We all agree to the fact that we hold our urine quite often right. It may be due to multiple reasons like you are in a class, traveling, or no access to a washroom. There is no definite reason to hold your urine in, yet we all do it. But is it really safe? Let’s break down the complications of holding your urine and how it affects your body’s overall function. The urinary bladder is a muscular organ that fills with urine as the kidneys filter the waste. The bladder can hold up to 2 cups of urine and these levels can be even lower in children. As the urine capacity increases the bladder stretches to hold the urine. When the bladder muscles reach a certain point it signals the brain regarding the urge to urinate.
What happens to your body when you hold your urine?
The actual reason behind the urge to urinate is not because the bladder is full. But when the bladder is halfway filled with urine the nerve endings in the bladder send signals to the brain, that make you feel that you need to urinate. The brain further signals the bladder to hold on until you decide to urinate. Holding your urine is an intentional action. Your age, the capacity at which your bladder can hold urine, and at which time of the day are the factors that depend on the signal from your brain to urinate. Usually at night, your brain may not send signals as frequently as it does in the day to help you have a good night’s sleep.
Is it safe to hold your urine?
This is a common question that runs in our minds, every time we hold urine. Usually holding your urine is not harmful to your body. But when you hold your urine quite frequently for longer hours then it might pose a threat to your overall health. Especially in people who have an overactive bladder and going through bladder training then it is not recommended to hold your urine.
Will the bladder burst due to holding too much urine?
While there is a rumor that your bladder might burst when you hold too much urine. But in reality, your bladder doesn’t rupture due to holding too much urine. Although a bladder rupture can occur when there is a blockage in the bladder that prevents the urine from passing through.
What are the possible complications of holding urine frequently?
In case you are someone who tends to hold your urine for quite too long and also frequently then your overall health may be affected to a certain level and it can cause several complications over time. Few of the major complications can include:
Weakened bladder muscles:
Usually in people with incontinence bladder training works wonders to improve the strength of the bladder muscles. But when you hold your urine for too long it can lead to incontinence. As the bladder muscles work aggressively to hold the urine to avoid leakages and when these muscles work on continuously it can strain these muscles leading to urinary incontinence.
The risks of urinary infection:
Holding urine cause UTI but not directly, when you hold the urine for too long the bacteria may pass through and can cause infection and also when you hold the urine for long time and when you urinate there are chances for a little amount of urine to be present in the bladder and the bacteria in the left urine can cause urinary infections.
This can also happen if you don’t drink enough water, as when your body does not get enough water, enough urine is not generated to flush out the bacteria and when this happens the bacteria present in the bladder begins to spread and causes infection.
Developing a kidney disease:
As previously mentioned, holding your urine for a couple of minutes every now and then is completely fine but when you have an underlying condition and hold the urine for too long it can lead to kidney disease. People with the following conditions should not hold their urine too long:
- Enlarged prostate gland
- Urinary retention
Pain while urinating:
When you hold the urine for too long, the overstrained muscles contract and can cause pain while urinating. Although this may be temporary when the pain persists for too long, reach out to the best urologist hospital in Coimbatore, to undergo immediate treatment and expert care.
Kidney stones:
There are high chances of developing kidney stones when you hold the urine for too long. It can cause immense pain and these kidney stones may require surgery to get them removed.
Stretching of bladder:
When you continuously hold the urine it might lead to the stretching of the bladder urine. When the bladder muscles are stretched it might lead to urinary incontinence.
What to do if you are in a situation to hold your urine?
If you have access to a washroom and if you have an urge to go to the bathroom then you should. Now not always you will have access to a washroom, in such cases you might need to hold your urine. In such cases you might need to follow a few tips that can help if you have difficulty holding urine:
- Try to engage your brain and divert it
- Listen to some distracting music
- In case you are sitting make sure to stay seated
- Ensure to stay warm, as getting cold can increase the urge to urinate
Important Takeaway:
In most cases holding your urine is not concerning, but if you tend to do it on a regular basis and for a longer time then it can become a potential threat to various health disorders. But to keep your kidneys and bladder healthy it is important to drink enough water and flush out the bacteria and other toxins from the body.
