How many times have you resisted the urge to urinate? Surely many, either because you are busy when you feel like it or because you prefer to avoid public bathrooms and hold on until you get home. The truth is that holding the urge to urinate is a much more common habit than we think, to the point that most people do. What we do not know for sure is how bad this habit can be for health, for this reason in this FastlyHealarticle we answer the question that many people have in common: What happens if I hold the urge to urinate?
Table of Contents
What happens if I hold the urge to urinate?
Suppose you are going on a road trip and suddenly you have a strong urge to urinate and you cannot see the next gas station. The more time passes, the more your bladder swells, you begin to feel pain in your pelvis, and any blow to the wind is a threat to leak urine. When you finally manage to find a bathroom on your way, you desperately take off your clothes and begin to urinate wondering how it was possible to hold on for so long.
Urination is a completely natural process of the body through which the body releases a series of toxins and wastes that come from the kidneys and travel to the bladder through the urine. When the brain receives the order that the body needs to urinate, it is because the bladder is already full enough, that is, it stores between 150 and 220 milliliters depending on each person. At this point of fullness of the bladder, nothing bad happens if you go to the bathroom immediately or if you last up to two hours, however, constantly putting up with the urge to urinate for a long time can be counterproductive to your health and bring unfortunate consequences.
If this is your case and you ask yourself: what happens if I hold the urge to urinate ? We invite you to learn about the most common effects of this bad habit below.
Enlarged bladder
As we mentioned earlier, the bladder is capable of storing between 150 and 220 ml, when this organ is fully filled, certain receptors are activated that send the message to the brain that it is necessary to urinate, and that is when we begin to perceive each of the symptoms of having the urge to urinate. If we do not urinate at that precise moment and, contrary to what is due, we continue to offer liquid to our body, the walls of the bladder will increase in size until the organ is enlarged. The widening of the bladder can cause significant long-term damage.
Urinary infection
Urine is composed of a series of wastes, toxins and acidic and ammonia substances that, when they spend a long time inside the bladder without being eliminated, can cause damage to the walls of the bladder and the urinary tract. When a person, especially women, endure the urge to urinate for a long time, cystitis (inflammation of the bladder that may or may not be infectious) manifests itself and it is necessary to attend to this condition to calm its annoying symptoms: constant desire to go to the bathroom even after the bladder has been emptied, pain in the lower abdomen, cloudy or foul-smelling urine, and cramps in the abdomen. The inflammation of the bladder and a cumulation of bacteria in the urethra are the main causes of cystitis.
Reflujo vesicouretral
Vesicourethral reflux is one of the worst consequences of resisting the urge to urinate. This condition occurs when urine, after being stored in the bladder for a while, is not expelled to the outside but returns to the kidneys , which can cause very serious health infections.
There are many phases of intensity of vesicourethral reflux, which go from the primary phase to the fifth phase depending on the degree of severity. In the first phases, the urine is returned but does not reach the kidneys, in the last phases the urine is returned every day to the kidneys, compromising kidney function in the long term.
In the following article you will find the best juices to cleanse the kidneys .
Kidney stones
Although there are people who are more likely than others to produce kidney stones , holding back the urge to urinate is a factor that increases the risk of these conditions . Stones are small masses that are made up of small crystals that can appear in the kidney or ureter and usually appear from not drinking enough fluid, that is, if less than 1 liter of urine is produced per day.
People with kidney stones, in addition to painful renal colic, may experience lower back pain, pain in the groin or testicles, blood in the urine, fever, chills, nausea, and vomiting.
General discomfort
One of the most common consequences of holding the urge to urinate is pelvic cramps that occur once the bladder is empty and occur due to excessive accumulation of fluid and toxins. In addition to feeling chills, this fluid buildup also causes abdominal bloating, which will make you feel tired and thirsty, causing you to drink more fluids, and making things worse.
The most advisable thing is to never endure the urge to go to the bathroom for more than 15 minutes, otherwise our body begins to suffer and a series of nervous and physiological processes that are necessary for the health of the body stop.
This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to What happens if I hold the urge to urinate? , we recommend that you enter our category of Kidneys and urinary system .
I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.