If you do feel the urge to pee, don’t ignore it!
The problem with resisting the urge to urinate is that you accumulate toxins that you should have released, which can lead to unwanted infections
Everyone, at some point or another, has resisted the urge to urinate.
Most of the time you’re in a situation where it’s impossible to access a restroom or you’re in the middle of a work obligation that keeps you from going at the right time.
But try not to get in the habit of this, because it can have consequences. This is what happens in your body when you resist the urge to urinate.
Urinary infection
If you’re the kind of person who tends to regularly resist the urge to urinate when you’re in places like work, be careful.
One of the consequences is urinary infections. And it’s easy in this case to lead to a bacterial infection that will affect your urinary tract.
The reason is simple: the urine contains germs and if they sit in the bladder for a long time they can lead to infection.
Formation of kidney stones
Some people are prone to kidney stone formation. If this is you and you tend to hold the urge to urinate, you may only make your condition worse.
Small kidney stones can usually pass through the urine, as long as they are very minor. If they grow larger, however, they can’t be eliminated this way and you wind up in the operating room.
To prevent the formation of kidney stones it’s important to drink lots of water and go to the bathroom whenever your body tells you to because this is the only way you can remove any debris that’s in the kidneys without worsening the situation.
Cystitis
If you resist the urge to urinate, the walls of the bladder become inflamed, resulting in a condition known as cystitis.
If you are experiencing pelvic pain and when you urinate only a small amount comes out, you should probably see your doctor. These are the traditional symptoms of cystitis you’re suffering.
The bladder swells
Although it might seem otherwise, your bladder has a very limited capacity and holding it can only make it swell.
Your bladder can hold about three cups of water, so remember this if you’re drinking a lot and you don’t have the ability to reach a bathroom in the near future.
This is a really useful thing to remember if you’re at work or have an important meeting to go to, and so on.
When your bladder is full there are receptors in the brain that are responsible for sending a signal telling you that you need to go to the bathroom, and the brain itself can trigger urination if needed.
It won’t actually stretch the size of your bladder.
Other adverse side effects
If you’re in the habit of holding in the urge to urinate, you’ll experience a number of side effects that you might not associate with it, but they’re related.
Return from the bladder and urethra
This is perhaps the most serious consequence. If you put up with the urge to urinate too long, eventually your body won’t expel it but will instead return urine to the urethra and kidneys, which can cause serious infections.
First, you’ll have the normal urge to urinate for a long time, and it will be stored in the bladder, but it will eventually return if you don’t use the bathroom on time and it can only cause health problems.
Abdominal swelling
If you don’t eliminate the urine you’ll have a bloated, uncomfortable feeling.
In addition to that, your body will become used to increasingly retaining these liquids and you won’t be able to use the bathroom as easily as you used to.
Fluid retention, in addition to discomfort, can also cause infections so it’s best to just go to the bathroom whenever you feel the urge.
Whether right after sex or at any other point throughout the day, holding urine in the bladder for longer can increase bacteria and make a UTI worse. Also, it’s just straight-up uncomfortable. So go when you have to go (and wipe front to back, natch).