Holding your urine for too long can weaken the bladder muscles over time. This can lead to problems such as incontinence and not being able to fully empty your bladder. Holding your urine for extremely long periods of time can also cause urinary tract infections due to bacteria build-up.
In some cases, holding in pee for too long can cause bacteria to multiply. This may lead to a urinary tract infection (UTI). Many doctors recommend avoiding holding in pee for extended periods of time, as it can increase the risk of UTIs, especially if a person has a history of frequent UTIs.
“Usually I recommend that you empty your bladder every three hours, whether you have the urge to go or not,” says Nazia Bandukwala, D.O., a urologist at Piedmont. “It's important to do that so you're not retaining too much urine in your bladder.”
Holding your urine for too long can weaken the bladder muscles over time. This can lead to problems such as incontinence and not being able to fully empty your bladder. Holding your urine for extremely long periods of time can also cause urinary tract infections due to bacteria build-up.
In most cases, patients with bladder rupture have gross hematuria (77% to 100%). Other symptoms of bladder rupture include pelvic pain, lower abdominal pain, and difficulty voiding. It is important to note that trauma to the urinary tract is frequently associated with other traumatic injuries.
Increases Risk for Kidney Disease
In fact, having the following health conditions and holding your urine for long periods can result in kidney disease: Having an enlarged prostate. Other kidney disorders. Urinary retention.
Mistake #4: Pushing
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.
This pressure can damage your kidneys and in some cases may lead to chronic kidney disease and kidney failure. Urinary incontinence. When your bladder does not fully empty, it can lead to you leaking urine, called overflow incontinence.
The bottom line is that peeing in the shower is unlikely to harm you. So whether it's part of your water-saving efforts or you can't stop the flow sometimes, it's pretty much fine to pee in the shower. Just make sure you are using your own shower.
Holding it in for too long gives bacteria the chance to multiply and settle in the bladder, leading to infection. Holding urine can overstretch the bladder and lead to voiding dysfunction, which is a lack of coordination between the bladder muscle and the urethra.
Eventually, the foreskin should be retracted far enough during urination to see the meatus (the hole where the urine comes from). This prevents urine from building up beneath the foreskin and possibly causing an infection.
The World Record for the longest pee is 508 seconds.
Your body's physical capacity to keep in urine is based on a few things: "Most of the time women can hold urine for three to six hours, but this will vary," says Brucker.
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.
Regularly holding your pee can also lead to pain in the bladder or kidneys. It might even hurt when you finally decide to go. This is because your bladder and pelvic muscles have remained clenched for too long.
Urinary bladder and urethra
The urinary bladder can store up to 500 ml of urine in women and 700 ml in men.
The most common symptoms of urethral injuries include blood at the tip of the penis in men or the urethral opening in women, blood in the urine, an inability to urinate, and pain during urination. Bruising may be visible between the legs or in the genitals.
A urinary tract infection (UTI)
Besides frequent urination, signs of a UTI include fever, a burning feeling when you pee, discolored urine and constantly feeling like you need to pee (even after peeing). You may also feel bladder pressure or discomfort in your back or around your pelvis.
Conventional wisdom says that women wipe for comfort, improved hygiene and to help reduce the risk of urinary tract infections. Men on the other hand, can empty their bladder, shake off the remaining pee droplets, put their penis back in their pants and get on with their day.
Smegma. If you do not wash your penis every day, a cheesy-looking substance called smegma can build up. Smegma is a natural lubricant that keeps the penis moist. It's found on the head of the penis and under the foreskin.
"If you overstretch the bladder, it loses its proper tone and contraction," Dr Farrell says. "You may get urine staying in the bladder because it doesn't empty properly, and that can increase the risk of a UTI.