Some people may feel the need to go to the bathroom quickly when they walk outside on a cold winter morning, but this usually doesn’t happen during the summer, why?
Is there something about winter that we prefer to pee on?
Christian Moreau, associate professor of science and medicine, and Charlotte Phelps, a doctoral student at Bond University, study the bladder and lower urinary tract. There are two main explanations here for what is happening.
1. Changes in our lifestyle
In the summer, we are often outside and more active. We sweat more (to lose heat) and become easily dehydrated if we don’t drink enough water.
This affects how much free fluid the body wants to excrete, and our urine volume often decreases as a result.
And in the winter, we’re often indoors, close to water sources, so we’re more likely to be hydrated and have less energy and less sweat. As a result, we are more likely to have more free fluid excreted through urine.
2. Our body wants to avoid losing too much heat.
If we feel too fast, the body protects our internal organs in different ways: one is “cold diuresis,” or increased urine output in response to a cold.
Initially, blood is diverted from the skin to prevent the loss of its heat to the outside air. This means more blood flows to your internal organs.
In particular, blood flows to the kidneys in greater volume and with higher pressure. This increases the amount of stones that need to be filtered. As a result, your urine output increases.
– That I have to do?
Our diet, age, blood pressure, and personal condition can affect the amount of urine we urinate.
Making more urine can also be a sign of hypothermia. Your body responds to cold as stress, so act fast. Find a place away from the cold and gently warm your body.
If increased urination is also accompanied by other symptoms, such as severe chills, shortness of breath, or confusion, seek medical attention immediately.
Also keep fluids in the winter
If you are outside in the cold, you may not feel thirsty. However, be sure to drink plenty of fluids throughout the day. And even though it’s tempting to avoid drinking, so you don’t have to rush to the bathroom, it can lead to dehydration.
Frequent urination can compromise the body’s natural salt balance (especially sodium and potassium). So make sure you stay on a healthy diet.
It seems like a kind of balance game. However, the key is to avoid stress on your body this way when it is cold. To do this, make sure you wear the right clothes and stay warm.
– What if you don’t have a sharp difference?
Although the body has mechanisms that make you urinate when cold, not everyone notices that they urinate in the winter.
And if you stay warm, you don’t have to think that your body will often “shock” in response to the low temperature.
In fact, when monitoring research studies, it is common for researchers to report no difference in urine output between periods.
And it’s not just the amount of urine that can vary in the winter. Settings can also change. The body excretes more calcium in the urine during the winter.
This is more likely due to living during the cold season than anything indoors. We tend to be less active in the winter, gain weight, and eat more salty, canned, and processed foods.
This means that there may be an increased risk of having kidney stones during the winter for susceptible people.
So when it gets cold, be sure to maintain a healthy lifestyle, stay warm, and don’t forget to stay hydrated, even when it’s cold.
Source: Science Alert
Source: Arabic RT