Medics are warning people that pee in the shower that it can cause long-term damage, including incontinence and in some cases even kidney damage.
American urogynaecologist Dr Teresa Irwin took to TikTok in an attempt to stop people from engaging in the habit. Which is reportedly committed by 60-80 per cent of the public, polls suggest. In the clip Dr Irwin claimed that urinating while showering trains the brain to associate the sound of running water with needing to urinate.
Speaking to her 90,000 followers, she said: “It’s kind of like Pavlov’s dog training where every time they heard a little bell ring they will start to salivate. So every time you’re washing your hands, taking a shower, washing the dishes, if there is running water your bladder is going to be “salivating” because it wants to go and pee.”
She said in the long-term it can disrupt the body’s internal bladder control leading to frequent trips to the toilet.
But Dr Irwin also said that there are potential health hazards for women like risking urinary tract infections and even kidney failure.
The male bladder is supported by the prostate when urinating while standing, but women don’t have this luxury.
Women who urinate while standing are putting their pelvic floor muscles under extra strain, which can lead to the bladder failing to empty.
The leftover urine, called urinary retention, can lead to a range of health problems.
Dr Alicia Jeffrey-Thomas, a Boston-based pelvic floor therapist previously warned that women are ‘not designed to pee standing up’.
She said: “Your pelvic floor isn’t going to relax properly, which means we’re really not going to be emptying our bladder super well,” the Daily Mail reported.
But peeing in the shower can also cause a skin infection, as open wounds on the lower body can easily become infected by any bacteria in the urine.
However, experts say that the risk is relatively minor, as the water should wash the urine away from the wound.
The Daily Star recently reported that your next pint could be brewed with help from festival-goers’ urine.
Portaloos are normally seen as a grim necessity at festivals, something to be endured rather than embraced. However, boffins are giving them a surprising new purpose – to make environmentally friendly beer.