Don’t Hold Off Your Pee

Bladder Muscles Weaken When We Hold Our Pee Frequently

Peeing is embarrassing for many of us while at office, school or social gatherings and it also occupies the least priority in our to-do list. Holding the nature’s call for a prolonged time can cause serious damage to our health.

Some people go on road trips, to malls for shopping, sit through a long movie without any difficulty and go for their early-morning walk without thinking twice. Some others always keep track of the nearest available bathroom, take double caution while going out to prevent urine leakage and look out for ways to escape the dread of making frequent bathroom visits. Before talking about urinating frequently and the fear people bear in mind outside for using public toilets, lets get the basics of bladder capacity cleared.

Full or Half Bladder
A normal, healthy adult bladder can hold up to 475 ml or 2 cups of urine and visits the bathroom for urinating every 3-4 hours (not more than twice overnight). The frequency and output change depending on the day’s consumption of beverages as certain types of drinks such as caffeine-added or artificial sweetener-present ones increase urine output.
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Speaking in terms of ounces, bladder capacity of children below the age of 2 is 4 ounces. For children aged above 2 years, know the bladder capacity by dividing their age by 2 and then adding 6 to the result. For example, a 10-year-old kid can hold up to 11 ounces of urine. All of us have controlled the urge to urinate some time or the other while some of us control it quite too often. Is it healthy to control the urge to pee?

Side Effects of Holding Your Full Bladder
Individuals with a healthy urinary system can hold their pee sometimes and it is not quite dangerous. However, holding more than 2 cups of urine often makes you feel restless. People with overactive bladder are trained to hold their pee as a part of bladder training. But, some people are advised to never hold their bladder in any circumstance. They include individuals with enlarged prostate, urinary retention, kidney disorders, neurogenic bladder and pregnant women (they are at a higher risk of urinary tract infection).
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1. By holding your urge to urinate for a prolonged time, we increase the risk of urinary tract infections (UTI) or bladder infections. UTI simply doesn’t occur by holding the bladder. Skipping regular emptying of bladder presents a breeding ground for bacteria to multiply in the bladder.
2. Frequently holding your bladder can weaken bladder muscles and result in urinary retention. This prevents the bladder from completely emptying out urinary contents and this promotes the feeling of urination frequently.
3. The bladder indicates the brain when it is full and when you keep holding off the peeing element too often, the body loses the ability to know when it’s time to go. The more you procrastinate your bathroom visit, more chances do you provide for the bladder to become a breeding ground for bacteria.
   
   

The brain’s signal to pee varies from person to person depending on factors such as age, liquid content in the bladder and what time of day it is. The signals are less often during nighttime to allow your body to rest peacefully instead of running to the bathroom every now and then. Some women face the risk of increased urge to urinate after having children due to several changes after childbirth such as weakened muscles and nerve stimulation. Sadly, it’s the woman who tries controlling her urination when outside due to hygiene conditions. Overcome this by using your personal toilet paper or by looking out for rarely occupied restroom doors.
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A healthy bladder does not trigger an immediate urge to urinate and can hold it until it is convenient or possible to urinate. Maintain a healthy bladder by:

• Urinating every 3-4 hours
• Drinking water as your preferred beverage choice as it is most healthy and least expensive
• Realizing that increased fluid intake can increase trips to the bathroom
• Leading a healthy lifestyle by exercising daily and eating healthy food as obesity causes urinary incontinence, increases frequency of urination and leakage. Meet a registered dietitian nutritionist at www.firsteatright.com to get your personalized weight loss diet plan that’s all healthy and nutritious.