What is Bladder Training?

Bladder training is a simple, yet highly effective technique designed to improve bladder control and reduce the frequency and urgency of urination. It’s a method used by women dealing with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) or an overactive bladder, often following childbirth or during menopause. The goal of bladder training is to gradually increase the time between bathroom visits, allowing you to regain control and reduce those unexpected leaks that can seriously disrupt your day.

Bladder issues are common but often left undiscussed, leaving many women struggling in silence. However, there is good news—bladder training can make a significant difference. By retraining your bladder to hold urine for longer periods, you can increase the amount it can comfortably store, giving you more control over when and where you go. This form of self-regulation not only helps with physical symptoms but also restores confidence and peace of mind.

Alongside pelvic floor exercises, bladder training offers a proactive way to improve bladder health. For even better results, pairing bladder training with supportive garments like SRC Restore Shorts or Leggings can further enhance pelvic floor function, providing additional relief and boosting your journey to better bladder control.

Why Bladder Training Works

Bladder training is a proven technique that helps improve bladder control by retraining your bladder to hold more urine over longer periods. It’s based on the principle of gradually increasing the intervals between bathroom visits, which in turn helps condition your bladder to stretch and store more urine. Over time, this process reduces the frequency and urgency of urination, allowing you to regain control and minimize accidents.

For women dealing with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) or an overactive bladder, this is a game-changer. Many factors, such as pregnancy, childbirth, or hormonal changes during menopause, can weaken the bladder and surrounding pelvic muscles. These muscles lose their ability to effectively control urination, leading to leakage when you cough, sneeze, or exercise. Bladder training works to reverse these effects by restoring the bladder’s natural capacity and improving your control over when and how often you need to go.

Central to bladder training is the role of the pelvic floor muscles. These muscles, which stretch like a hammock from your pubic bone to your tailbone, play a crucial role in supporting your bladder, uterus, and bowel. When they are strong and functioning correctly, they help keep your bladder closed and prevent leakage. However, when these muscles weaken, bladder control can become unpredictable. Bladder training, combined with pelvic floor exercises like Kegels, helps activate and strengthen these muscles, making it easier to hold in urine and reducing the likelihood of leaks.

For women undergoing bladder training, adding SRC Restore Shorts or Leggings to their routine can further support the process. These garments provide gentle compression to the pelvic area, enhancing proprioceptive feedback and helping you better engage your pelvic floor muscles. Over time, this combination of bladder training and SRC Restore support can significantly improve bladder control and overall pelvic health.

Who Can Benefit from Bladder Training?

Bladder training can benefit a wide range of women, particularly those experiencing urinary incontinence or overactive bladder issues. Women in the postpartum phase, for example, often find themselves dealing with weakened pelvic floor muscles due to the physical stress of pregnancy and childbirth. This can lead to stress urinary incontinence (SUI), where sudden movements like coughing or sneezing result in leakage. Bladder training helps regain control and rebuild bladder capacity over time.

Women going through menopause can also benefit. Hormonal changes during this stage often lead to weakened pelvic floor muscles, contributing to incontinence and frequent urges to urinate. Bladder training, along with pelvic floor exercises, can offer relief by helping women gradually extend the time between bathroom trips.

It’s also beneficial for women who experience bladder prolapse or other pelvic organ prolapse conditions. These conditions can cause discomfort and loss of bladder control, making bladder training an essential part of treatment.

Overall, whether you’re dealing with postpartum recovery, menopause-related bladder issues, or pelvic floor dysfunction, bladder training is a low-risk, non-invasive solution that can help restore your confidence and control. Pairing this practice with SRC Restore Shorts or Leggings adds even more support, helping women on their journey to better pelvic health.

How to Start Bladder Training: A Step-by-Step Guide

Starting bladder training can feel intimidating, but it’s a straightforward process that can deliver significant benefits over time. The key to success is patience, consistency, and a willingness to follow a step-by-step approach that gradually increases the time between bathroom visits.

Step 1: Track Your Habits

Begin by keeping a bladder diary for a few days. Record the times you go to the bathroom, how much you urinate, and whether you experience any leakage. This will give you a clear picture of your current bladder habits and help you set realistic goals for your training.

Step 2: Set a Schedule

Based on your bladder diary, set a schedule for bathroom breaks. If you normally urinate every hour, try extending that interval by 10-15 minutes. The idea is to gradually stretch the time between visits, training your bladder to hold more urine. Stick to this schedule, even if you don’t feel the immediate need to go.

Step 3: Use Distraction Techniques

When the urge to urinate hits, try using distraction techniques to delay it. This can include deep breathing, counting backward, or squeezing your pelvic floor muscles (Kegels) to suppress the urge. The goal is to gradually extend the time between urinations, even when you feel the need to go.

Step 4: Gradually Increase the Time

As your bladder adjusts, aim to increase the time between bathroom trips by another 10-15 minutes each week. You may find that your bladder can hold more urine with time, reducing the frequency of your bathroom visits.

Best Time to Try Bladder Training:

• Start by practicing at home where you are relaxed, and the bathroom is nearby.
• Empty your bladder right before going to sleep to decrease the chances of waking up to pee. 
• Cut down on drinks with caffeine and alcohol.

Some methods you can try:

• Sit down and take 5 slow, deep breaths. Focus on the air going in and out of your lungs instead of focusing on your bladder. 
• When you feel urgency, sit and gently squeeze your pelvic muscles 3 to 5 times. This helps calm your bladder. 
• Keep your mind busy with a mental activity, like a puzzle. 
• Do something that requires concentration, like playing a game, writing, avoiding passive activities like watching TV

•  Remind yourself, "I’m in control, not my bladder." Repeat your chosen phrase until the urgency fades. 

Here’s a great video on Bladder Training by Jilly Bond, a Pelvic Health Physiotherapist

Step 5: Incorporate Pelvic Floor Exercises

While you’re working on bladder training, it’s essential to include pelvic floor exercises like Kegels. These exercises strengthen the muscles that support your bladder, helping you maintain better control during the training process.

By following these steps and combining them with SRC Restore Shorts or Leggings, which provide added pelvic support, you’ll enhance your progress and improve bladder control more effectively.

The Role of Pelvic Floor Exercises

Pelvic floor exercises, commonly known as Kegels, play a vital role in complementing bladder training. These exercises target the muscles that support the bladder, uterus, and bowel, helping to improve their strength and function. When these muscles are weak—often due to pregnancy, childbirth, or aging—bladder control can become compromised, leading to issues like urinary leakage or an overactive bladder.

Kegel exercises involve repeatedly contracting and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles, which helps to build strength and endurance over time. By strengthening these muscles, women can improve their ability to control the bladder, reduce leaks, and hold urine for longer periods between bathroom visits. This makes Kegels an essential part of bladder training, as they help reinforce the gains made through timed bathroom visits.

Moreover, strong pelvic floor muscles offer better support to the bladder and other pelvic organs, reducing the likelihood of bladder prolapse or stress urinary incontinence (SUI). When combined with bladder training, Kegels provide a powerful, low-impact method to improve bladder control and pelvic health.

Wearing SRC Restore Shorts or Leggings can enhance the effectiveness of pelvic floor exercises by providing compression and proprioceptive feedback, helping you engage your pelvic floor muscles more effectively as you train for better bladder control.

How SRC Restore Shorts & Leggings Support Bladder Training

SRC Restore Shorts and Leggings are specifically designed to support women in their journey to better pelvic health, particularly during bladder training. These garments feature a unique triple layered Anatomical Support Panel, strategically placed to provide gentle and continuous compression to the perineum. This compression helps to activate the pelvic floor muscles by offering proprioceptive feedback—a form of sensory feedback that heightens your awareness of muscle engagement.

By wearing SRC Restore Shorts or Leggings, you’re not only supporting your pelvic floor muscles but also enhancing their activation during daily activities, including bladder training. The proprioceptive feedback helps remind your body to engage these critical muscles more effectively, which is particularly beneficial when doing pelvic floor exercises like Kegels. As a result, the strengthening process is accelerated, contributing to improved bladder control over time.

In addition to this functional benefit, SRC Restore garments provide unmatched comfort and support. Made from breathable, high-quality materials, they are designed for all-day wear, making them a perfect complement to your bladder training routine. Whether you're exercising, working, or simply going about your day, these garments offer a level of support that helps ease the strain on your pelvic floor muscles, allowing you to focus on your training with added confidence and comfort.

Success Stories: Real Results from Women Using SRC Restore

Gymwear support. These shorts are a must-have during my thrice weekly weight sessions in the gym. Their compression enables me to brace my core in a way that is safe and supportive while allowing me to still perform the exercises I love. - Reviewed by Julie R.

SRC Restore Support Mini Shorts - Best Investment in my Health! I was first wore these on advice from my physio because of prolapse injuries from the Army. They not only assist with prolapse support but also lower back especially when I am exercising. It is the best investment in your health you will ever make! - Reviewed by J. J. 

Support. For about 3 years I have suffered with a prolapse. I am hesitant to have an operation so have 'soldiered on' with the discomfort. Until I was recommended to SRC Support Mini Shorts. My days are different, and I feel not only more comfortable but more confident. - Reviewed by Georgina A. 

MIRACLE! This garment CHANGED MY LIFE. I am 60 with a grade 3 prolapse. Six months ago, I felt pressure in my pelvic region and was horrified to see what looked and felt like a water balloon slightly bulging from the entrance of my vagina. From that day on, I couldn’t stand for more than 5 minutes without feeling intense pressure. I could only walk short distances before the discomfort became unbearable. My prolapse became the dominant thought in my head: I felt it, worried about it, planned my life around it, and avoided activities because of it. Months of physical therapy gave me slight improvement, but it was still debilitating. The urogynecologist offered two undesirable solutions: a pessary or surgery. I scoured the internet, desperate for an alternative. I read the reviews on the compression shorts with some scepticism, and when I received them, I doubted their efficacy. I positioned the heavy stitching according to the directions and set out for a walk. An hour later, I was still walking, amazed. No pain, no bulge! I came home and tackled projects that required me to be on my feet for another hour. No pain, no bulge. Drove to the mall and shopped for two more hours. No pain, no bulge. Back at home, I took another long walk. By the time I went to bed, my feet and legs ached from being vertical for so long after months of restricted movement, but I had no pelvic pain. Nothing bulged. Somehow this garment fought gravity and held everything in its proper place ALL DAY. I was concerned that the snugness of the garment would be uncomfortable, but the security it gives me feels like a giant hug. When I do pelvic exercises, they feel more effective because I am strengthening muscles while my organs are in their correct place. After months of suffering, I still can’t believe it; I can move move move and enjoy life again. My sincerest thanks.  - Reviewed by Melinda 

It is really comfortable to wear these mini shorts. These mini shorts have nice support and lovely material without being hot to wear. I wish that I had ordered a size smaller I think the support would be even better, but I needed them so kept them. I really like that they are smoothing and non-bulky, they look great and are undetectable under clothes. They are a great find I have tried other prolapse pants that were very ugly and lumpy looking under clothes it is wonderful to have something beautiful and so helpful. - Gayle C. 

Must have! My physio recommended me to these shorts post birth to assist with my pelvic floor recovery. When I wear them, I no longer get the heavy tugging feeling in my pelvic floor! I only wish I got into them sooner. They are a post birth must have. - Reviewed by Miranda B.

There are plenty more reviews on the SRC Restore product page here.   

Empowering Yourself Through Bladder Training

Bladder training is a simple yet powerful tool for regaining control and confidence in managing urinary issues. By gradually increasing the time between bathroom visits and strengthening your pelvic floor muscles, you can take control of your bladder health. Pairing this with SRC Restore Shorts or Leggings amplifies your efforts, offering gentle compression and support that enhances muscle activation and comfort. Take the first step towards better bladder control and consider incorporating SRC Restore garments into your routine for a more effective, empowering journey toward improved pelvic health.