Why do we go to the bathroom more often when the weather gets cold?

Friends

You should have had this experience.

When winter comes, I don’t drink much water.

I always want to go to the toilet

Why is this?

The most annoying thing in winter is being woken up by the urge to urinate and having to crawl out of the warm bed. Even if you are outside during the day, it is a hassle to go to the toilet frequently because it is cold and you are wearing thick clothes. Why do you urinate frequently in winter? Is this normal? How can you relieve this situation?

Today we will study:

Why do we go to the toilet more often when the weather gets cold?

Is this frequent urination normal?

How to alleviate this situation?

Temperature affects urination frequency

Our bodies are actively working all the time, and even when we sit still, many metabolites are produced. There are two main ways for these metabolites to be excreted from the body: sweat and urine.

In the summer, we will find that we rarely go to the toilet. This is because the outside temperature is high in the summer, and the human body temperature is also high. In this case, our skin pores and sweat glands are open, and the excess heat is discharged from the body with sweat. Metabolic waste and some water are also discharged with sweat , so we go to the toilet less often in the summer.

In winter, the way metabolites are excreted is very different. When the weather is cold, people rarely sweat and their skin is drier. This is because the ambient temperature is low, and the human body will prevent its own heat from being lost to the environment, and the sweat glands and pores are often in a contracted state . Therefore, most metabolites are excreted from the body through urine, so the number of times you go to the toilet will increase.

In addition, coldness can also change the secretion of hormones in the body . The human body has a control center for the endocrine and nervous systems - the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is located below the thalamic sulcus and weighs only about 0.3% of the entire brain. The hypothalamus is a high-level center for visceral activities and plays a role in regulating body temperature, water balance, blood sugar balance, food intake and endocrine activities.

The hypothalamus regulates the activity of the endocrine system, mainly through the action of hormones. The antidiuretic hormone secreted by it can increase the permeability of the kidney to water and enhance the reabsorption of water in the original urine.

After the cold stimulation acts on the hypothalamus, the antidiuretic hormone secreted by the hypothalamus decreases, so that the kidneys weaken the absorption of original urine in the process of processing urine, which eventually leads to an increase in urine .

In cold winter, the hypothalamus and other organs work together to promote the secretion of adrenaline, which will cause a series of body reactions to resist the cold, such as: contraction of arrector pili muscles, tremor of skeletal muscles, and contraction of blood vessels. These body reactions will speed up metabolism and promote the increase of urine.

It should be noted that cold stimulation will lead to increased urine output, and frequent urination will cause the body to lose salt and disrupt the balance of water and minerals . When the body's sodium (potassium) is insufficient, it will lead to hyponatremia (hypokalemia), and excessive potassium will lead to hyperkalemia. In extreme cases, all three diseases can be fatal. Therefore, when you urinate frequently in winter, you should pay attention to replenishing water to prevent dehydration .

Frequent urination

It is normal to urinate frequently when it is cold, but in some cases, frequent urination may be a precursor to disease!

Regarding the concept of frequent urination, Xu Jianlong, deputy chief physician of the Nephrology Department of Xiyuan Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, pointed out that normal adults urinate 4 to 6 times during the day and 0 to 2 times at night. A significant increase in the number of urination is called frequent urination . There are many reasons for frequent urination, which can be roughly divided into physiological, mental and pathological.

1. Physiological frequent urination

The causes of physiological frequent urination can be summarized into three categories:

• Personal reasons : Gender, age, development, body shape, weight, etc. are different, and the development of urinary organs is different, so the frequency of urination will be different;

• Environmental factors : As we mentioned above, urination will be more frequent in cold weather;

• Food-borne factors : Increased water intake, or foods and drinks that are high in water or have diuretic effects, such as watermelon, pears, winter melon, coffee, alcohol, etc., will lead to increased urination frequency.

2. Psychogenic urinary frequency

Psychogenic frequent urination, also known as situational polyuria in medicine , has no organic lesions in the urinary system and is a psychological urination dysfunction caused entirely by adverse mental factors.

The symptoms are often triggered by the conscious holding of urine, such as some people are afraid to urinate when going out to do business or riding in a car, or afraid to get up late at night. But the more they think about it, the more they urinate. Over time, the inner tension forms a special psychological state. The more fearful and anxious they are, the more severe the symptoms become, forming a vicious cycle.

This situation is actually just a psychological suggestion . As long as the patient relaxes his mind and diverts his attention, it will sometimes have very good effects.

3. Pathological frequent urination

Urinary system diseases, such as urinary tract infection, prostate hyperplasia, chronic renal damage , and the rare "diabetes insipidus" may cause frequent urination.

Diabetes insipidus is a disease caused by a lack of antidiuretic hormone (also known as vasopressin). The onset is often gradual, and the condition gradually becomes obvious within a few days or weeks, and sometimes it can occur suddenly. The clinical manifestations are increased urination frequency and increased urine volume.

Diabetic patients often feel thirsty because their blood sugar is too high and a large amount of water is absorbed from their bodies. When patients drink more water, their urine naturally increases.

How to relieve non-pathological frequent urination

If frequent urination occurs, the first thing to do is to find out the cause. If it is pathological frequent urination, you need to go to the urology department in time; if it is caused by physiological changes or psychological reasons, it can generally be relieved on its own.

1. Anal lifting exercise

The pelvic floor muscles of older people are relaxed, the bladder sphincter is atrophied, and the bladder elasticity is poor, so a small amount of urine can cause a strong urge to urinate. Kegel exercises can help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and improve bladder control .

Specific method: Inhale, pull the anus inward and tighten it for 3 seconds, then exhale and relax for 3 seconds. Do this for 5 to 10 minutes each time, preferably once in the morning and once in the evening.

If you can do pelvic floor exercises in the chest-knee position, the effect will be better. The specific method is to kneel on the bed with both knees, press your chest against the bed, and raise your hips to do pelvic floor exercises.

2. Massage acupoints

Acupoint massage, moxibustion and other methods can relieve frequent urination to a certain extent.

Before going to bed, rub or moxibustion the Yongquan point (the depression at the junction of the front 1/3 and the back 2/3 of the midline of the sole) and Zusanli (about four horizontal fingers below the outer knee) with your palms, usually for 5 to 7 minutes each.

It is also important to note that when you feel the urge to urinate, it is best to go to the toilet in time. Holding urine may cause excessive urine storage, reduced bladder function, resulting in difficulty urinating in the future, and may lead to urinary tract infections.