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How often you have to poop has been a hot topic, with experts saying the numerical range depends in part on several personal factors. But is there a similar prescription for how often you should pee?
The answer is yes, experts say — and straying too far from that range in either direction probably warrants careful consideration. your lifestyle habits and health status.
Over the course of the day, most healthy people pee about six to eight times, said Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, a urologist at Orlando Health and CNN contributor.
“For most, it’s reasonable to need to pee every (three to four) hours during the day,” Brahmbhatt added via email. “At night, ideally you only get up once, if at all. If you wake up more often, it may mean something is wrong.
Some people may pee up to 10 times a day, especially if they drink a lot of water or other beverages that cause more frequent urination, Brahmbhatt said.
These can include alcohol, tea and coffee, which have diuretic effects and irritate the bladder, said Dr. David Shusterman, a board-certified urologist at NY Urology in New York. (If these effects of coffee or alcohol bother you, try drinking less or making the coffee half strong with extra water, and the cocktail with less alcohol and more blender ingredient, has he recommended.)
“Honestly, everyone is a little different, so there’s no magic number that works for everyone,” Brahmbhatt said. “If it’s hot and you sweat a lot, you might urinate less. The important thing is to know what is normal for you. If you’re suddenly running to the bathroom a lot more — or a lot less — it might be worth taking a look, especially if it’s ruining your quality of life.
Excessive urination that is not due to drinking copious amounts of water or beverages can have multiple causes, including overactive bladder syndrome, diabetes, a urinary tract infection or taking medications, Brahmbhatt said. . Diuretic medications, often prescribed to treat blood pressure or heart problems, are a common contributor.
Urination is controlled by a complex neurological system that involves signals sent between the bladder, urethra and brain, said Dr. Jason Kim, clinical associate professor of urology at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. in Long Island, New York. As a result, excessive urination can also be caused by stroke, spinal cord injury and certain neurological diseasessuch as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and central nervous system tumors.
Pregnancy is another factor, because it requires drinking a lot more water and therefore greater water metabolism, Shusterman said.
Stress or anxiety can also make someone want to urinate more, Kim said, because the fight-or-flight response or release of adrenaline can cause the bladder to contract or increase in volume, respectively. urine production.
An overactive bladder can also result from hormonal issues, such as genitourinary syndrome of menopause, Kim said, which is a collection of symptoms caused by decreased estrogen levels.
“Interestingly, it’s believed that there are estrogen receptors in the bladder,” added Kim, who is also director of the university’s Center for Women’s Pelvic Health and Continence. “So we often add vaginal estrogen cream or suppositories to the patient’s regimen, and this has been shown to help with overactive bladder.”
If your urinary habits are bothering you or you regularly wake up at night to pee, see a urologist who can help you determine what’s going on and possibly start bladder training exercises. This specialist can refer you to a pelvic floor therapist if your problem appears to be due to pelvic floor dysfunction, Kim said.
There are several other minimally invasive treatments available, experts said, including medications, Botox injections into the bladder and types of nerve stimulation, Kim said.
The injections help weaken the nerves in the bladder, so “the bladder wall doesn’t contract as much, which reduces how often your body has to go to the bathroom,” Shusterman said. Procedural interventions tend to be much more effective than medications, Kim and Shusterman said.
Signs and reasons why you are not peeing enough
On the other hand, peeing only every six to eight hours, or less than four times a day, could mean that you are dehydrated or that there is a problem with the functioning of your bladder or kidneys, have said Brahmbhatt and Shusterman.
Abnormally high levels of calcium can cause bladder stones to form and prevent urine from coming out, Shusterman said.
Concerning hydration, the National Academy of Medicine recommends that women consume 2.7 liters (91 ounces) of fluids per day and men 3.7 liters (125 ounces) per day. These guidelines include all liquids and foods high in water such as fruits, vegetables and soups. Since the average water consumption The fluid-to-food ratio is approximately 80:20, which equates to a daily amount of 9 cups for women and 12.5 cups for men.
Not peeing enough can increase your risk of harboring bacteria in your urethra and therefore developing UTIs, because peeing regularly is the body’s primary mechanism for preventing UTIs, Shusterman said.
If you rarely pee because you hold it in, this habit could harm your health by increasing your risk of several problems such as kidney infections or bladder muscles weakened by constant exertion.
If you’ve gotten your lifestyle habits right but still aren’t peeing enough, this also requires seeing a urologist or subspecialist in voiding dysfunction, the medical term for problems related to bodily functions that excrete waste. One thing a doctor would evaluate is whether the cause is obstructive or non-obstructive, Kim said.
“Urinary retention due to obstruction occurs when, for example, the urethra is blocked and urine cannot come out,” he explained. “Nonobstruction is more of a sort of maintenance behavior, whereas in men, as they age, almost invariably, the prostate enlarges and this is often a cause.
For aging women, this retention may be due to a tightening of the urethra, Shusterman said.
Reduced urinary function can also be the result of the same neurological diseases or injuries mentioned above.
Unfortunately, there aren’t as many treatments for underactive bladder, Kim said, with the exception of self-administered intermittent catheterization, long-term catheterization and sacred neuromodulation, a bladder pacemaker. These procedures can change your life, he added, so if you need help, don’t wait to ask for it.