Why holding your pee for too long is a bad idea! - Pavitra Sampath

Pavitra Sampath reports on health via The Health Site

We all have had those moments when we want to go to the washroom but are not able to. Be it because of an important meeting, some urgent work or the lack of a bathroom nearby. But have you ever wondered what would happen if you controlled the urge to go to the bathroom for too long? Well, it might not be the best thing to do.

Why do you feel like peeing

Our urinary bladder is a small round organ whose walls are lined with receptors to gauge how far it has stretched to accommodate waste. The fluid that comes from the kidneys collects in the bladder and when it is about half full, the sensors send a signal to your brain telling it that you need to relieve yourself. But the brain, depending on the situation, will decide when you should actually pee. So when you control yourself you are basically not heeding the stimulus from your bladder to your brain to urinate.

What are the ill effects of not peeing when you should:

UTI: Also known as urinary tract infection, UTI is a common side effect of holding your urine in for too long. This is because the collection of bacteria around the opening of your urethra (the tube that carries urine from inside your bladder to the outside) tend to enter it when you don’t pass urine often enough. According to Dr Anthony Komaroff, Harvard Medical School, UTI is common due to holding in your pee for too long as the action of urinating helps eliminate bacteria and holding it in for too long gives them the chance to multiply.

Over sensitive bladder: The sensitivity of a person’s bladder differs based on a lot of things including what they eat and drink, but holding your urine in can make your bladder a lot more sensitive. This is because as your bladder stretches to accommodate the increasing amounts of urine in it, the sensors tend to become overactive and make you feel like peeing more often than normal. Incidentally, this is a common sign of UTI as well. If you have been experiencing this symptom it is probably time you visited a doctor.

Pain: Also known clinically as a condition called painful bladder syndrome, although the reason for the onset of this condition is still unknown, some experts believe not urinating for a long time could contribute to this condition.

How long is too long:

While this does change from person to person, when you feel like you have to relieve yourself, do it. You can control the urge for a little while but passing urine as soon as you reach the point where you just can’t hold it in anymore is the best idea.

Oh ya, and by the way, no your bladder won’t burst either!