Why does walking around out in the cold make me want/need to pee?
I was gonna ask this tonight when I got home, but pezwookiee beat me to the punch. So why does walking into the cold, cold outdoors “shrink my bladder”?
~~Baloo
Cold causes your body to pull blood in from the extremities. This blood pooled in the body core causes your body to think it has too much blood volume, so it moves water to the bladder to reduce the blood volume.
It also happens to divers when they are immersed in cold water, that why they call what they wear wetsuits…
Is it a wetsuit because of the need to urinate, or because of the water oustide the suit? 
I’ve heard that if you’re camping or hiking in cool/cold weather, peeing will make you feel warmer. Apparently, your body has to work hard to keep the urine warm.
meephead said “Is it a wetsuit because of the need to urinate, or because of the water oustide the suit?”
All I know is, peeing in your wetsuit is often the high point of a dive here in cold (60’F on a good day) New England water.
Diver’s explanation of the “cold air/peeing” phenomenom sounds like it could explain the “cold water/male shrinkage” phenomenom. Am I on the right track with this?
No, the cold water/male shrinkage is a reflex that the male body has intended to keep the balls up to the right temperature. Sperm cells die if they are below a certain temperature, the scrotum contracts or relaxes depending on temperature to adjust and use the air temp/body temp to achieve a healthy balance. One can extrapolate this to explain why men have external testicles in the first place.
This is a funny thread. I’ve often wondered how this all worked. Thanks Diver for the explanation.
no no, the shrinkage is less boys-related than it is, urm, well, you know. Sure, the scrotum retracts, but my little skin diver also loses a lot of, how you say, volume.
Is it a result of blood leaving the extremities? I think that’s probably the best bet.
jb
My current theory is that when the testicles ascend to the lower pelvic regein, their volume displacement increases local intra-abdominal pressure on the bladder. Hence, it makes you wanna pee.
Beats me. I know that warm water makes me want to pee. Even after I’ve already gone. That’s why I just skip the first step and hop right into the shower. But I’m sure nobody needed that information.
Marc