4 Surprising Ways Ageing Affects Your Bladder

We might associate bladder issues with ageing, but did you know why our bladder function changes as we get older? Both women and men experience issues with their bladder and pee, such as urinary incontinence, waking to pee frequently in the night and leaks or need-to-go urgency.

We’ve teamed up with Jude, a bladder care company on a mission to tackle bladder incontinence, to give us a look at 4 surprising reasons our bladder function declines as we age.

1. Your hormones are declining

One significant factor - especially for women - is the decline in our hormones as we navigate menopause and ageing. Oestrogen, a hormone responsible for maintaining the health of the pelvic floor muscles and tissues, declines during perimenopause and as result, the pelvic floor muscles weaken, leading to issues such as urinary incontinence and even waking-to-pee in the night frequently.

The good news is that this is treatable. Supplements, such as Jude's award-winning Bladder Strength Supplement can help support your pelvic floor and bladder strength. With a natural botanical blend of pumpkin seed and soy germ extract, it’s clinically proven to improve leaks and urgency by up to 66%, offering a non-invasive solution to age-related bladder issues.

2. Your pelvic floor needs exercising

We know that as we age, we need to remain active - but did you know that in particular, that includes your pelvic floor? As we age and our hormones decrease, one significant change can be in the strength of our pelvic floor muscles. This in turn can lead to problems with our bladder, as it loses strength and elasticity.

In order to improve the control we have over our bladder and frequency to pee, we should aim for at least 3 sets of 10 pelvic floor squeezes a day. You don’t need anything to do them and they are super easy to do anywhere! Simply squeeze the same muscles that you use to control your pee mid-flow, drawing the pelvic floor up and then release. Consistency is key when it comes to our pelvic floor, but you can quickly see a difference with daily exercises.

3. You might not be peeing properly

Did you know that there is a ‘right’ way to pee? If not, your pee technique could do with a little revision! If you aren’t peeing correctly and in the right position, you might find that you aren’t emptying your bladder enough and going to the toilet more often as a result. That’s because when urine is left in the bladder, it can irritate the bladder muscles and urethra, and even cause issues like UTIs.

So how can you pee properly? Sit down fully on the seat, with your feet flat on the floor. Lean forward, and rest your elbows on your thighs. Pee at your normal rate - don’t rush or ‘speed-pee’, allow it to naturally flow. If you feel you haven’t emptied fully, rocking back and forth can help get the last drops out.

4. You aren’t drinking enough

For a lot of people as they age, fluid intake drops; in particular, water. If your main drink is tea (and let’s face it, we’re British, it’s a staple!) then this is a known bladder irritant. By cutting down on caffeine-based drinks and increasing our water intake, we can boost hydration and this is great for our bladder.

If you are finding yourself leaking, or running to the bathroom a lot more it can be tempting to reduce the amount of water you drink, but this can be counterproductive when it comes to our bladder health. In fact, this may cause issues such as UTIs, cystitis and thrush, and increase the need for the loo as our urine becomes too concentrated and irritates the bladder.

Check out Jude to discover their award-winning products. Lottie members can get an exclusive 20% off Jude with code LOTTIE20 - or click here to have your discount automatically applied.