How many times should you *actually* pee in a day? All your questions, answered.

Hi, hello. Quick question: How many times do you pee in a day? Does anyone else feel like they pee too often (???). Help.

Cause apparently how often you pee is actually a very important sign of your overall health. Did you know this? We didn't. That's why we're telling you...

So, how much should a healthy person urinate? Also, are those 'just in case' wees bad for you? And is there a way to train your bladder to hold for on longer?

Watch: Here's what the colour of your pee says about your health. Post continues below.

We have SO MANY PEE QUESTIONS.

To help clear things up, we spoke to Dr Raewyn Teirney, a fertility specialist and gynaecologist, and asked her everything we've ever wanted to know about, well, pee.

So, let's talk pee tings!

How many times should you pee in a day?

Alright. So, apparently there's no precise number as to how many times you should pee in a day. Phew!

"There is no such as the right or wrong amount of peeing each day," said Dr Teirney. "It is individual as to how much you urinate, depending on the volume of fluids you drink."

But tell us Dr T... is there actually such thing as peeing *too* much? Can it mess things up?

"It isn't detrimental to be peeing too much, particularly if you are drinking a lot more fluids in general. If you are drinking more, it gets filtered through your kidneys to your bladder. Your bladder then gets filled up - that's when you get the urge to pee," she explains.

So, why am I peeing so much?

If you're drinking a s**t tonne of caffeine or alcohol, these things act as a diuretic and they cause the bladder to contract more, making you pee more frequently.

"The volume of fluid also has an effect. If you are drinking three to four litres of water a day, or any kind of drink, it will go through you quite quickly!"

However, throwing back too many liquids isn't the only cause of frequent urination. It might mean you have an overactive bladder. 

"An overactive bladder is basically where the pelvic floor muscles are not as strong as they should be, so you get the urge to urinate even though your bladder is not full," explains Dr Teirney.

This will mean that you have the urge to pee quite frequently, but when you do urinate, it might not be a lot. Just like, a dribble.

"You also might have the urge to urinate frequently throughout the day and find yourself always looking for a toilet, just in case. If this sounds familiar, see your GP," said Dr Teirney.

This is...all of us.

Before you start drawing up conclusions though, Dr Teirney said another possible cause may be a Urinary Tract Infection, where bacteria have colonised the bladder. Cute!

"This can be very uncomfortable as you may experience pain or discomfort when passing urine or get blood in the urine. If left untreated, it can go into the kidneys and you get and kidney infection."

So, yeah. Get seen by your GP to have this investigated, STAT.

"The solution may be as simple as taking cranberry or alkaline drinks, or you may need to go on a course of antibiotics," said Dr Teirney.

Wait! How do I know if I have weak pelvic floor muscles?

"An overactive bladder, of course, is one major sign," said Dr Teirney.

Go on...

"Following that, if you are wetting your pants, or urine leaks when you sneeze, exercise, or lift things, it’s likely you have weak pelvic floor muscles."

Does this sound familiar? Don't stress. There are LOADS of things you can do to improve your pelvic floor game - like simple Kegel exercises.

"This is where you squeeze your pelvis floor muscles and hold tight for three to five seconds before releasing and repeat it 10 times, for a few times each day, repeatedly for 10 times a few times each day," explains Dr Teirney. 

"The other thing you can do is when you urinate, try to stop peeing mid-stream. Hold that for three seconds and then release again. This can help improve the strength of your pelvic floor muscles."

SO MANY PEE GAMES.

For post-menopausal women, Dr Teirney said things like hormone replacement therapy can help with pelvic floor issues. However, this isn't a willy-nilly kinda thing - it should obviously be investigated and discussed at length with your doctor.

"Finally, get a referral to a pelvic floor physiotherapist," suggests Dr Teirney. "These specialists can help by using electrical stimulation treatments that train your bladder to hold on for longer. They look at your flow of urine and all kinds of things to help resolve the issues."

Interesting!

Important note you should read: "It’s vital you need to see your GP for a referral, especially to rule out other medical causes such as Parkinson’s Disease or Diabetes."

Can forcing a 'just in case' pee out before you leave the house affect your bladder?

You know when you're about to leave the house and you do a quick pee ~just in case~? Apparently, it won't mess things up in the pee department like we all thought it would. 

"It is actually a good idea," said Dr Teirney. "Having a pee before you go is fine and lots of women do it, so they are not urgently trying to find a toilet when they are out."

Is it possible to retrain your bladder to hold on longer?

Yes! This is a thing you can do. If you feel like you're jumping up to pee every two seconds, there are a few things you can do to train your bladder to hold on for longer.

"It’s quite simple. When you get the urge to urinate, try to hold on for an extra half an hour before going to the toilet," said Tierney. 

"Gradually, build this up to an hour. This can help the bladder to fill up more before you get the urge."

Fun!

Anyone else keen to go on a boozy picnic and not feel like they have to search for a bush? SAME.

Feature image: Getty

Have you ever tried to train your bladder? What's your experience? Share with us in the comment section below.