Peeing before you need to is a bad habit

You risk training your bladder badly and making it overactive. But this can lead to trips to the bathroom up to eight times a day and waking up at night to urinate.

di |
pexels timmossholder 5341491 scaled

Even with peeing, you shouldn't overdo it and slip into the swamp of obsession. You know those mothers who tell their children, "We're going out, have you peed?" It's not a good idea, much less a good habit. Peeing "just in case," or even at the first urge, only risks training the bladder to send the signal to the brain sooner than necessary. and with this become hyperactive and force us to go to the bathroom more often than necessary. 

Il bladder function starts from the kidneys, which must be well protected To perform their essential function, they filter blood to remove waste, producing urine that is transported to the bladder. How much can we hold? Volumes vary depending on a person's gender. Women can hold up to 500 milliliters (about two glasses), while men can hold up to 700 milliliters of urine (almost three glasses). When the bladder holds between 200 and 250 milliliters, it sends signals to the brain, which alert us that it's time to go to the bathroom.

But what happens if we pee proactively, when it's not yet necessary? The bladder, by training itself to this behavior, gets used to reducing the volume of urine it can hold and becomes hyperactive. overactive bladder It has negative consequences for our health and lifestyle: the muscles work less well, as the bladder is designed to empty when full and not before; the need to go to the bathroom can increase, even up to eight times a day; la qualità del sonno it gets worse, Because during pregnancy, we feel the need to go to the bathroom to pee. This leads to chronic fatigue.

Furthermore, urinating before necessary, “just to be safe”, requires extra effort from the muscles of the pelvic floor (the set of muscles and ligaments that support the bladder and intestines, and in the case of women also the uterus and vagina) and this way you risk weakening it. 

The general rule of peeing at the right time and not straining your bladder is complemented by some exceptions that justify the need to go to the bathroom as a preventative measure:

  • Before going to bed
  • Before embarking on a long journey
  • When we know we won't have access to a bathroom for a long time
  • During pregnancy

Read also:

Want to see a selection of our news?

Don't Waste