Answer and Explanation: It takes a healthy human body about 3 hours to process through a liter of fluid. The reason it takes so long for fluid to reach the bladder is because fluid consumed by mouth must go through the digestive tract first and into blood circulation.
If you're well-hydrated and your bladder is full or close to full, it can take as little as five to fifteen minutes to need to pee after drinking water. However, if you're dehydrated with an empty bladder, it can take as long as eight to nine hours before you need to urinate.
Adults, on the other hand, have an average bladder of 16 to 24 ounces and they require approximately 8 to 9 hours to fill the bladder.
Remember, it all depends on how hydrated you are throughout the day. How much you consume other liquids and water during the day will impact the rate at which you pee. If you drink 2 liters of water a day, which is the recommended daily amount, expect to urinate about once every four hours.
Median 24-hour urine volume was 2.01 L (IQR 1.20–2.73). A 1 L increase in daily water intake was associated with a 710 mL increase in 24-hour urine output (95% CI 0.55–0.87).
Sometimes when you're drinking that much water, you're probably going to the bathroom every hour, every two hours because your body is getting rid of the water but the kidney's doing it's job to kind of get the electrolytes out, so you're going to be urinating a lot.
Drink one liter or 32 ounces of water 30 minutes before your ultrasound appointment. Don't empty your bladder again until the appointment ends. Wear comfortable clothing and take any prescribed medication as directed. Arrive at the ultrasound clinic 15 minutes before your appointment.
Your bladder must be full for the exam. Drink 1 litre of water or other clear, non-carbonated drinks, starting 1.5 hours before your appointment, and finishing 1hour prior to your appointment. DO NOT EMPTY YOUR BLADDER. If you have a catheter, it must be clamped off before you start to drink.
The urinary bladder can store up to 500 ml of urine in women and 700 ml in men. People already feel the need to urinate (pee) when their bladder has between 200 and 350 ml of urine in it.
If you feel the need to pee much more than that, or if you're getting up every hour or 30 minutes to go, you might be frequently urinating. This can still be considered “normal,” though, especially if you're drinking lots of fluids or taking certain medications. What matters most is what's typical for you.
Normal Results
The normal range for 24-hour urine volume is 800 to 2,000 milliliters per day (with a normal fluid intake of about 2 liters per day).
How much urine can your bladder hold? Your bladder can hold about 500ml of urine. But you usually feel the need to go when it's holding around 200-300ml. Most people empty their bladder 4 to 6 times a day.
The workings of the bladder
The bladder can store between 350-550ml of liquid. At around 200ml most people will feel the urge to go to the bathroom. To store urine, the nervous system and the urinary tract must work together.
There's currently no official record set for the longest someone has gone without peeing, but holding it in is not advised. According to msn.com, no serious health problems have been linked to holding urine too long.
If you have trouble keeping your bladder full, you may be asked to empty your bladder about an hour before your exam and then drink water once you get to the radiologist's office so that the test can be done immediately after your bladder is filled.
Ultrasound waves don't travel well through gas which means they won't be able to produce a clean image of your internal organs. Unfortunately the only way to combat this gas is to ensure the person receiving the ultrasound has a full bladder.
So Why Is it So Important to Drink Water Before an Ultrasound? Dehydration can cause your urine to be concentrated, which can lead to inaccurate results. In addition, dehydration can also cause the liver to produce less bile, which can make it more difficult to see the gallbladder on an ultrasound.
Medications, alcohol and caffeine.
All of these can dull your nerves, which affect signals to your brain and cause your bladder to overflow. Diuretics and caffeine may cause your bladder to fill rapidly and potentially leak.
Before Your Exam
Drink 32 ounces (four glasses) of water one hour before your examination time. You can go to the bathroom to relieve yourself, as long as you keep drinking water. If you are also having an ultrasound abdomen, please do not eat or drink for 8 hours before your exam. Water and medications are okay.
You will need to finish drinking 28 to 32 ounces of water 1 hour before your exam so you have a full bladder. Do not urinate before the exam.
When You're Drinking Too Much Water. In most people, with normal kidney function, drinking too much water can irritate your bladder increasing the risk of urine leakage. As fluid intake increases, the amount of urine made will increase along with it.
The 2 main symptoms of diabetes insipidus are often needing to pee a large amount of urine and feeling extremely thirsty. If you have diabetes insipidus, you may pee pale, watery urine every 15 to 20 minutes. The amount of urine can range from 3 litres in mild cases to up to 20 litres per day in severe cases.
Ideally, experts said adults should be urinating about every three to four hours while they're awake, though the frequency may change depending on how much and what you're drinking or eating, or whether you're pregnant.
Average capacity of the bladder is 300 - 600mls Average number of times we pass urine each day is 4 - 8, plus up to once a night if under 60 years old and twice per night if over 60 years old.