The bladder is not very good at storing urine

Is your bladder storing up problems as an adult?

That's all very well for children (and parents who want to avoid screeching to a halt on the hard shoulder), but as an adult you could be storing up problems. As an adult your bladder should be big enough to store up to a pint of urine. As it fills it sends messages to your brain that you need to empty it.

What can happen if urine stays in the bladder?

Left undiagnosed or untreated, urinary retention can lead to: UTIs: Pee that stays in your bladder is a breeding ground for bacteria. This can cause infection in your urinary tract that can spread up to your kidneys. Bladder damage: When pee stays in your bladder, it can overstretch your bladder muscles and damage them.

What is the function of the bladder?

Your bladder is like a storage tank for your pee (or urine). It holds the pee made by your kidneys until you empty it. Urinary retention is a condition where your bladder doesn’t empty all the way or at all when you urinate (pee).

Should you hold in your urine if you have a full bladder?

You might be in the midst of an event you can't get out of, stuck in a space with no clean restroom, or worried about the asparagus smell of urine you got from dinner. Whatever the case may be, holding in your urine is never ideal, and everyone knows how serious the discomfort of a full bladder can be.

Is holding on a bladder a good idea?

But if there are already germs in the bladder, holding on can allow them to multiply, leading to symptoms of infection. So if you're at high risk of cystitis (eg, if you get recurrent cystitis or are pregnant) it's not a good idea. It also puts more pressure on the valve at the bottom of the bladder that stops you leaking urine.

Is holding in urine a bad habit?

Remember, holding in urine occasionally is okay, but it’s a habit that should be avoided. Taking care of your bladder health should be a regular habit so that it becomes a natural, hassle-free part of your daily life. Have you ever wondered what happens when you hold your pee?