PEEING standing up is the go-to for most men, but one expert has warned that it might be better for you to take a seat.
If you usually urinate in a vertical position, then you’ll know it has it’s benefits.
Experts have said that men should urinate sitting down rather than the usual vertical position
This includes not having to sit on a questionable public toilet seat and generally being able to pee wherever.
Medics in the Netherlands however found that sitting down could be beneficial, especially for men who suffer with prostate issues.
This is because it allows them to pee with greater force than they would be able to if they were stood up.
If you stand up, they said, then your muscles are stimulated in your pelvis and spine.
Writing in the 2014 study, the experts said people have been sitting and squatting to urinate for many years.
Doctors added that when people sit, these pelvic and hip muscles are relaxed, making urination easier.
Associate Clinical Professor at the UCLA Department of Urology. Dr Jesse N. Mills said that sitting down is also a better option for men who might struggle to stand up for long periods of time.
“A lot of guys sit to pee if they can’t fully evacuate their bladder.
“When you sit down, you can use your abdominal muscles more, and you get your last few squirts out and feel like you’ve emptied better,” he told Thrillist.
However Dr Mills added that the research doesn’t mean everyone now needs to take a seat when it’s time to pee.
He explained that as long as you feel as though your bladder has emptied, then you are fine to urinate in either position.
If you’re struggling to get that empty feeling then you should seek medical attention.
You may not realise that your bladder is failing to empty properly every time you use the toilet.
Prof Stergios Stelios Doumouchtsis, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist previously said that this could be down to an underlying cause.
“If the bladder is not emptying properly, it may cause stasis of urine [also known as urinary retention] and result in infections or bladder stones.
“Because infections can result in sepsis, or kidney infections, if you have symptoms of incomplete bladder emptying, it needs to be checked by a specialist.”
Symptoms include a slow stream of urine, straining to urinate, intermittent stream, double or multiple voids in a sequence and taking a while for urination to start.
RISK CHECK
The NHS says that people who are unable to do this can end up with bladder stones.
The experts explained that urine is produced by your kidneys and made up of water mixed with waste products that the kidneys remove from your blood.
“One of the waste products is urea, which is made up of nitrogen and carbon.
“If any urine remains in your bladder, the chemicals in urea will stick together and form crystals.
“Over time, the crystals will harden and form bladder stones,” guidance states.
There are some conditions that mean you might not be able to fully empty your bladder, such as damaged nerves and prostate enlargement.
If the bladder isn’t emptied, urine can build up and lead to pressure in the kidneys.
In turn this can cause the kidneys to fail which can be dangerous and result in lasting damage.