Is there such a thing as the right amount of times you should urinate each day? Not really. An article from Affiliated Urologists says to aim for 6-7 times a day. But, if you pee less than that, don’t be so alarmed. Everyone has a different body so certain things may react differently to each person. As long as you have light or clear color urine, you are good to go.
When To See A Urologist
If you have a urinary tract infection or UTI, you may feel a strong, sudden urge to go. You may also experience a burning sensation as you pee along with it being a bit cloudy or dark looking. Thankfully, UTI’s can be cured with anti-bacterial medication.
Have you ever heard of urge incontinence or an overactive bladder? Men and women (around 52 million in the USA alone) have incontinence. You may feel a strong urge to urinate, yet you wind up only peeing a little. In addition, the urge can be so quick that you may accidentally release a little before you planned too. (Think of when you have to use the bathroom and hear running water.) If you are incontinent, you may find yourself using the bathroom more than 10 times in day.
Around $400 Billion is spent each year on incontinence products.
Majority of our customers who are incontinent are using liners, pads, or diapers everyday. Great news though – incontinence can be treated with kegel exercises, supplementation, and dietary changes. (Click here to read a more in depth article on incontinence). Urinary incontinence can also affect your sleeping habits, waking you up 2-3 times at night.
Certain Foods & Drinks Can Make You Pee More Frequently.
There are certain foods and drinks that can give you symptoms similar to an overactive bladder. Alcohol, soda, juice, and coffee are known as bladder irritants and can cause you to use the bathroom more often. Smoking, tomato-based foods, and items with artificial sugars can also cause frequent urination. Try to limit and reduce the amount of coffee, sodas, sugars, and tomato-based products for now. Slowly incorporate them back into your diet and see if there is a specific food or beverage that makes you go the most.
Other Factors
For people who “hold in their pee” or “go just in case,”you need to stop. If you are holding in your pee, you can actually cause your bladder muscle to stretch. You may not be able to empty your bladder completely and can possibly cause an infection. Urine has a ton of bacteria that can attach to the bladder wall and cause a UTI. Urologists say to try and avoid holding in your urine for no longer than 4 hours.
For the people who “go just in case”, you are actually shrinking your bladder muscle meaning it cannot hold as much urine as it could. If you are one of these people, try to set aside time everyday to hold it in. The longer you can hold it, the stronger your bladder muscle can become, and you can have less trips to the bathroom.
When it comes to your bladder and pelvic floor muscles, take care of them. Both your bladder and PFM are just like any other muscle in the body that needs to be maintained. Be more conscious of your bathroom visits and take notice of how often you do use the bathroom.
Additional Resources from Women’s Health Magazine
For Rejoice® and Cran-B-Pac®: *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
