What Happens When You Hold Urine? Benefits and Risks Explained

• A healthy person can hold 2 cups of urine in his bladder. The bladder capacity of children up to 2 years of age is 4 ounces and children older than this can hold 10 ounces of urine in their bladder.
• You too must have faced such a situation at some time when you had to hold urine. Holding urine also affects your body.
• When you feel like emptying your bladder, it does not only mean that there is a quantity of liquid in your bladder, but it is a complex process in which many muscles, organs and nerves start forcing the person to urinate together.
• When the bladder is half filled, its nerves become active. These nerves send a message to the brain to urinate, but when there is no facility to urinate, the brain signals the bladder to hold urine. When you hold urine for a long time, your brain keeps sending this message back continuously.
• These signals may vary depending on age, how much fluid is present in your bladder and the time of the day. For example, there are less signals to urinate at night and you are able to sleep comfortably at night.
• If you urinate more at night, it may be due to some health problem. Some people have an overactive bladder or they urinate more due to stress.
• Some women have a greater desire to urinate after delivery. This may be due to the weakening of muscles and stimulation of nerves during delivery.

(Read more -Frequent Urination)

It has been said in research that holding urine increases a person's self-control.

If you do not urinate when you feel the need to urinate, your brain becomes active, which helps in stopping urination. This also helps in stopping many kinds of wrong desires. When you are able to stop your desires, it also increases your concentration.

However, in the above studies, research was done on those people who did not have a strong desire to urinate, so nothing can be said clearly about the benefits of stopping urination.

(Read more -Urine Culture)

According to experts and doctors, holding urine for a long time or making it a habit can be harmful for health. Due to this habit or mistake of yours, you can have many kinds of health problems. Therefore, it would be better if you keep this in mind and stay away from such wrong habits.

(Read more - Urinary Retention)

If you hold urine for a long time, you may have to face the following harmful effects:

Complaint of pain

• People who hold urine frequently or daily may feel pain in the kidney or bladder. When you urinate after a long time, there is pain during urination.
• After urinating, the muscles may remain partially contracted, due to which cramps may occur in the muscles of the pelvic region.

Urinary tract infection

• In some cases, there is a risk of many types of bacteria due to holding urine for a long time. These bacteria can also take the form of urinary tract infection.
• Although studies have not yet revealed that UTI occurs due to holding urine, doctors advise to avoid this habit so that you can stay healthy. If you have ever had a UTI problem before, then you should especially take care of this.
• People who do not consume enough water or liquids are also at a higher risk of UTI because the bladder rarely gives the body the signal to urinate. Due to this, bacteria can occur in the urinary tract, which can also take the form of infection.

Bladder stretching
If you don't urinate on time every day or keep suppressing the urge to urinate for hours, then this habit can cause stretching of your bladder. Due to this, the bladder may have difficulty in urinating normally. In case of bladder stretching, urine is removed through a catheter.

Damage to pelvic muscles

• People who constantly hold urine may feel pain in the pelvic muscles. One of these muscles is the urethral sphincter, which keeps the urinary tract closed and prevents urine from flowing out. Damage to this muscle can cause urinary incontinence (inability to hold urine).
• Pelvic exercises such as Kegel exercises can strengthen these muscles and correct urine leakage or muscle damage.

Kidney Stones
If you have had stones in the past and holding urine for hours is your habit, you may again have the problem of kidney stones. People who have a high amount of minerals in their urine are also at a higher risk of stones. Urine usually contains minerals such as uric acid and calcium oxalate.

(Read more - Urine Protein test)

Holding urine may have some immediate benefits, such as avoiding urination at an inconvenient time or place, but its long-term disadvantages are more serious. Holding urine increases the pressure in the bladder, which increases the risk of infection (urinary tract infection). Apart from this, the habit of holding urine repeatedly can also have a bad effect on the kidneys and bladder, which can lead to stones or other serious problems. Holding urine for a long time can weaken the bladder muscles, which can cause problems like urinary blockage in the future. Therefore, holding it for a long time is harmful to health.