Do you hold your pee? 4 reasons why you need to STOP doing it
Tell us if this sounds familiar. You are stuck in an important board meeting, in a means of public transport or there is simply no restroom in sight. You keep postponing your trip to the loo till the time your bladder is ready to explode and you cannot help but do the pee dance. While it is normal for most people to resist the urge to urinate from time to tome, it spells a big trouble if you begin to hold your pee in regularly.
A healthy human bladder can hold between 400 to 500 millilitres of urine or about 2 cups before it reaches capacity. While holding your pee isn’t generally dangerous as the bladder is an expandable organ, it is not advisable to make it a habit.
What happens when you hold your urine regularly
Yes, holding your urine for too long can wreak some serious damage to your bladder. This is because holding your pee for too long can lead to weakened bladder muscles. Some of the dangers of resisting the urge to pee for a really long time regularly are:
Urinary incontinence
It is important to understand that if you are not urinating regularly, your bladder can start to atrophy or weaken. As a result, you may develop urinary incontinence. It leads to involuntary leakage of urine.
UTIs (Urinary Tract Infection)
If you have made it a habit to hold the pee in regularly, it can lead to urinary tract infections as the bacteria can begin to multiply. You are especially vulnerable if you have a history of UTIs and getting affected by the same very frequently. Your risk of getting UTI is also high if you do not drink enough water.
If you have a tendency of holding your pee, check for the following signs and symptoms of UTI:
A sharp burning sensation when you pee
Off-coloured urine or bloody urine
Pain in the lower abdomen
foul smelling urine
Stretching of the bladder
Yes, you read that right. When you are in habit of holding your pee in for a longer duration of time, it may cause your bladder to stretch. When you develop an enlarged bladder, you may experience difficulty in peeing and a constant urge to urinate. You may also develop urinary incontinence.
Urinary retention
If you not urinating regularly and are retaining urine, it can also lead to urinary retention. It is a condition in which your bladder is not able to empty completely due to blockage of the free flow of urine through the bladder and urethra.
How often should you pee?
The frequency of visiting the loo actually varies from person to person. While a healthy person actually pees around four to ten times a day, the average is six to eight times in one day.
A healthy human bladder can hold between 400 to 500 millilitres of urine or about 2 cups before it reaches capacity. While holding your pee isn’t generally dangerous as the bladder is an expandable organ, it is not advisable to make it a habit.
What happens when you hold your urine regularly
Yes, holding your urine for too long can wreak some serious damage to your bladder. This is because holding your pee for too long can lead to weakened bladder muscles. Some of the dangers of resisting the urge to pee for a really long time regularly are:
Urinary incontinence
It is important to understand that if you are not urinating regularly, your bladder can start to atrophy or weaken. As a result, you may develop urinary incontinence. It leads to involuntary leakage of urine.
UTIs (Urinary Tract Infection)
If you have made it a habit to hold the pee in regularly, it can lead to urinary tract infections as the bacteria can begin to multiply. You are especially vulnerable if you have a history of UTIs and getting affected by the same very frequently. Your risk of getting UTI is also high if you do not drink enough water.
If you have a tendency of holding your pee, check for the following signs and symptoms of UTI:
A sharp burning sensation when you pee
Off-coloured urine or bloody urine
Pain in the lower abdomen
foul smelling urine
Stretching of the bladder
Yes, you read that right. When you are in habit of holding your pee in for a longer duration of time, it may cause your bladder to stretch. When you develop an enlarged bladder, you may experience difficulty in peeing and a constant urge to urinate. You may also develop urinary incontinence.
Urinary retention
If you not urinating regularly and are retaining urine, it can also lead to urinary retention. It is a condition in which your bladder is not able to empty completely due to blockage of the free flow of urine through the bladder and urethra.
How often should you pee?
The frequency of visiting the loo actually varies from person to person. While a healthy person actually pees around four to ten times a day, the average is six to eight times in one day.