We’ve probably all heard the claim that peeing in the shower can help us save the environment. Researchers continue to surprise us with numbers on how much water we could save if we did 2 jobs at the same time in our showers.
However, doctors view this seemingly positive habit from a completely different angle, and we find out why they treat peeing in the shower with a bit of trepidation.
Here we are always looking for a different opinion in search of the truth. Today, we’d love for you to take a look at what some doctors think about a routine that may be common to all of us, and share your own thoughts on it as well.
Is It OK to Pee in the Shower?
Peeing in the shower seems like a smart idea to many, and for good reason.
We all probably do this from time to time without paying much attention to the process, but we wonder if it’s really okay. For people who care about the environment, it’s not just good, it’s absolutely good for our planet because it saves water that could be used to flush the toilet.
However, in addition to saving water, people wonder if it is safe or hygienic since the shower is a place you expect to leave cleaner than you entered. Despite common belief, urine is not sterile, and this is one of many concerns expressed by doctors about peeing in the shower.
Your bladder can be trained the wrong way.
Alicia Jeffrey-Thomas, a certified pelvic floor physical therapist, cautions that when we pee in the shower to the sound of running water, we may be accidentally teaching ourselves to pee when the command comes on, which is the sound of the spray nozzle.
“If you urinate in the shower or turn on the tap or turn on the shower and then sit on the toilet to urinate while the shower is running, you are creating an association in your brain between the sound of running water and having to urinate. . ,” she says.
This effect is known as the Pavlovian effect, which is a reflex response to some sound or external stimulus. A therapist explains that this might not be a big problem for everyone, but “for people with any type of pelvic floor dysfunction, it can contribute to urine leakage when they have to go to the bathroom.”
Your bladder may not be prepared for it anatomically.
Peeing in the shower turns out to be potentially harmful to women. The main detail is that you may not empty your bladder efficiently. doctor Jeffrey-Thomas explains why.
According to her, women cannot fully relax their pelvic muscles when they try to urinate standing up. Men have a prostate to support their bladder, which means it’s okay for them to stand up while urinating.
But women don’t have that extra support, so for women, urinating while standing or floating is unnatural and causes the bladder to empty too much lower levels than necessary.
Hovering over the toilet, similar to standing in the shower, means that the muscles will not relax, and the greeting mechanism must, again, be pressed and spoiled.
What to do if the temptation is just too high
If you can’t resist peeing in the shower, it’s best to do it in your own shower, not in public. And this is not a microbiological problem, but a social one.
Brahmbhatt, MD, a clinical urologist and assistant professor at the UCF School of Medicine in Florida, says, “Someone can get a urinary tract infection. The urine may pick up some insects from the end of the urethra on the way out. So doing this act in your own shower instead of in public helps avoid some nasty surprises.
What is your attitude toward this sensitive issue? Do you believe in saving a lot of water while peeing in the shower?
Preview photo credit Kateryna Kon / Shutterstock.com
