Expert warns people against peeing in the shower and how the habit actually affects your bladder in the long run
- Replies 5
If you’re guilty of peeing in the shower every now and then, one doctor explained the real reason why it’s time to cut the habit out once and for all.
Obstetrician-gynecologist Dr Teresa Irwin revealed why the habit can cause you more harm than good over time as it unconsciously ‘trains’ your bladder to ‘leak’ and feel a sense of urgency to urinate every time you hear water running.
“It’s the correct standing-peeing position to empty the bladder - but you don’t want to do it all the time,” Dr Teresa warned viewers in her TikTok video.
“What happens is every time your bladder hears running water, it’s going to want to pee.”
Don’t do it! Image Credit: HuffPost
To validate her statement further, she referenced scientist Ivan Pavlov’s 1897 findings after he was able to condition dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell.
In Pavlov’s Theory of Behaviorism, he experimented with repeatedly ringing a bell before feeding the dogs. After repeatedly doing this for a while, the scientist found that the dogs would start salivating upon hearing the sound of the bell ringing even when there was no food.
“So whenever you wash your hands, take a shower, wash the dishes, if there’s running water, your bladder is going to be ‘salivating’ because it wants to go and pee,” Dr Teresa continued.
“So, you need to stop peeing in the shower.”
Dr Teresa’s TikTok video amassed over 5,000 views and dozens of comments from users who were taken aback by the tip.
“I’m sorry…. Who does this? Women do this? WHY?” asked one user.
“Right, I mostly agree with you. Only pee in the shower when you genuinely need to, not as a force of habit.” another added.
“OMG, thank you for this!” said a third.
Video Credit: @dr.teresa.irwin
Dr Alicia Jeffrey-Thomas, a pelvic floor physical therapist, vouched for Dr Teresa’s advice, saying that you’re “creating an association in your brain between the sound of running water and having to pee”.
“The combination is going to potentially lead to some ‘leak’ issues when you hear running water outside of the shower,” she said.
“Unfortunately, those of us that were assigned female at birth and have that anatomy, we’re not designed to pee standing up.”
She encouraged women to avoid standing like ‘Captain Morgan’ – which is a pose that involves planting one foot forward on an object or surface, leaning forward, and resting one hand or forearm on the raised knee.
Pavlov’s study with dogs. Image Credit: History of Yesterday
“Your pelvic pose is not going to relax appropriately, which means we’re not really emptying our bladder well,” she explained.
“So try to pee before you turn on the shower water – and if you get the urge while you’re in the shower, kind of ignore it.”
But this isn’t the first time Dr Alicia Jeffrey-Thomas made a debut at the SDC. Previously, she also warned others to never go to the bathroom ‘just in case’ as it leads to serious health risks.
Are you guilty of doing this harmful habit? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
Watch Dr Alicia’s full TikTok video below:
Video Credit: @thepelvicdancefloor
Obstetrician-gynecologist Dr Teresa Irwin revealed why the habit can cause you more harm than good over time as it unconsciously ‘trains’ your bladder to ‘leak’ and feel a sense of urgency to urinate every time you hear water running.
“It’s the correct standing-peeing position to empty the bladder - but you don’t want to do it all the time,” Dr Teresa warned viewers in her TikTok video.
“What happens is every time your bladder hears running water, it’s going to want to pee.”
Don’t do it! Image Credit: HuffPost
To validate her statement further, she referenced scientist Ivan Pavlov’s 1897 findings after he was able to condition dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell.
In Pavlov’s Theory of Behaviorism, he experimented with repeatedly ringing a bell before feeding the dogs. After repeatedly doing this for a while, the scientist found that the dogs would start salivating upon hearing the sound of the bell ringing even when there was no food.
“So whenever you wash your hands, take a shower, wash the dishes, if there’s running water, your bladder is going to be ‘salivating’ because it wants to go and pee,” Dr Teresa continued.
“So, you need to stop peeing in the shower.”
Dr Teresa’s TikTok video amassed over 5,000 views and dozens of comments from users who were taken aback by the tip.
“I’m sorry…. Who does this? Women do this? WHY?” asked one user.
“Right, I mostly agree with you. Only pee in the shower when you genuinely need to, not as a force of habit.” another added.
“OMG, thank you for this!” said a third.
Video Credit: @dr.teresa.irwin
Dr Alicia Jeffrey-Thomas, a pelvic floor physical therapist, vouched for Dr Teresa’s advice, saying that you’re “creating an association in your brain between the sound of running water and having to pee”.
“The combination is going to potentially lead to some ‘leak’ issues when you hear running water outside of the shower,” she said.
“Unfortunately, those of us that were assigned female at birth and have that anatomy, we’re not designed to pee standing up.”
She encouraged women to avoid standing like ‘Captain Morgan’ – which is a pose that involves planting one foot forward on an object or surface, leaning forward, and resting one hand or forearm on the raised knee.
Pavlov’s study with dogs. Image Credit: History of Yesterday
“Your pelvic pose is not going to relax appropriately, which means we’re not really emptying our bladder well,” she explained.
“So try to pee before you turn on the shower water – and if you get the urge while you’re in the shower, kind of ignore it.”
But this isn’t the first time Dr Alicia Jeffrey-Thomas made a debut at the SDC. Previously, she also warned others to never go to the bathroom ‘just in case’ as it leads to serious health risks.
Are you guilty of doing this harmful habit? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
Watch Dr Alicia’s full TikTok video below:
Video Credit: @thepelvicdancefloor
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