Many people are unaware of how much caffeine they ingest in a single day. They may remember the one or two cups of coffee they drink in the morning, but forget the cola drink at lunch, the cup of tea in the afternoon, the coffee after dinner and the chocolate they have as a snack. Caffeine is found in various degrees in all of these products.
Caffeine is a bladder irritant, meaning that it causes more urgency to urinate.
It is also a diuretic, meaning that for every cup of caffeinated beverage that you drink, you will void more than that amount. Many people find that cutting back or eliminating their caffeine reduces symptoms of urgency and frequency. People with incontinence must balance their intake of fluid and foods that have high fluid content. Too much fluid challenges the bladder and can exacerbate uregency, frequency, and urge incontinence. On the other hand, many people who have incontinence fail to drink enough fluids.