If you’ve ever wondered how often you should pee on a daily basis, you’re not alone. How often you urinate is actually a very important sign of your overall health, beginning in infancy and continuing throughout your life. Keep reading to learn more about urination and when your pee may signal that you need to visit your doctor.
Normal Bladder Function and Frequency of Urination
Your kidneys filter out wastes and extra water to produce urine. The urine travels down two narrow tubes called ureters and is then stored in a muscular, balloon-like organ called the bladder. The bladder swells when it’s full and gets smaller as it empties. When the bladder empties, urine flows out of the body through the urethra. In women, the urethral opening is located just above the vagina. In men, it’s at the tip of the penis.
As your bladder fills, nerve signals sent to your brain eventually trigger the need to urinate. When you urinate, nerve signals coordinate the relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles and the muscles of the urethra (urinary sphincter muscles). The muscles of the bladder tighten, pushing the urine out.
If all of this happens eight or more times a day (including a few times in the middle of the night), you may have what’s known as a frequency problem. Frequency can be caused by an overactive bladder.
