Many people feel the need to go to the bathroom more when they feel cold while walking or sitting outside on a cold winter’s day. So why does this happen more often in the winter than in the summer? Two scientists from Bond University in Australia published an article to clarify this issue.
The article published on The Conversation was written by Associate Professor Christian Moro and PhD student Charlotte Phelps. In the study, questions such as why we should go to the toilet more when we are cold and what to do if this situation progresses were discussed.
Sweating less in winter months increases the need to urinate
Experts tried to explain why this situation occurs by examining the bladder and lower urinary tract. Accordingly, changing the lifestyle of people in the winter months may cause the need to pee more. As we all know, we are more often outside and active during the summer months. This causes us to sweat more than usual and become dehydrated faster, affecting the amount of fluid our body is willing to expel and reducing our urine volume.
However, in the winter season, we are usually indoors and in areas with more water resources. This causes us to be less dehydrated and sweat less. For these reasons, the liquid that our body will throw out through urine is in much higher amounts than in summer months.
The body’s avoidance of heat loss may make us go to the toilet more often
In addition, the body’s desire not to lose more heat during the winter months is shown as the reason for this. According to scientists, when we get cold very quickly, our body protects the internal organs in various ways. It is reported that the increase in urine excretion occurs for this reason.
Indicating that the blood moves away from the skin to protect against the cold, the researchers state that this causes more blood flow in the internal organs. Thus, a greater amount and pressure of blood goes to the kidneys and the amount of blood ‘filtered’ by these organs increases. As a result, we see an increase in our urination rate.
What to do in these situations?
Scientists who also make statements about people who urinate a lot, say that factors such as nutrition, blood pressure and age can also be effective in this regard. Stating that excess urine can also be a sign of hypothermia, experts emphasize that in cases such as extreme cold, it is necessary to act quickly and to warm the body immediately.
Additionally, it is strongly emphasized that medical attention should be sought if excessive urination is followed by tremors, difficulty breathing and other symptoms.
Finally, although we feel less thirsty in winter, it is stated in the statements that we need to drink plenty of fluids. Experts, frequent urination can damage the body’s natural salt balance; Therefore, he adds that a healthy diet is of great importance.
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