Ileostomy bag leaking at night

An ileostomy bag leaking at night is a worry for all of us. Unfortunately it is something most people with an ileostomy will experience at some point.

Fortunately, there are some steps we can take to reduce the chances of this happening and reduce anxiety.

Eating before bed

The first thing to do to prevent your ileostomy bag leaking at night is to eat the right foods in the evening/before bed.

I always eat a lower fibre meal that produces less output and also a thicker output. Foods such as meat/fish with rice work well for me. I know when eating these foods my output will be less and not watery.

Higher fibre foods such vegetables, fruits and nuts can produce more output and also watery output, increasing the chance of leaks. I include these foods in my diet during the day when I can monitor my bag.

This will differ from person to person so its important you gain an understanding of how different foods impact your stoma output. Keeping a food diary may help with this.

Stoma bag and equipment to control ileostomy leaking at night

This may seem obvious but its essential you get the right stoma bag system and equipment to work for you. When I first had my ileostomy I settled for the first product I had which was causing some leaks and also caused my first leak at night.

I worked with my stoma nurse very carefully to try different products and found a solution which worked well for my body type/skin type. This meant my adhesive was stronger greatly reduced my leaks. I may be extremely lucky but since doing this I have not had a leak at night…. yet anyway!

This is important as even the slightest thing that doesn’t fit right with a stoma bag can increase the odds of a leak at night when your bag fills without you knowing.

Water before bed

This is one of the most important things for preventing an ileostomy bag leaking at night or bursting.

Every night before I go to sleep I drink plenty of water (around 500ml). This ensures that in 2-3 hours I am awake to empty my bag. I then drink another 500ml of water and go back to sleep ready to repeat the process in 2-3 hours or so.

Although this isn’t ideal as it means waking up often, it means I don’t sleep through and my bag potentially bursting due being over filled. This greatly reduces chances of a leak at night and makes sleeping with an ileostomy bag less of a worry.

Sleep position to avoid ileostomy bag leaking at night

Sleeping on your or back rather than your front can reduce a leak. If you sleep on your front your bag can fill up and burst under pressure.

Place a pillow next to you to stop you from automatically rolling over in the night if sleeping on your front is a habit. The pillow will also prevent you rolling over when the bag is full and it bursting upon being pressured by your weight and the mattress.

In time I have learned not to sleep on my front and it is now instinct not to roll on to my front. But placing a pillow is a great way to try and prevent this happening if its not so easy for you.