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'just in case' peeing is bad for your bladder
do you ever head to the bathroom on your way out the do...
may 22 2020
2 minute read
avoid emptying your bladder before you have to go. stock/getty
do you ever head to the bathroom on your way out the door “just in case?”
well, experts are saying that it’s better to wait until you have the urge.
steven a. kaplan, md, director of benign urologic diseases and the men’s health program at the mount sinai health system told the healthy that our bladders can hold up 400 to 500 millilitres , which is about the size of a can of pop. he added that if we start heading to the toilet before our bladders fill, it could actually train the bladder to want to empty itself when it’s only half of that.
“people sensitize their bladders to go at lower volumes than needed,” he said. “it’s hard to get out of that because they’re so used to that.”
according to gynaecologist elizabeth farrell, medical director at jean hailers for women’s health, it’s important to let your bladder function normally, and to empty it whenever it tells you to.
“if you keep going ‘just in case’ too often, the bladder never fills up properly, then it shrinks a bit,” she told abc . “so then you do tend to have the feeling that you’re going to have to go more frequently.”
sandip vasavada, md, urologist with cleveland clinic, told the healthy that if you’re prone to leaking, it’s okay for preventative peeing, especially for a long stretch of time like a road trip. going to the bathroom “just in case” every so often won’t cause any issues unless it’s becoming a daily occurrence.
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this doesn’t mean you should hold a full bladder either, as making it a regular habit can cause your bladder to get overstretched. farrell says that if you overstretch the bladder, it loses its proper tone and contraction.
“you may get urine staying in the bladder because it doesn’t empty properly, and that can increase the risk of a urinary tract infection,” she said. “so, you may have to sit on the toilet a bit longer to empty the bladder.”
if you’re noticing you’re constantly going to the bathroom and want to stop the frequent trips, there are some ways where you can try ‘training’ your bladder.
benjamin brucker, md, uro-gynecologist and assistant professor of urology and ob-gyn at nyu langone medical center told the healthy to try not to give into “every whim of needing to void.” he recommends keeping a bathroom log of all your toilet trips to track how often you go. doing things like kegel exercises (exercises that strengthen the muscles of your pelvic floor) can also help as these muscles support your bladder and fight leakage and incontinence.
jordan heuvelmans is a freelance journalist with healthing.ca. you can follow her on twitter at @jordanheuvelm
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