The truth is that we have all held in our pee at some point in our lives.
Especially when you’re sleeping in bed and the sleep has reached that sweet point, so you pretend as if you can’t hear your bladder talking to you.
Now, holding in your urine occasionally may not cause any problems. But when you make it a habit, it could lead to different health problems, some of them potentially devastating.
Here they are :
1. Bladder problems
The bladder is where the body stores urine. Holding urine too long can stretch the bladder muscles and make them weak. When this happens , the bladder won’t be able to contract and release pee normally.
This is why some adults need to pass a tube (catheter) into the urinary system to urinate properly. In bad cases, holding in urine too much can make the bladder burst. This is rare, but it also VERY bad.
2. Pelvic muscle weakening
Holding urine not only weakens the bladder, but it also weakens the pelvic muscles. These muscles are what prevent urine from leaking out. So when they get damaged, the person in question won’t be able to hold in urine again. Once the urge to urinate comes, the urine will leak out. This is called Urinary incontinence.
3. UTIs
There’s a reason why everyone hates UTIs (Urinary tract infections).
Pain when urinating, smelly urine with a different colour, Abdominal pain, these are just some of the problems that can happen when the urinary tract gets infected. Guess what? Holding in your pee can lead to UTIs and land you in a hospital.
4. Kidney stones
A kidney stone forms when waste products in the blood accumulate over time and form crystals (stones). Apart from poor water intake, another thing that can lead to kidney stones is holding in your pee. Anyone that has passed out kidney stones in their urine will tell you that it is one of the worst types of pain that they have ever experienced.
When you consider all these reasons not to hold in your pee, you begin to realise that it is not a harmless habit. If you do it, it’s best to stop it before it causes complications.
