Written by Anne Jacobson, MD, MPH | Reviewed by Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPHPublished on March 4, 2022
Key takeaways:
- Some people have to pee more often than others. Maybe you’ve wondered if you’re peeing too much or too little. Or maybe your bathroom schedule has changed.
- How much and how often you pee can vary with age and with what you eat and drink. There can even be differences over a period of days or weeks.
- Most of these changes aren’t caused by anything serious. But sometimes, your pee is giving you important clues about your body.
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Maybe you never make it through a movie without running to the bathroom at the most exciting part — especially if you’ve had a jumbo popcorn and your favorite beverage. Some of us were the kids who always needed a bathroom pass at school, while others could make it through a long road trip without a rest stop. Differences between people are normal. But maybe you’ve noticed some changes in yourself and wonder if it’s something to be concerned about. Read on to find out about common things that affect how often you pee and others that mean you should check in with your healthcare provider.
How many times a day is it normal to pee?
Like many functions in the human body, how often you pee can vary. On average, adults pee between 4 to 7 times a day. More or less often can also be normal. But a few everyday factors and some health conditions could be affecting how much and how often you pee.
What factors affect how much you pee?
There are several factors that can affect how much you pee, like your age, the amount of fluids you consume, and the types of beverages you drink. We’ll go into those below. But first, let’s talk about where pee comes from.
Where does pee come from?
Urine is made in the kidneys and travels to the bladder through tubes called the ureters. As the bladder fills with urine, muscle fibers send a message to your brain that it’s time to go to the bathroom. The pee leaves the bladder through a tube called the urethra. So there are many places in the urinary system where different factors can play a role in how often you have to pee.
Common factors that affect how much you pee
- Age: There are changes to the kidneys, bladder, and muscles in the pelvis that happen as you age. This can play out in different ways to make you pee more or less often. After childbirth, changes in the pelvic floor can make people pee more often. And changes to the prostate, such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), affect how easily urine flows from the bladder through the urethra.
- Fluids: When it comes to liquids, what goes in must come out. In general, the more fluids you take in, the more you will pee. There aren’t any strict recommendations for how much to drink everyday. But it’s important to pay attention to signs like thirst and the color of your pee to make sure you’re getting enough fluids.
- What you drink: Drinks with caffeine and alcohol can make you pee more. If they irritate your bladder, you might be running more often to the bathroom but peeing in smaller amounts.
What medical conditions can affect how often you pee?
Medical conditions can also affect how often you go to the bathroom.
Conditions that affect the bladder
- Urinary tract infections, or UTIs, are a common cause of more frequent peeing. Other symptoms, like feeling a sense of urgency or pain when you pee or a change in the color or smell, can be signs that you might have a bladder infection.
- Overactive bladder isn’t caused by one specific thing. It’s a condition where you have to pee more frequently or might leak urine. Possible causes include changes in hormones, medications, nerve damage, or weak pelvic muscles.
Increased pressure on the bladder
Anything that puts more pressure on your bladder can make you pee more or less often. Sometimes, you might have a hard time holding your urine. Pressure usually comes from changes in other organs that are located near the bladder.
For example:
- Fibroids are growths in the uterus that can add to its weight and size.
- Endometriosis is when tissue that normally grows inside the uterus grows outside of it. This can affect urination if this growth is on or near the urinary tract.
- Pelvic floor disorders can happen to anyone but are more common after childbirth.
- During pregnancy, the heavier uterus can put more pressure on the bladder.
- Growth of the prostate in BPH or inflammation in prostatitis can cause changes in the usual frequency and amount of pee.
- The buildup of stool in constipation can put extra pressure on the bladder.
- Urethritis is inflammation of the tube where pee exits the body. Possible causes include injuries, chemical irritants, or infections (including sexually transmitted infections).
- Excess body weight puts pressure on the bladder and the muscles of the pelvic floor that support it.
The kidneys
The kidneys are the organs responsible for making pee. Anything that affects how well the kidneys filter blood or how much blood flow they receive will affect how much you pee. Some common kidney-related causes of changes in peeing habits include:
- Diabetes mellitus (Type 1 and 2): The kidneys try to get rid of extra sugar in the blood through urine. They need to get rid of extra fluid and sugar at the same time. So people with high blood sugar may notice that they are more thirsty and need to pee more often.
- Diabetes insipidus: This is a different kind of diabetes. In this type, your blood sugar is normal, but your kidneys can’t concentrate the urine. So people with diabetes insipidus put out lots of pale, watery urine.
- High blood calcium levels: It’s a less common cause than high blood sugar, but high blood calcium also tells your kidneys to get rid of the extra calcium.
What does it mean if you can’t hold your pee?
Sometimes, pee leaks out. When you can’t hold your pee, that’s called incontinence. There are a few kinds of incontinence, and they’re treated in different ways.
- Stress incontinence: This is when pee leaks out when you cough, sneeze, laugh, or exercise. It’s more common in people with weaker pelvic floor muscles. It’s treated with exercises to strengthen the pelvic muscles or, sometimes, surgery.
- Urge incontinence: This is when you lose urine because you can’t make it to the bathroom on time. It’s treated with medications, exercises, or surgery.
- Overflow incontinence: This happens when the bladder doesn’t empty like it should, which can cause some pee to dribble out. It’s managed by treating the condition that is affecting the bladder or the nerves to the bladder.
- Incontinence caused by medication: Many different medications have side effects that affect how often you pee. Some of the more common groups of medicines that can do this include some blood pressure medications, diuretics (water pills), antihistamines, sedatives, and some medications to treat pain and mental health conditions
Is it normal to wake up at night because you have to pee?
Waking up to pee at night becomes more common as you age. But at any age, if you drink a lot of fluids before bed — especially with caffeine or alcohol — you might find yourself making a middle-of-the-night bathroom run. If peeing at night is happening more often or seems to be getting worse, it could be a sign of a medical condition.
When should you see a healthcare provider for peeing-related issues?
Talk to your healthcare provider about any symptoms that are new, bothersome, or are getting worse. Some things that you should get care for right away include:
- Blood in your pee or a significant change in color, especially if it’s pink, red, or brown
- Pain or burning when you pee
- New incontinence
- Back pain or fever
- Urine that is hard to pass
- Discharge from the penis or vagina
- New or worsening weakness or fatigue
- Unintended weight loss
- New or worsening confusion, especially in older adults
The bottom line
Lots of things can affect how often and how much you pee, including your age, how much you drink, medications, and certain medical conditions. Most differences between people (and in your own body over time) are not anything serious. But a healthcare provider can help you find out if there is something else going on that’s affecting how much you pee and the best way to treat it.
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