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| A man is holding his lower abdomen in discomfort, indicating the physical discomfort caused by holding back urine. |
Holding urine for just an hour may not be a big deal right away, but if this habit is done regularly, it can have dire consequences. Urination is an important process for eliminating waste from our body. Holding it in can lead to various health complications.
Some of the serious consequences of holding urine in for a long time are listed below:
1. Urinary tract infection (UTI): Bacteria in urine can multiply rapidly if they are trapped in the bladder for a long time. This increases the risk of urinary tract infection many times over. Burning sensation during urination, lower abdominal pain, or frequent urination are symptoms of this infection.
2. Kidney stones: When waste products cannot be excreted from the body properly through urination, they start accumulating in the kidneys. Over time, they can harden and turn into stones. Kidney stones can cause severe pain, infection, and even bleeding.
3. Bladder damage: Our bladder can hold a certain amount of urine. When it is full, it expands and contracts again after urination. But holding urine regularly weakens the bladder muscles. As a result, the bladder loses its normal capacity and may have difficulty holding or completely emptying urine.
4. Weakening of the pelvic floor muscles: Holding urine for a long time weakens the pelvic floor muscles. As a result, urine may leak involuntarily when sneezing, coughing, or laughing in the future, which is known as urinary incontinence.
5. Pain: Holding urine puts pressure on the kidneys and bladder. This can cause pain in the lower abdomen. You may also feel pain or burning during urination.
6. Vesicoureteral reflux: In some cases, holding urine for a long time can cause urine to flow in the opposite direction to the kidneys. This condition is called vesicoureteral reflux, which can cause kidney infections and gradually damage the kidneys.
Therefore, to stay healthy, you should go to the bathroom as soon as you urinate. It is important for parents to be vigilant about this, especially in the case of children.
Date: June 7, 2025
Author: Kazi Fahsin
Publisher: Novokanth (Novonicle)
