Good to know
Beer makes us go to the toilet more often – a trick is supposed to increase stamina
Beer makes us urinate more often – stupid when you are standing in the middle of the fan mile
© Team 2 / Imago Images
Beer is a problematic drink. It is incredibly drinkable, but it also makes us constantly run to the toilet. Why is that? And can the urge to urinate be controlled?
It’s the end of the day, a loyal festival companion and cheering supporter – beer. And it has a habit of rarely coming alone. The first glass is often followed by a second, a third, sometimes a fourth and then, usually at the most inopportune moment, when the decisive goal is practically in the air, the bladder knocks. It can quickly become very urgent. Because beer also makes you go to the toilet. If we drink beer, we have to urinate more often. That’s true. Rumor has it that there is a trick that helps against the annoying urge to urinate. Truth or nonsense?
Beer is diuretic, which is partly due to the alcoholic components in beer. This motivates the body to quickly get rid of alcohol, which is a neurotoxin. Alcohol also temporarily inhibits the release of the hormone ADH. The hormone is actually responsible for the kidneys retaining fluids in the body for longer. Conversely, suppressing the hormone ensures that more urine is produced than with non-alcoholic drinks. The carbon dioxide in beer also increases the pressure on the bladder.
Beer makes us go to the toilet more often
The more fluid there is in the bladder, the more it expands and the bladder wall becomes thinner. How quickly the bladder fills up depends on factors such as individual drinking habits, the efficiency of the kidneys and gender. Women have a smaller bladder capacity, which explains why they generally have to urinate more often than men.
If the bladder becomes too full, mechanoreceptors in the bladder wall send a signal to the brain that a trip to the toilet will be necessary in the foreseeable future. The so-called “don’t break the seal” trick is intended to help resist the urge to urinate for as long as possible. The theory behind it is that if you go to the toilet once, you will have to go again and again. The brain is thus reminded of the bladder, so that it subsequently receives more “attention” from it. It is therefore better to postpone urination for as long as possible.
Want to gain more control over your urinary urge?
The fact is that the bladder can only be trained to a certain extent. Once a certain level of fullness has been reached, urination cannot be delayed any longer. This supposed trick can even be counterproductive. In the long run, constantly delaying urination will probably result in exactly what you are trying to avoid: loss of control over the urge to urinate. In an interview with “SZ”, urologist Holger Uhthoff also advises against waiting too long to urinate. In men, this could, in the worst case, even lead to urinary retention.
What really helps? The answer is simple: change your drink. The effect is less with non-alcoholic beer. However, an even better choice are drinks that contain no carbon dioxide or caffeine in addition to alcohol. Coffee, soft drinks, energy drinks and many fruit juices are also diuretic. The boring but best choice for on the go: still water.
Sources: spectrum, German Continence Society, Wireless, SZ