Why is it so dangerous for your health to stop urinating?

Urinating is a process of natural cleansing of the body. There are many who neglect the benefits and sometimes hold back until they no longer hold. Either because the time is not convenient, or because the toilets are not nearby. Yet, to hold back more than 10 to 15 minutes of urination is strongly discouraged. Beyond this time, and if the process is repeated regularly, the health consequences can be serious.

"A catheter three to six times a day in the penis"

To refrain from urinating frequently and for a long time causes a stagnation of the urine and an accumulation of bacteria in the bladder which can be at the origin of a urinary infection, which can spread and damage the kidneys. Because in addition to the water that is consumed, the urine contains all the waste substances whose body no longer needs and that the kidneys have filtered. Specifically, the bladder contains consumed liquids, small residues, as well as acidic and ammoniacal substances. If this mixture is not removed regularly, it can damage the walls of the urinary tract, relax the muscles of the bladder and increase the risk of urinary retention – when you can not urinate despite envy – which in the long term may require the installation of a urinary catheter.

In 2015, Joshua Meeks, an urologist at the Northwestern Medicine Center in the United States, accurately described the case of a soldier who lost consciousness after keeping the equivalent of three bottles of wine in the bladder, in the Men's Health magazine. "The organ was completely distended," he explained, "the patient became unable to urinate normally, he had to be inserted three to six times a day into the penis."

Renal Calculus and dilatation of the bladder

Stopping urination can also lead to the formation of kidney stones. These small crystals (called "urolithiasis" in medical jargon) are formed in the kidneys, bladder or urethra. Their size is very variable and can range from a few millimeters to several centimeters in diameter. When they form in small ducts such as the ureters, located between the kidneys and the bladder, they can easily block the pbadage and cause very severe pain. This phenomenon is called renal colic.

It is estimated that 5% to 10% of individuals are affected in their lifetime and that half of people with kidney stones will have it again 10 years after the lack of information is important. Overall, kidney stones are twice as common in men and often occur after 40 years.

Stopping urination can also lead to vesicoureteral reflux, a fairly serious disease that occurs when the urine, instead of being expelled, returns to the urethra and kidneys. Toxins and bacteria stored in the bladder can also cause sweating, chills, cramps and pelvic pain. So do not wait anymore. Even on holiday, take breaks when your brain sends you the WC signal.