These Bathroom Habits Can Lead to Urinary Issues
Sorry for the direct question, but do you
usually go to the bathroom right before you leave the house? Or do you
tend to hold it in when you're away from home? Some people do this to
avoid the hassle of searching for a public restroom or inconveniencing
friends while they’re out and about. But it turns out that both of these
habits are not very good for your bladder.
Both forcing yourself and holding it in isn’t such a good idea according
to urologists. For one, having the habit of going to the bathroom with a
half-empty bladder could train you to go to the bathroom more
frequently or even makes it shrink a bit.
An adult’s bladder can hold around 14-17 oz
(400-500 ml) of liquid - or about 3 glasses. Having the habit of
emptying a half-empty bladder can train an early urge to urinate. As Dr.
Steven A. Kaplan, director of Benign Urologic Diseases at the Mount
Sinai Health System shared with The Healthy, “People sensitize their
bladders to go at lower volumes than needed.”
In some cases, this increased bladder sensitivity could even interrupt
your sleep and wake you up at night.
As for those who experience incontinence, or reduced control of
urination, going to the bathroom before you head outside may be a good
idea. But keep in mind that this is just a temporary solution, and you
should definitely see your doctor and try doing exercises and other
approaches to address the underlying issue.
For those of you wondering how often one
should urinate, know that it varies from person to person, but usually,
it’s between 6 and 8 times a day. Marcelino Rivera, an assistant
professor of urology at the Indiana University School of Medicine,
shared one piece of advice with the Huffington Post on this very topic,
and it’s, “People should really listen to their body.”
Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to force yourself not to go to the
bathroom, as postponing a trip to the bathroom can be just as bad, if
not more harmful. Since the bladder is made up largely of muscle,
keeping the urine in can end up overstretching and injuring it. This, in
turn, can make it more difficult for you to control urination and could
eventually even lead to urinary problems. Urine staying in the bladder
for a long time can also increase the risk of a urinary tract infection,
especially in women. So holding in the urine is actually really bad for
your health, especially if you already have a history of UTIs and other
urinary problems.
The bottom line is, be mindful of your bladder's need, maintain a steady
schedule, and try not to force yourself to keep up your bladder health.
This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.