You can face major infections and even bladder surgery in the long run. Is holding in the pee bad? On the internet, there are dozens and dozens of sites announcing very serious consequences against those who try to put off their appointment with the bathroom more and more. When we drink liquids, they go directly to the stomach. From here, they pass into the intestine, which assimilates them, making them enter the bloodstream. The kidneys filter those in excess and gradually end up in the bladder. It is, therefore, a process that could be faster.
Holding In Pee Hurts: How Often Is It Normal To Go To The Bathroom?
On average, it is estimated that a healthy person pees between four and seven times a day. Of course, the number of times we have to go to the toilet varies not only from person to person but from situation to situation:
- Some people are more sensitive than others. In short, some have undergone a very intense stimulus, and those who can wait.
- It depends on the number of liquids we take. So not just when we drink but also what foods we eat. For example, we know that some fruits are particularly rich in water.
- The amount of sweat we emit also has something to do with it.
- Then some substances stimulate diuresis, such as caffeine or alcohol.
- Emotional states such as stress and agitation.
- Even taking medicines, such as diuretics, significantly increases the number of times we go to the bathroom.
- Then there are disorders such as cystitis or diseases such as those affecting the prostate that force us to go to the toilets much more often.
- Then there are cases of urinary incontinence.
Being Able To Hold In The Pee Is Completely Normal
In healthy people aged 2-3, urination, which is nothing more than the act of urinating, is a mechanism that can be controlled voluntarily. We may voluntarily postpone the bathroom appointment even if we feel the urge. On the other hand, some diseases involve neurological lesions, or in the elderly, bladder control is gradually lacking. In general, the urge to go to the bathroom begins lightly, growing more and more until it reaches a real and urgent need. Often out of laziness, modesty, or even the lack of a toilet worthy of the name, we postpone urination. How bad is this habit, and what are the consequences?
How Much Pee Can The Bladder Hold?
As we have said, the kidneys produce urine, a mixture of water and waste products, such as toxins. From here, it enters the ureters to reach the bladder. This is where the detrusor muscle comes into play. When it relaxes, the bladder inflates like a balloon and fills with pee. When the bladder is full, this muscle contracts. This is the moment in which the internal urethral orifice opens automatically, and urine thus enters the urethra, stopping at the natural plug, which is called the external urethral orifice. If you want to pee, release the sphincter. Otherwise, you continue to keep it closed voluntarily.
Various nerves in the body are also at work while all of this is happening. Their job is to send increasingly intense signals to the brain. 150-200 milliliters of pee in the bladder is enough to perceive pressure. When between 400 and 500 milliliters accumulated, the pressure now becomes important. It typically holds up to a liter, after which it could also explode. We usually lose control of our bladder and pee ourselves to avoid this situation. If your bladder ruptures, you need to undergo delicate surgery.
Holding In The Pee Hurts: Here’s What You Risk
- The first important consequence that can occur if we hold the pee for too long is the appearance of urinary tract infections. Stagnant urine favors the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria. This is well known by women who are often affected by episodes of cystitis, which in any case can also affect men.
- Delaying your bathroom appointment can weaken the muscles around your bladder. In the long run, the detrusor muscle can have problems and only partially empty the bladder. In these cases, you continue to feel the urge to go to the toilet. This situation can also cause painful and dangerous infections. It often happens in the elderly.
- As anticipated, the most important risk is bladder rupture. If we have the habit of holding the pee for a long time, we weaken the muscles in the area, causing some parts of the shoal to break. At this point, you can only intervene surgically.
Also Read: FEMALE URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS: SYMPTOMS, CAUSES & TREATMENTS
