A Conversation for Ask h2g2

Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 1

KB

Why does cold weather go for the kidneys and bladder and make people want to tinkle more often?


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 2

bobstafford

The body is programmed to reduce reduce mass in cold weather the bladder is a major heat loss and evacuation is a good way to save fuel.
So is an automatic reaction.


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 3

Icy North

I'm no biologist, Bob, but those don't sound intuitive to me.

Why should you lose mass to retain heat?
How does a full bladder constitute heat loss?

Can you explain?


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 4

bobstafford

If the body loses mass there is less to heat, the bladder if full would require more heat if empted. The body triggers the reaction when its cold.


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 5

bobstafford

Why should you lose mass to retain heat? to save the body fuel


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 6

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

If your comparison point is with hot weather, then the lack of water loss due to perspiration means that more of the water in the bloodstream will be filtered out by the kidneys.

To some extent this will be balanced by the lower incidence of thirst in winter.

There may also be more of a tendency for cold muscles to contract than warm ones. The bladder, being a muscle, may be more inclined to want to empty itself even if not entirely full. By contrast, my muscles often seem to not want to contract in summer. This might be just me, though.


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 7

KB

I don't think I believe that answer. The reason being, if the pee is warmer than the air outside the body, getting rid of the pee constitutes a heat loss.

Does Science Explained still exist on hootoo?


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 8

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

That wasn't my point, though, KB. If the body is giving off less water through perspiration, then there is simply more water in the body, and that water filters through the kidneys and into the bladder, filling it more often than would be the case in hot weather.


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 9

psychocandy-moderation team leader

When exposed to cold, the body conserves heat by constricting blood vessels in the skin. (The opposite happens when the body is hot; dilation of blood vessels in the skin allows for heat to be released through radiation, as well as stimulating the sweat glands so that heat can also be lost through evaporation).

The constriction of blood vessels raises blood pressure. The diuretic effect is believed to be a result of the kidneys producing more urine in order to relieve the increased blood pressure.

My doctor explained this to me several years ago when I had to work outside every day during the winter - I was feeling poorly for several weeks, and he found that the cause was some electrolyte loss from the frequent urination. Dehydration is something you think of in the summer when you're sweating a lot, but it wasn't something I was expecting as a side effect of working out in the cold.


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 10

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

Thank you, Psychocandy. That's an excellent explanation. smiley - smiley


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 11

Teasswill

But do you really need to pee more often or do you just have the feeling you want to?
I wonder, because after I'd had bladder removed & a reconstruction, so nerves & function very different, when I went out in the cold I still had that initial need to pee feeling. Don't think I get it now, although maybe I just ignore it more easily.


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 12

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

That's a mystery that I can't help you with. smiley - cheerup

My father had his bladder removed when he was 79. Seventeen years later, he seems to know when his urine collection bag is full, but I don;t want to ask his how he knows.


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 13

Teasswill

Probably a combination of the weight & volume pressing on clothes. I've learnt the new sensation of my reconstruction being full.


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 14

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

That sounds reasonable. smiley - smiley


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 15

Pink Paisley

I have a supplementary question.

I often drive home from work - 7 miles / 20 minutes. When I leave work I have no particular desire to wee and nor do I all the way home. However, somewhere between my car outside my house and reaching towards the door with the key, I develop an amazingly urgent need. So much so, that should the key not go straight into the keyhole, I become convinced that I am bound to wet myself standing there in my front garden.

From my car to my door is about 15 feet. I've never actually wet myself.

This is an all weather phenomenon.

PP.


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 16

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

That sounds like my experience when I've just finished drinking herb tea and heading for the shower. before I can even get to the shower, I feel; an insane urge to you-know-what, even if I had done it a few minutes earlier..


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 17

Icy North

I'd say it was the change in posture as you climbed out of the car seat - more pressure on your valves.


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 18

Deb

I've experienced the same when I've needed for a while and have had to hold it for whatever reason (stuck in traffic, usually). The closer I get to the toilet, the worse the urge gets, until I'm practically dancing whilst opening the bathroom door.

Deb smiley - cheerup


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 19

winnoch2 - Impostair Syndromair Extraordinaire

Yes, I 3rd that effect. It's especially evident after a few smiley - ale, when I go from 'needing' to utter desperation in the last few steps to the toilet. smiley - weird

All I can think is that it's a physiological effect whereby you know you're about to go and the anticipation makes you need more. Or something.


Why does cold weather make you need to pee?

Post 20

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

When I even *think* about water, I get the urge.

smiley - surfer


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