Make Yourself Pee

If you need to pee for a urine test, have a shy bladder, or are suddenly having difficulty using the bathroom, you might need to make yourself pee. Consumption of certain foods can help you urinate and psychological treatment can be used if you have a shy bladder. However, under some circumstances, such as when you feel pain in your bladder, you may need to seek out medical care.

Steps

Triggering Urination

  1. Lean forward. Sit down and lean forward to put pressure on your abdominal muscles, as though you were having a bowel movement. The tense muscles in turn will put pressure on your bladder.[1]
  2. Push down low on your abdomen. While leaning forward, lay your forearm across your lower abdomen and press gently. Do not press directly on your bladder, which could cause backflow to your kidneys.[1]
  3. Drum your fingers over your bladder. Repeatedly tap your bladder with your fingers, below your navel. Tap about a little faster than once per second, for thirty seconds.[2] If necessary, shift around to find the best spot, and keep up the tapping until a steady stream has begun.
  4. Stimulate the thigh or genital region. Stroking your inner thigh or tugging on a pubic hair may trigger the nerves that control the bladder.

Using Foods and Liquids

  1. Drink more water. If you need to pee for a doctor's appointment due to a urine test, drinking water ahead of time is probably the fastest and safest way to induce urination.
    • Excess water intake is not harmful to your health. If the body receives too much water the kidneys will simply expel it via urine. If you know you need to pee at your doctor's office, try drinking a glass or two of water before going in.
    • However, if you have congestive heart failure or another condition that causes edema, you should limit your fluid intake. If you have chronic renal failure and are on dialysis, you should also limit your fluid intake.
    • Unless you're particularly shy about urinating in public, you do not need to overdo it. Having an eight ounce glass of water prior to your appointment should make urination easier and quicker in the office.[3]
  2. Try certain fruits. Certain fruits have diuretic properties. A diuretic is a substance that promotes the formation of urine in the kidneys, causing a person to expel urine more frequently.[4] A variety of fruits serve as natural diuretics.
    • Citrus fruits in general, but lemon especially, can increase urination. They can also potentially lower blood pressure over time and can treat urinary tract infections.[5]
    • Watermelons get their name due to the fact they contain a high amount of water. Eating watermelon can help you build up fluid and might lead to urination.[6]
    • Fruit derivatives, like apple cider vinegar and cranberry juice, also serve as diuretics. You can drink cranberry juice straight before an appointment and apple cider vinegar is an ingredient in many salad dressings.[7]
  3. Use certain herbs. Certain herbs promote urination and can be used as natural diuretics if you need to induce urination.
    • The antioxidants in parsley can promote urination.[8]
    • Not only can cilantro promote urination, it can also lower blood pressure and regulates the digestive system.[9]
    • Garlic has a variety of health benefits, such as bolstering the immune system, and may also serve as a healthy, natural diuretic.[10]
    • Ginger helps get rid of fluid build up and adding it to foods as a spice may increase urination.[11]
  4. Eat certain vegetables. Fruits and herbs are not the only natural diuretics available. Certain vegetables might also promote urination.
    • Cucumbers and celery have heavy water content, which can increase the amount you need to pee.[12]
    • Carrots are an easy food to snack on, and might contribute to more frequent urination. Having a carrot or a cup of baby carrots before a urine test might help you urinate more.[12]
    • Cabbage, like cucumbers, has a high water content that promotes urination.[12]
  5. Try teas and coffees. Teas and coffees promote frequent urination and having a cup of green tea or black coffee before a urine test might help you pee. However, be careful about overdoing it with caffeine, especially before a doctor's appointment. Caffeine can cause a temporary spike in blood pressure and you want to make sure you get an accurate reading at the doctor's office.[5]
  6. Relieve-Constipation. Hard, difficult to pass stool can push against the bladder and urethra, making it difficult to pass urine.[13] Add more fiber to your diet, exercise more, and visit the doctor if constipation does not improve.
    • Avoid holding in bowel movements, which can make constipation worse.

Overcoming a Shy Bladder

  1. Practice progressive muscular relaxation. Many people have trouble urinating in public places. If this is the case with you, engaging in certain relaxation techniques can help you calm down enough to use a public restroom.
    • If you find ways to distance yourself from the act of urination, your body will carry out its natural functions. Calming yourself via progressive muscular relaxation can help with this.[14]
    • Relax different muscle groups at a time. Start by relaxing your neck and shoulders, and then move down to your arms, torso, and hips. Keep going until you've loosened up your legs and shins. Focus on the different muscle groups and not on the fact you're using a public restroom. This will relax your muscles, helping you use the bathroom, and also distract you from the act of urinating.[14]
  2. Find a way to distract yourself. Much like relaxation techniques, finding ways to not think about the act of urinating can help the process happen. Find a distraction when you have to use a public restroom
    • If you have a smart phone, reading a news article or listening to a song on your headphones can be a helpful distraction.[14]
    • You can also distract yourself with your own thoughts. Have a go-to image, song, line, or sound to consider while urinating. For example, you could imagine a location you find calming, like your childhood bedroom. You could also try to recite the lyrics to a song you know. Anything to get your mind off of using the restroom is key.[14]
  3. Hold your breath. Holding your breath increases the levels of carbon dioxide in your system, which can help reduce your overall stress level.
    • Exhale about 75% of your breath and then hold the rest. Try holding your breath in for about 45 seconds.[14]
    • Repeat the process and see if it helps. Some people find this actually increases their overall anxiety, so it's a good idea to test out these kinds of breathing exercises before trying them in public.[14]
  4. Seek psychiatric treatment. If you have frequent or intense anxiety about urinating in public and it leads to discomfort at work or in social situations, you could seek out psychiatric treatment for your issues.
    • Shy bladders have been successfully treated with behavioral therapies, drugs, and hypnotherapy. Your psychiatrist will work with you to find the best treatment option given your existing psychiatric and medial history.[15]
    • You can find a psychiatrist by going through your insurance provider or try to find a free or reduced rate clinic in your area. If you're a college student, you can go through your college or university.

Seeking Medical Help

  1. Make an appointment with your doctor. If you're having unusual problems urinating, you should make an appointment with your regular physician to figure out if there is a medical cause to your problem.
    • Your doctor will perform a medical and physical examination. If you are male, your doctor will probably perform a prostate exam.[16]
    • If the doctor feels a urine test is necessary, she may use a catheter to release urine. This is a tube that goes up the urethra and drains urine into a bag.[16]
    • Blood tests may also be needed to check for any signs of infections.[16]
    • Treatment depends on the problem's cause, but a variety of medications can be used to treat urinary problems.[16]
  2. Seek emergency care, if necessary. The inability to urinate can occasionally be a medical emergency that requires immediate care. Go to the emergency room if you experience any of the following problems:
    • Acute and painful feelings in the bladder or stomach could be a sign of a serious bladder obstruction. See a doctor immediately as you may need an emergency catheter to drain urine.[17]
    • Sudden and painful urine retention can be serious. Damage to the bladder and kidneys may occur without emergency treatment, so it's important to get to the ER as soon as possible.[17]
  3. Try medications. A variety of medications are used to treat urinary problems. Ask your doctor what medications she recommends.
    • Alpha receptor blockers are one class of medication used to treat urinary problems. They work by relaxing the muscles in the bladder and reducing whatever is obstructing urine flow. They are usually used for longterm issues with urine retention, especially enlarged prostrates in men.[18]
    • These drugs include 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors and antimuscarinic drugs for urinary incontinence.
    • 5-alpha reductase inhibitors shrink the size of the prostrate gland, so such medications are only prescribed to men. They may take weeks or even months to work depending on how long it takes them to successfully shrink the prostrate gland.[18]
  4. Have a doctor determine what is causing your urination issues. If you are having a hard time voiding then there is usually a medical condition that is causing this to occur. Your doctor will want to do some test including a urine sample to make sure that you do not have an infection and that your urine is in working order.
    • Men who have a hard time urinating they may suffer from urinary incontinence. This is usually due to an enlarged prostate on physical examination. Risk factors for urinary incontinence include advanced age. The older you get the more likely you are going to have problems going to the restroom.
    • Prostate disease is another concern especially those who have a history of prostate surgery or radiation.
    • A history of urinary tract infections can also lead to problems with urinating. You may have scars from the infections including strictures and fistula formation.
    • Further, physical limitation is also a risk factor for people that have a hard time peeing.
    • Neurological disease lead to urinary retention and problems with peeing. This includes problems with the CNS, spinal cord, stroke, or impaired cognition.
    • Further conditions including diabetes, sleep apnea, depression, and constipation lead to problems with urinary incontinence.

Tips

  • Always follow with your PCP or Urologist as needed with problems with urination and making yourself pee.
  • If you frequently have difficulty urinating, you should try keeping a bladder diary to track the problem. Each day, write down how often you go to the bathroom and how much urine you pass each day. Also make a note of how often you leak urine throughout the day, if at all.

Warnings

  • If you experience complete inability to urinate, also known as urinary retention, you should seek emergency medical treatment. The emergency medical personnel will need to insert a catheter into your urethra to drain the bladder immediately, and you will need to have medical tests performed to determine the cause and proper course of treatment.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/patient_education/pepubs/bladder/bladder7_9.pdf
  2. ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=PoawIB6Pfv8C
  3. ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/mens-health/10772770/The-water-con-why-are-we-drinking-so-much.html
  4. ↑ http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=7103
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 http://www.emedicinehealth.com/frequent_urination/page2_em.htm
  6. ↑ http://www.med-health.net/Benefits-Of-Watermelon.html
  7. ↑ http://www.washington.edu/wholeu/2015/07/07/beyond-the-hype-apple-cider-vinegar-as-an-alternative-therapy/
  8. ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11849841
  9. ↑ https://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/biomed/spice/index.cfm?spicefilename=medspice.txt&itemsuppress=yes&displayswitch=0
  10. ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2056760
  11. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/expert-answers/water-retention/faq-20058063
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 http://www.nlda.org/10-natural-diuretic-foods-to-lose-weight-and-lower-blood-pressure/
  13. ↑ http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/urologic-disease/urinary-retention/Pages/facts.aspx
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 http://www.shybladdersyndrome.org/shy-bladder-tips-that-help-to-defeat-the-syndrome/5-ways-to-help-you-overcome-shy-bladder-that-you-must-try/
  15. ↑ http://www.urologyhealth.org/urologic-conditions/paruresis-(urinating-in-public)/diagnosis-and-treatment
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 http://www.emedicinehealth.com/inability_to_urinate/page5_em.htm#exams_and_tests
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 http://www.emedicinehealth.com/inability_to_urinate/page7_em.htm#treatment_for_inability_to_urinate
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 http://www.emedicinehealth.com/inability_to_urinate/page8_em.htm#medications

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