Holding your pee is one of the most common concepts, which turns into a habit in no time. Whether it’s because of the unavailability of the restrooms or their unhygienic conditions. The result is a habit that seems not that harmful but in actual, there are many health effects of holding your urine too long.

There are a lot of reasons that make people resist the urge to pee like being in a conference meeting, in an area where no restrooms are nearby, stuck in a traffic jam, unhygienic conditions of public washrooms and personal hygiene.

Women are more likely to hold their pee as compared to men. Maybe because we have been programmed to not go whenever or wherever we need just like men. Whatever the reason is, holding your pee causes complications in both men and women.

Generally, a healthy adult can hold up to 16 ounces (2 cups) of liquid and after that, the bladder sends a signal to the brain to empty it, in response to it the brain creates the urge to pee.

Health Effects of holding Urine too long

It’s okay to hold your urine when in conditions where there is absolutely no option than to hold your pee like unhygienic toilets and even then, you can use Peesafe toilet seat sanitizer. Occasional withholding of pee does not cause any harm but doing it frequently or making a habit out of it does have some side effects.

• Bladder Pain after holding urine:

After holding urine for too long, there is a chance that the person feels pain in the kidney or bladder. Because of the holding pee, the pelvic muscles may also stay partially clenched, which further cause pelvic cramps.

• Incontinence:

Holding your urine for too long can lead to weak bladder or weakened bladder muscles. Retaining urine for long may harm the pelvic floor muscles, which keeps the urethra closed to prevent urine from leaking out thus, causing urinary incontinence.

So, try not to hold your pee and for women, you can use PeeBuddy – Disposable, Portable Female Urination Device, which helps provide freedom from UTI and squatting on dirty toilets. 

• Kidney Stones:

Pee often contains minerals such as calcium oxalate and uric acid. Peeing causes the removal of these minerals from the body. Holding your pee causes the build-up of these minerals, which leads to kidney stones.

Many of you would have experienced pain after holding urine at night. The reason is extra pressure on the bladder.

Can holding your Pee cause UTI?

There is a lot of concerns regarding UTI infections due to holding pee. For people who frequently hold their pee for long periods of time have a higher chance of catching UTI. To avoid squatting on an unhygienic toilet seat, women can use Sanfe Stand and Pee, which reduces the risk of UTI infections.

Urinary Tract Infection is an infection caused in any part of the urinary system, the kidneys, bladder or urethra. It is more common in women as compared to men. The infection causes pelvic pain, increased urge to urinate, pain with urination and blood in the urine.

While holding the pee, the bacteria make their way into the urinary tract and multiply there, which causes UTI.

Tips to hold your Pee in case of absolute urgency

It’s not always possible that you are in reach of toilets or in situations where there is a long cue, holding your pee is your only solution. For situations like those, you should know the tricks to hold your bladder for long and also get freedom from UTI. Some of them are:

• Don’t make any sudden movements.
• Stay warm as cold only increases your urge to pee.
• Think of a distraction like listening to music or reading.
• Don’t laugh as it puts pressure on your bladder.
• Minimize your drinking at the time while holding your pee.

All in all, we can say that holding your pee once or twice or in emergency conditions won’t cause any harm but making a habit out of it, does have some drawbacks. Hope you find the blog interesting or helpful to you. Do share your thoughts and opinions with us.