Is It Dangerous To Hold in Your Urine?

We have often been advised to empty our bladders, not hold our urine back. However, there might be certain instances when it is not possible. From a long journey on a bus to a concert or a cinema hall watching your favorite movie, these instances can be wide-ranging. In most cases, holding your urine for some time might not cause any ill effects as such, however, if it becomes a habit and you do not relieve yourself frequently, it might pose a wide range of problems for your health. The urine is collected in a hollow, pear-shaped organ called the bladder. Typically, the bladder of an adult can hold around two cups of urine. When the bladder is half-filled, people might start feeling the urge to urinate. In this article, we will discuss in detail how long, and how much can your bladder store urine, and what possible hazards you might be putting yourself in if you keep holding your urine for prolonged periods.

What are the most common dangers involved with holding your urine?

The risk factors and the hazards involved with holding your urine for too long mostly occur over time. Hence, if you are holding your urine for too long during a single instance, and it is not repetitive, you don’t need to be anxious. However, if you are a bathroom procrastinator or someone who has a habit of holding back your urine more often, you might be at risk of a wide range of complications. If you don’t empty your bladder more often, or go on holding back your urine for a day or two, you might have a chance of facing problems like Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs). If you have a habit of holding back your urine, over time, your bladder can start to atrophy and you might develop incontinence. 

When you hold your urine for more than 10 hours at a stretch, you can develop the risk of urinary retention. This means that the muscles of your bladder are not able to relax, as a result of which, you will not be able to empty your bladder even when you want to. In rare cases, holding the urine for too long can even cause the bladder to burst. 

Here are some more complications that you can develop if you don’t urinate properly when needed:

1. Stretching of the bladder: Regular holding of urine can cause the bladder to stretch in the long run. This can make it difficult or even impossible for the bladder to contract and release urine properly. In such cases, some patients might need additional assistance like catheters.

1. Damaged pelvic muscles: It can also cause damage to the pelvic floor muscles, such as the urethral sphincter, which keeps the urethra closed in order to prevent the urine from leaking. If this muscle gets damaged, the patient might develop urinary incontinence.

1. Kidney Stones: In people who have had a history of kidney stones, or have high volumes of minerals in their urine, holding back of urine can cause kidney stones.

How often should a person urinate in a day?

The frequency of urination might vary greatly from person to person depending on a lot of factors. It also depends on the amount of fluids a person is drinking on a given day. While children and infants have smaller bladders, they need to urinate more often. This number can range from eight to ten times per day, however, it can also be much more than that. On the other hand, in the case of an adult, urinating six to eight times per day is considered normal. However, this number can be as low as 4 times a day, to as much as 10 times a day, and still be considered normal.    

 

Other health issues that can affect your ability to urinate

Sometimes some existing health conditions can lead to the retention of urine. These problems might still go unnoticed, however, they can cause the same problems due to urinary retention as stated above. Some of these common health complications include:

1. Kidney Failure
2. Urinary Tract Infection
3. Enlarged prostate
4. Nerve damage in the urinary system
5. Some medications

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