Ask an Expert: Why you should stop that bad habit of holding your pee

In case you’re thinking about your New Year’s Resolutions, why not start small and healthy?

Like: shaking off the bad habit of holding your pee until that very moment your bladder is about burst.

We know sometimes it can’t be helped, but in a recent Pinoy MD episode, Dr. Ronald Perez, a nephrologist at Capitol Medical Center, said, “magandang medium ang urine for bacteria growth. It holds nitrogenous waste products plus bacteria. When we hold our urine, the bacteria reflects back up from the ureter back to the kidneys.”

If you hold your weewee too often, you can get Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), bladder stretching, and when things turn for the worse, Chronic Kidney Disease that could have you doing dialysis all your life.

Pinoy MD tracked down our urine’s process: From the Kidneys, it travels to the ureter, down to the bladder, to the urethra to exit the body in the form of urine.

According to Dr. Perez, drinking 6-8 glasses a day would normally have you taking a piss about 5-6 times a day. Dr. Perez however said it's healthier to go 6-8 times a day, adding that when we hold our pee, our bladders are actually taking a beating.

Because at a time, it can only accommodate about 2 cups. Anything more than that and you risk having the bacteria reflex back up to your kidneys – not good.

Photo by Gabor Monori on Unsplash

Take a piss as soon as you wake up, drink lots of water, avoid salty food, and practice good personal hygiene to erase these risk factors in your life. — LA, GMA News