If you have incontinence, or if you care for someone with incontinence, you know the stress of anticipating and cleaning up after nighttime accidents. If you deal with frequent bouts of nighttime incontinence, there are products on the market today that will help you manage and feel more confident that overnight leaks won’t become big messes.
The Best Nighttime Incontinence Products for Adults
The best absorbent products for nighttime use are those which maximize absorbency and comfort, including adult diapers and protective underwear, bed protectors, and skincare products. What you choose to wear is a highly personal decision based on a number of factors, including how severe your incontinence is (e.g. do you normally have a few small leaks or more frequent, larger accidents), cost, and what feels most comfortable and convenient for you.
Here, we’ve compiled a list of the most useful products for managing nighttime incontinence, so you can focus on sleep rather than on soiled sheets:
Pull-On Protective Underwear
Many brands, including Because Market, make disposable absorbent underwear specifically for overnight use. These products typically have higher absorbency, since you likely won’t be changing your underwear for several hours. You should look for overnight underwear that feels soft or fabric-like, to prevent chafing and discomfort when worn for long hours.
Because Market’s Premium Overnight Underwear for Women and Premium Overnight Underwear for Men is created with soft, breathable material that won’t irritate your skin, has a super-absorbent core that holds six cups of liquid (that’s 3x the human bladder), and has reinforced leak guards around the leg openings to keep bladder leaks from getting onto your clothing or sheets. Its built-in odor protection is a plus for overnight users, so you don’t have to wake up to unpleasant smells.
Adult Diapers and Briefs
Some caregivers prefer adult diapers and disposable briefs because of their tab-style closure, which makes it easier to use if you’re helping someone with low mobility. They are often plastic-backed and not as breathable as protective underwear, but they can hold in very large messes. If you use adult diapers, be sure to change them regularly and use a good skincare routine to prevent rashes and skin irritation.
Booster Pads
Booster pads are a comfortable and cost-effective way to add extra absorbency to your current protective underwear or briefs. Booster pads are like regular pads and guards, but they don’t come with a plastic backing, which allows them to work like an extra absorbent core within your incontinence underwear. When buying boosters for your incontinence products, make sure to look for boosters rather than regular pads or guards. Why? The plastic backing on pads and guards can block liquid from reaching the absorbent core in your incontinence underwear, reducing its overall effectiveness and increasing the risk of leaks.
The boosters from Because Market can hold an extra four cups of liquid, have a soft top layer for extra freshness, and are contoured to fit inside your protective underwear. They’re a great choice if you want more protection and peace of mind while you sleep.
Pads and Guards
Pads and guards fit inside your normal underwear or briefs, capture liquid quickly and effectively, and usually come in different absorbency levels to match the severity of your leaks. These can be a good option if you have light to moderate urinary incontinence, and aren’t worried about having large bladder leaks overnight.
Because Premium Overnight Pads for Women are contoured to fit inside women’s underwear, have a soft top that keeps you dry and comfortable, and lock away up to three cups of liquid in a gel absorbent core. Because Premium Guards for Men are designed to fit inside men’s briefs, hold over two cups of liquid, and have double-sided barriers to prevent leakage.
Bed protectors
On the rare occasion that your incontinence underwear or pads don’t catch everything, bed protectors can keep leaks from becoming a disaster. With a soft top and leak-proof backing, they’ll keep you and your bedding dry even when your protective underwear fails. Place them on your mattress, chair, or wherever else you want extra protection, and change them out for a fresh protector after accidents.
Bedside commode
A portable toilet or bedside commode can reduce accidents by giving people who have functional incontinence—incontinence caused by confusion or loss of mobility—a convenient way to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. It can also help people with overactive bladders due to conditions like Multiple Sclerosis use the bathroom quickly and get back to sleep with minimum disruption to their sleep. With a bedside commode, you don’t have to wander through the dark and risk falling or not making it to the bathroom in time.
Skin Protection
Wearing incontinence products for hours at a time can be hard on your skin, so use a specially-formulated moisture barrier skin cream to keep moisture from irritating your skin. These creams are more effective than homemade options like petroleum jelly, because they won’t rub off onto your protective underwear and block it from absorbing liquid.
If your skin feels raw or dry, you can also use a soothing bathing cloth formulated with healing ingredients like Aloe Vera and lanolin, which can soothe and repair damaged skin.
Cleaning Wipes
While it’s important to keep your skin clean in order to reduce odors and prevent infection, washing too often can make your skin dry and sensitive (especially if you’re an older adult). If you’re changing out your soiled incontinence underwear for a new pair, keep some gentle cleaning wipes on hand to freshen up in between. Because Market’s Cleansing Wipes are sensitive-skin friendly, made with soothing ingredients like Chamomile and Aloe Vera, and don’t contain alcohol, which can dry out your skin.
When you’re dealing with incontinence, the last thing you need is to lie awake worrying about whether you’ll have an accident in your sleep. With the right products and preparation, you can reduce the chances that an overnight accident will lead to a big mess, letting you relax and have a restful sleep. Because Market’s Bladder Protection Fit Finder can help you find the products you need for your overnight needs; try it out today and take the first step towards a good night’s rest.
If you're struggling with incontinence, join one of our private support groups today!
Women's Incontinence Support Group
Men's Incontinence Support Group
