It’s all too easy to resist the urge to pee if you’ve got a million things on your to-do list.
But your body probably won’t thank you for it, according to specialists.
If you’re a healthy adult, your bladder will only be able to hold around 16 ounces (two cups or 450ml) of urine during the day, although for children this will obviously be less.
During the night, your bladder might be able to hold more – potentially up to double that amount.
And while the organ can stretch to accommodate more urine upon occasion, it’s not really a good idea to regularly hold in your wee in the long run, as the outlet Medical News Today explained.
When your bladder is halfway full, it will tell your brain that you need to urinate.
But if you ignore your bladder, it could result in:
1. Pain, both before and during urinating. The bladder muscles could stay clenched after you pee too, potentially triggering pelvic cramps.
2. A urinary tract infection, as holding in pee can lead to bacteria multiplying in the urine.
3. The bladder stretching, which could stop your bladder from being able to tell the brain that it’s filling up.
4. Damage to your pelvic floor muscles, which could lead to urinary incontinence.
5. Kidney stones, particularly if you have a high mineral content in your urine.
Could the bladder actually burst?
While it might feel like your bladder is going to burst sometimes, it’s pretty unlikely because the organ is very strong.
Normally, according to Medical News Today, there has to be another underlying cause such as a blockage or physical damage which stops the bladder from fully emptying.
Enlarged prostates, weakened bladder muscles or nerve damage in the urinary system can all stop urine from leaving the body, causing the organ to rupture.
Surgical complications, major trauma (like a pelvic fracture), bladder tumours and damage from radiation could also cause it to burst, according to Harvard Health.
But in most cases, if the bladder is not being fully emptied, it will just override the muscles which stop the urine from coming out – ultimately leading to an accident.
Urinary bladder rupture is a serious medical problem, so it’s important to seek treatment if this happens.
If you want to train your bladder to hold more urine, a doctor can work with you to come up with a retraining schedule where you may try to distract yourself from needing the toilet.
But for the most part, it’s best just to go when your body tells you to.
If you are worried about going to the toilet too little or too often, speak to your GP.