The toilet visit: everyone experiences it about seven times a day. Something that is very obvious, and where not much can go wrong. Or is it? These are the things we do wrong in the bathroom.
The bladder is an autonomous organ. This means that he can function independently. If you remove the bladder from a body, you can even have it contract outside the body, says urologist Joost van Beekum. “This means that the bladder has much more will of its own than we think. The relationship between the bladder and the brain can therefore be compared to a horse and its rider. They both have their own will and character. The bladder is just like the horse in this example: if you start teasing it, like peeing wrong, it will do its own thing. Just like a horse gets restless if you startle it.”
To be sure
You probably learned it from your parents when you were a kid, and still do it now: pee before going out just in case. It seems logical, this way you have certainty about not having to go to the toilet during a trip. But this is not always good for your bladder, according to Joost van Beekum, urologist at Karmenta.
“The most important thing is that you pee relaxed. It’s okay to go to the toilet once you don’t have to, as long as you don’t strain. If you teach your bladder to squeeze everything out in small bits, it can lead to unpleasant situations.” Van Beekum again uses the example of the horse. “If you let a horse run a few meters at a time, and then stop again, he will also become restless.”
Hanging above the pot
As a woman, going to the toilet in a public toilet can sometimes be unpleasant. The glasses are dirty and you don’t want to sit on them, so you hang over the pot. But that’s not a good habit, according to urologist Nader Naderi. “It’s important to have a good posture when you pee. There are a lot of muscles in your pelvic floor, and when you squat or stand, these muscles are tense.”
It’s good to know that almost every bladder infection comes from bacteria that are already in the vagina
Van Beekum adds: ,,The moment you go to pee, the way out must be open. If not, your bladder is squeezing against resistance. That way, the muscles and nerves in your bladder increase. As a result, you make the bladder overactive. In practice, this means that you have to urinate more often, get cramps in the bladder, and get situations where you only just make it to the toilet.” However distasteful the toilet is, sitting is better.
The fear of infections due to bacteria on the toilet seat is not real, according to Van Beekum. “It’s good to know that almost every bladder infection comes from bacteria that are already in the vagina.”
How do you know if you have relaxed your pelvic floor muscles?
The following applies to every muscle: if you feel it, you can relax it. To tighten your pelvic floor muscles, it’s best to pretend you have to stop a wind, according to Van Beekum. That way you tighten your pelvic floor. If you then feel a slight cramp between your legs and buttocks, you feel the muscles. And then you can relax them.
Speed
Quickly to the toilet; we all recognize it. Yet you should actually take your time in the smallest room. Naderi: ,,The bladder also gets disturbed if you don’t urinate completely because of speed. For women, this can lead to pain during sex or more frequent bladder infections.” If you are not waiting for annoying complications, it is better to take your time.
The most important thing is that you urinate relaxed, according to Van Beekum. He does not find it surprising that the errors mentioned are common. “There are very few people in the Netherlands who have had urination lessons. Boys have more frames of reference, they are already peeing in the same ditch with their friends at a young age. That way they still have comparison material to see if they are doing well. But girls, they hardly learn.”
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