Why do we urinate more in cold weather? Steve Garnett is the lead Consultant Urologist at Benenden Hospital. According to Mr. Garnett, there’s always an influx of patients with urinary symptoms over the winter period and especially in the new year.
“It’s a fact that urinary symptoms do get worse in the cold weather. As we tend to sweat less and, as a result, lose less fluid through sweating, we produce more urine instead. So there will be a need to pee more. For most people, this isn’t a problem, but for some their overactive bladder can start to affect their daily lives. It’s at this point that they should seek medical advice from their GP or a Consultant Urologist” according to Mr. Garnett.
Urinate More in Cold Weather
What else can cause bladder problems?
It’s not only cold weather that can affect your bladder and start to cause problems. Drinking cold drinks at Christmas and new year parties or at work parties will also make things worse. Cold drinks, tea, coffee, energy drinks, and all caffeinated drinks, including tea, coffee, and cola, can aggravate the bladder.
Mr. Garnett believes that people should be careful over the festive season, resist temptation, and not drink excessive amounts of alcohol. “If someone already has a problem they could tip themselves over the edge into not being able to pass urine at all. In the new year, we do see some people who need to have a catheter inserted.”
Are men or women more likely to suffer from bladder problems?
The amount of men and women who suffer from urinary symptoms is roughly even, but women are much more likely to seek help at an earlier stage.
“Men are more likely to suffer in silence,” he says. “They’re not so good at talking about their health problems. Often it’s their spouse or partner who persuades them to see a doctor, as they’re fed up with being woken up several times during the night. In some cases, they find that it’s affecting their lives too.
“Men can start to worry about prostate cancer if they have an increased need to urinate if they strain while urinating or feel that their bladder hasn’t fully emptied after each visit to the toilet. These symptoms should not be ignored, but they don’t mean that someone definitely has prostate cancer. It’s more likely that they are caused by something else, such as benign prostate enlargement (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia). source
