Here’s Why the Urge to Pee Grows as You Get Closer to a Toilet
Here’s Why the Urge to Pee Grows as You Get Closer to a Toilet
This happens to be ALL THE TIME! But why? Yes, there is a scientific reason.
Do you ever need to use the bathroom, but your body knows you’re still 20 minutes out, and the urge just sort of goes away? But then as soon as you pull into your driveway, you REALLY need to go?
Someone asked doctors why it happens, and what you can do about it. Here comes the science . . .
Basically, your brain and bladder are constantly communicating to prevent you from peeing your pants. And luckily, they’re good at it. If your brain knows there isn’t a bathroom nearby, it tells the muscles around your bladder to chill out.
But as soon as you know you’re near a bathroom, your bladder does too, and those muscles start contracting. So it gets harder to hold it in, and the urge to pee skyrockets.
So is there anything you can do about it? Yes and no.
The term for it is “latchkey incontinence,” because it tends to happen while we’re fumbling for our keys at the front door. It’s a natural response, and you can’t really trick yourself into thinking you have more time.
But the more it happens, the more likely it is to happen AGAIN. So if you can break that pattern, it might happen less.
You’re essentially teaching your brain it’s time to pee as soon as you see your front door. So if it’s a common problem, you may want to start using the bathroom before you get in the car, even if you don’t need to go.
