Empty the bladder completely: Here's how!

To improve your bladder control, train your bladder activity and muscles. These exercises have proven effective:

1. train your pelvic muscles

The pelvic floor muscles are best strengthened with Kegel training - these simple exercises train the muscles that control the bladder, uterus, small intestine and rectum. The easiest way to do this is to lie down on the floor. Then tense the pelvic floor for about ten seconds and relax again for 10 seconds. Practice this several times a day until you can control your bladder better.

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2. train your bladder

Supplement your pelvic floor training with this bladder training, as this is an effective way to counteract urinary retention and incontinence. You will learn to extend the time between urination, increase the amount of urine in the bladder and reduce the urge to urinate and/or leakage. Remember: the aim is to regain control of your bladder. Here's how:

• Empty your bladder and then set yourself intervals of one to two hours - regardless of the urge to urinate.
• As soon as you succeed, extend the intervals by 15 to 30 minutes. Keep practicing until you can go for three to four hours without difficulty. This is usually the case after six to twelve weeks.

Residual urine: weak bladder muscle as the cause

The causes of urine retention include weak muscles, nerve damage, kidney stones, a bladder infection or an enlarged prostate - so both women and men are affected. The bladder muscle does not have enough strength to empty the bladder completely during the voiding phase. The reasons are neurological, as described above, but taking certain medications can also restrict the function of the bladder muscle. This causes the bladder to fill up until it overflows. Urinary retention can occur acutely in the short term, but can also become chronic. In any case, you should consult your doctor, as medical intervention is sometimes necessary.