Nobody likes talking about it, but that does not mean peeing in the shower isn’t common.
It seems harmless and for some, it is a way to save water by not having to flush the toilet, but a doctor has warned people against urinating in the shower.
In her viral TikTok video she claimed that the habit is ‘dangerous’ and could weaken your pelvic floor, which will, in turn, lead to ‘leak issues’ outside of the bathroom.
Dr Alicia Jeffrey-Thomas, who is a Boston-based pelvic floor therapist, took to TikTok to explain the dangers that can come from peeing while standing under a running stream of water.
According to the 30-year-old, the action of urinating in the shower causes your brain to associate the sound of running water with the urge to go to the bathroom – a seemingly innocent connection that the medical expert insists can cause much more serious issues later down the line.
“If you pee while the water is running then you’re creating an association in your brain between the sound of running water and having to pee,” she said in a TikTok video.
“This could potentially lead to some leak issues when you hear running water outside of the shower,” she added.
She also explained that people with female anatomy are just not ’designed to pee standing up’.
@scrambledjamReply to @gwas007 why you shouldn’t pee in the shower (probably part 1 of multiple?) #learnontiktok #tiktokpartner♬ Similar Sensation (Instrumental) – BLVKSHP
Apparently even with one leg up in the ‘Captain Morgan’ pose Dr Jeffrey-Thomas modelled in the video, ‘you’re pelvic floor isn’t going to relax properly, which means we’re really not going to be emptying your bladder super well’.
“So try to pee before you ever turn on the shower water and if you get the urge to pee while you’re in there try to ignore it,” Jeffrey-Thomas recommended.
The doctor referenced scientist Ivan Pavlov’s famous experiment with dogs that led to the discovery of the phenomenon of classical conditioning.
“He rings the bell every time he puts food out for the dogs so eventually the dog starts to associate the bell (with food) and he starts to slobber even if there’s no food there,” Jeffrey-Thomas explained.
In a series she titled How To Train Your Bladder, the doctor’s orders are to try and use the bathroom only ‘three to four times during the day but a minimum of two’.
‘Ideally, you should not be getting up at night,’ Dr Jeffrey-Thomas explained.
@scrambledjamHow to Train Your Bladder – Part 1 ##LearnOnTikTok ##TikTokPartner ##bladdertraining ##bladderretraining♬ TIDE TO YOUR SOUL – C. Paul Chantrill
Say goodbye to going ‘just in case,’ too, because ‘the goal is to ride the wave so that we’re not giving in at that high level of intensity to go…and also not leaking,’ she added.
If you’re constantly giving in to the urge to go to the bathroom right away, then you’re training your brain to send that signal to your body more often.
Some TikTok commenters seemed determined not to let the doctor’s videos change their bathroom habits though, while others felt what she was saying made sense.
“I’m just tryna save water,” one user responded.
Another said it finally makes sense that they get the urge to go whenever they wash the dishes.
Adapted from Daily Mail
