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.
In most cases, holding in urine for a short period of time until there is a time and place to go is not going to be harmful. However, holding in urine is associated with a small increased risk of urinary tract infections or bladder dysfunction (overactive bladder) in the future.
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.
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.
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.
The amount of time that a person can hold in their pee depends on several factors, such as how much they have had to drink. If a person feels the need to urinate, they should only hold in their pee for as long as it takes to reach a restroom. When a person is awake, they should urinate about every 3–4 hours .
What's normal and how many times is too frequent to urinate? Most people pee about seven to eight times per day, on average. If you feel the need to pee much more than that, or if you're getting up every hour or 30 minutes to go, you might be frequently urinating.
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.
The urge to pee is a familiar sensation, but when you hold in the urine for too long, it can cause pain too because the muscles have to work overtime and clench to keep in an ever increasing amount of urine.
If you can't hand your urine sample in within 1 hour, you should put the container in a sealed plastic bag then store it in the fridge at around 4C. Do not keep it for longer than 24 hours. The bacteria in the urine sample can multiply if it is not kept in a fridge.
The urinary bladder can store up to 500 ml of urine in women and 700 ml in men.
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.
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.
Basically, if you time yourself peeing (over a period of time, not just one sitting) and find that you take significantly longer or shorter than 21 seconds, it can indicate that you are holding it in for too long, or not enough.
The World Record for the longest pee is 508 seconds.
In general, it should take about 20 seconds to pee. You can set a timer, or simply by counting “one-Mississippi, two-Mississippi,” Dr. Miller says. If you're significantly over or under 20 seconds, you're likely holding your pee too long or going too often.
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.
Causes of urinary incontinence
Urge incontinence is usually the result of overactivity of the detrusor muscles, which control the bladder. Overflow incontinence is often caused by an obstruction or blockage in your bladder, which prevents it from emptying fully.
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.
Painful urination. Pelvic pain. Small, weak urine stream.