It's a strange question and one you've probably never considered. But experts say there is a certain amount of time it should take to empty your bladder. From house cats to elephants, most mammals take about 20 seconds to urinate. That goes for humans as well.
On average, it shouldn't take longer than 30 seconds to urinate, Freedland said. “Once you get going and it takes you a minute to empty your bladder, that's a problem. That's not normal.” How you position your body can also help, experts said.
Using high-speed video analysis, they modelled the fluid dynamics involved in urination and discovered that all mammals weighing more than 3kg empty their bladders over about 21 seconds.
The World Record for the longest pee is 508 seconds.
Call it the other Golden Rule: Scientists have found that all mammals weighing more than 2.2 pounds (a kilogram) empty their full bladders in about 20 seconds.
It's a strange question and one you've probably never considered. But experts say there is a certain amount of time it should take to empty your bladder. From house cats to elephants, most mammals take about 20 seconds to urinate. That goes for humans as well.
Excessive urine volume often occurs due to lifestyle behaviors. This can include drinking large amounts of liquid, which is known as polydipsia and isn't a serious health concern. Drinking alcohol and caffeine can also lead to polyuria. Certain medications, such as diuretics, increase urine volume.
If a person has a constant urge to pee but little comes out when they go, they may have an infection or other health condition. If a person frequently needs to pee but little comes out when they try to go, it can be due to a urinary tract infection (UTI), pregnancy, an overactive bladder, or an enlarged prostate.
Typically, urine flow runs from 10 ml to 21 ml per second. Women range closer to 15 ml to 18 ml per second. A slow or low flow rate may mean there is an obstruction at the bladder neck or in the urethra, an enlarged prostate, or a weak bladder.
It can be a symptom of more serious conditions like diabetes, overactive bladder syndrome, UTIs or prostate problems. Needing to urinate frequently can even disturb your sleep. That full bladder that keeps waking you up in the middle of an otherwise good night's sleep is a condition called nocturia.
The bladder never empties completely so some residue is normal. You may find it difficult to start to pass water and that even when you have started; the flow is weak and slow. You might find that you dribble after you have finished passing water.
It's considered normal to have to urinate about six to eight times in a 24-hour period. If you're going more often than that, it could simply mean that you may be drinking too much fluid or consuming too much caffeine, which is a diuretic and flushes liquids out of the body.
Urinary bladder and urethra
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.
As men age, their prostates often enlarge. This puts pressure on their urethras. An enlarged prostate is also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The condition can contribute to an urge to urinate frequently, or the feeling that you may still have to go after you've finished urinating.
When you do pass stool however, the relaxation of the stronger anal sphincter also decreases tension in the weaker urinary sphincter, allowing urine to pass at the same time. But this isn't always the case – it is possible, but difficult, to do one without doing the other.
You shouldn't have to use your muscles to force urine out. A healthy bladder works best if the body just relaxes so that the bladder muscles naturally contract to let the urine flow, rather than using the abdominal muscles to bear down as with a bowel movement.
People who regularly ignore the urge to pee may feel pain or discomfort in the bladder or kidneys. When a person finally does reach the bathroom, urinating may also hurt. The muscles may also stay partially clenched after the release of urine, which can lead to pelvic cramps.
For healthy men, no difference is found in any of the urodynamic parameters. In patients with LUTS, the sitting position is linked with an improved urodynamic profile.
If you're hitting the bathroom every hour or so, your bladder might be trying to tell you something. Jamin Brahmbhatt, M.D., a urologist with Orlando Health, says if you're otherwise healthy, peeing more frequently than eight times a day and more than once at night could be viewed as abnormal.
Regularly urinating more than seven times per day may be normal for some people and may not be a sign of a health problem. But the National Institute of Aging suggests talking to your doctor if you regularly urinate eight or more times.
Several factors may be linked to frequent urination, such as: Infection, disease, injury or irritation of the bladder. Conditions that increase urine production. Changes in muscles, nerves or other tissues affecting bladder function.
What is double voiding? Double voiding refers to spending extra time on the toilet to try to empty your bladder completely. Many women rush to get off the toilet and leave urine inside the bladder. Over months and years of doing this, it may become harder for the bladder to fully empty.