawal headaches is to increase your water intake. Just be sure to spread it out throughout the day so that you do not end up making a million runs to the bathroom.
4. Get plenty of sleep.
Many people use caffeine for an energy boost during the day. Instead of using caffeine to get the energy you need, try the old fashioned way, getting enough sleep! When weaning off caffeine it is often best to get more sleep than you normally would, as this will decrease the symptoms.
5. Get moving.
Exercise may help you feel better, and rely less on caffeine. Implementing a regular exercise plan is great for health.
Dianna Malkowski is a Physician Assistant and Mayo Clinic trained nutritionist who helps customers of The CareGiver Partnership with questions to their caregiving questions. She invites you to visit blog.caregiverpartnership.com for more helpful family caregiver information. Also, find a great variety of incontinence products at http://www.caregiverpartnership.com/landing/incontinence/
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