I’m a doctor – here’s why going for a ‘just in case’ pee is a bad idea and how often you should go
HAVE you ever gone for a wee “just in case” before bed, a meeting or car journey?
A doctor has warned against getting into a bad habit of so-called “preventative weeing” which ends up in a vicious cycle of constantly needing the toilet.
, a leading expert in urogynaecology based at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, told The Sun: “On a circumstantial basis, it's fine to do it.
"It’s widely done and won't do any harm.
“But it starts affecting the bladder when you do it always - for example if you're a school teacher and you go habitually every hour between each class. This can result in a change to the bladder function.
“Essentially you sensitise the bladder, it becomes more sensitive. The bladder learns to give you signals of fullness at lower volumes.
“The purpose of the bladder as a reservoir for urine can become compromised, and therefore the bladder will start needing the toilet and sending you signals of urgency too early, when the volumes of the bladder are lower, or more frequently.
“The bladder won't necessarily become anatomically smaller. But functionally it is smaller.
"Therefore it can affect our activities because we become more engaged to the bladders’ calls.”
Women be wary
Prof Doumouchtsis said Covid lockdowns are likely to have compounded the issue as people working from home have had access to their toilet whenever they need it.
The problem is more common in women than men, and women who have incontinence issues are more prone to picking up the habit.
Because they fear having an accident, or leaking, they wee more often to ensure their bladder is empty.
Normally people go to the toilet every three hours or so, so around seven times during the daytime
Prof Stergios Doumouchtsis
Prof Doumouchtsis also fears women generally drink too much water and fluids, which gets them into a pattern of using the toilet more often.
Prof Doumouchtsis, who is a Royal College of Gynaecologist accredited urogynaecologist, said: “You see more and more women carrying a large tank or bottle of drink all the time.
“Having a drink of water in front of us at all times can give us a subconscious tendency to drink more.
“Sometimes we don't realise we are overloading ourselves with drinks, and then the bladder has to work more, and then we start this vicious cycle of going to the toilet just in case. This perpetuates the problem.”
But drinking too little will also make it worse.
Prof Doumouchtsis said: “If you restrict your fluid intake during the day you may think it's a good technique because you don't overload the bladder with fluids.
“But on the other hand, you have a highly concentrated urine which can act as an irritant. The bladder then gives you more symptoms of urgency - so this is not a good habit.”
Kids are also used to their parents telling them to use the loo before bedtime or a journey to avoid any accidents or as part of potty training.
Prof Doumouchtsis said while doing this is normal, try to avoid “creating anxiety” around constant bladder emptying.
Can you stop “just in case” urination?
It can take as little as two weeks for the bladder to become more sensitive.
But the good news is there are various techniques to train the bladder to get used to holding more volume of urine, with some people seeing improvement in just a few weeks.
First, check you aren’t drinking too much, or too little, water.
Prof Doumouchtsis recommended 1.5 to 2 litres per day, or around 3 litres if it is hot, or you exercise.
Complete a bladder diary for three days - which you can find online - to find out how much you urinate, when, and if you have any accidents.
“Normally people go to the toilet every three hours or so, so around seven times during the daytime,” Prof Doumouchtsis said.
“This is a very vague and broad figure as this can change a lot depending on lifestyle, how much people drink and their circumstances.
“A good habit is to delay the visits to the toilet when it's convenient - so for example when you are at home or in the office when you have access to the toilet - initially by five minutes, then ten, then aiming to have an interval between toilet visits of about three hours, depending on fluid intake.”
You don’t need to wait until you are busting for the toilet, as this in itself could cause problems.
“I would advise against the extremes,” Prof Doumouchtsis said.
But he added: “We have professions like nurses, midwives and doctors who work shifts, and take many hours before using the toilet.
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“This does not mean the bladder is damaged. If this was the case, there would be trends in bladder problems in specific occupations.”
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He continued: “Pelvic floor exercises is another important technique. The signals the bladder sends to the brain that it needs to go for a wee become less frequent and women can become more confident in controlling the risk of accidents.
“Avoid bladder irritants like caffeine, acidic drinks like citrus fruits, alcohol, which can irritate the bladder and can sometimes act as diuretics.”
When do you need to see a doctor?
Everyone has varying degrees of how long they can last before needing to urinate again.
But if you are concerned you have urinary incontinence - a very common problem- you should not feel embarrassed talking to them about your symptoms, the NHS says.
A new urgency to urinate frequently might also be a urinary tract infection.
Symptoms include:
- needing to pee more often than usual during the night (nocturia)
- needing to pee suddenly or more urgently than usual
- needing to pee more often than usual
- pain or a burning sensation when peeing (dysuria)
- pee that looks cloudy
- blood in your pee
- lower tummy pain or pain in your back, just under the ribs
- a high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery
- a very low temperature below 36C