Telling your kids to use the bathroom "just in case" is a popular move before a long drive. But would you be better off risking it, or even letting them pee their pants?
"The New York Times" did a story on how using the bathroom when you don't need to isn't the best strategy. The term for it is "proactive voiding." And if you do it too much, it can train your brain to ALWAYS think it's time to go.
They talked to a urologist at Penn who said doing it every once in a while is okay. But if you do it a lot, your bladder starts telling your brain you need to pee when you don't really need to.
The average adult's bladder can hold about two to three cups of urine . . . two for women, and three for men. But we generally feel the urge to go when it's less than half that full.
"Just in case" pees can bring it down even further, to a point where you're constantly making bathroom runs.
Going when you don't need to can also cause straining, which can weaken your pelvic floor muscles. So that's another reason to not do it.
The good news is that if it does ever happen, you can retrain your brain. Another expert dubbed it, "mind over BLADDER."
If you think "just in case" pees have trained you to pee too often, they suggest dealing with it by distracting yourself . . . doing some deep breathing . . . or talking yourself up, like, "I'm in control of when I pee."
(NY Times)