We’ve probably all heard the claim that urinating 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 on our showers.
However, doctors view this seemingly positive habit from an entirely different angle, and we’ve discovered why they treat shower urine with a bit of concern.
We always look for a different opinion in search of the truth. Today, we’d like you to take a look at what some doctors think of a routine that might be common to all of us, as well as share your own thoughts on it.
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 for dumping.
However, in addition to saving water, people wonder if it is safe or hygienic since the shower is a place where you expect to come out cleaner than when you came in. Despite common belief, urine is not sterile, and this is one of several concerns doctors express about urinating in the shower.
Your bladder can be trained the wrong way.
Alicia Jeffrey-Thomas, a certified pelvic floor physical therapist, warns that when we urinate in the shower to the sound of running water, we may be teaching ourselves to accidentally urinate when the command appears, which is the sound of the spray nozzle.
“If you urinate in the shower or turn on the faucet or turn on the shower and 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 external sound or stimulus. One therapist explains that this may not be a big deal for everyone, but “for people with any type of pelvic floor dysfunction, it can contribute to urine leakage when you feel like using the bathroom.”
Your bladder may not be prepared for it anatomically.
Peeing in the shower turns out to be potentially harmful to women. The key detail is that you may not be able to empty your bladder effectively. Dr. Jeffrey-Thomas explains why.
According to her, women cannot completely relax their pelvic muscles when they try to urinate standing up. Men have a prostate to support the bladder, which means that it is acceptable for them to stand up while urinating.
But women don’t have this extra support, so for women, urinating while standing or floating is unnatural and causes the bladder to empty at much lower levels than necessary.
Hovering over the toilet, similar to standing in the shower, means the muscles are not relaxed and the continence mechanism needs to be pushed and churned again.
What to do if the temptation is just too high
If you can’t resist the urge to pee 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.
Dr. Brahmbhatt, a clinical urologist and assistant professor at the UCF School of Medicine in Florida, says, “Someone can have a urinary tract infection. Urine can pick up some bugs from the end of the urethra as it comes out.” So doing this act in your own shower, not in public, helps avoid some nasty surprises.
What is your attitude towards this delicate subject? Do you believe in saving a lot of water while urinating in the shower?
Preview photo credit Kateryna Kon / Shutterstock.com
