# cold air makes me wanna pee. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 15, 2000, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-air-makes-me-wanna-pee/41273 "2000-11-15T07:01:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pezwookiee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@pezwookiee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pezwookiee)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2000, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-air-makes-me-wanna-pee/41273/1 "2000-11-15T07:01:47Z")
Why does walking around out in the cold make me want/need to pee? ---
**Author:** ![SSgtBaloo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@SSgtBaloo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSgtBaloo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2000, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-air-makes-me-wanna-pee/41273/2 "2000-11-15T08:42:39Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Diver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@Diver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diver)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2000, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-air-makes-me-wanna-pee/41273/3 "2000-11-15T16:29:16Z")
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… ---
**Author:** ![Meephead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b782af/32.png) [@Meephead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meephead)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2000, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-air-makes-me-wanna-pee/41273/4 "2000-11-15T17:28:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diver \* > \*\*…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? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![vix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a88e4f/32.png) [@vix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vix)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2000, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-air-makes-me-wanna-pee/41273/5 "2000-11-15T17:43:59Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Diver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@Diver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diver)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2000, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-air-makes-me-wanna-pee/41273/6 "2000-11-15T20:49:03Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![pezwookiee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@pezwookiee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pezwookiee)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2000, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-air-makes-me-wanna-pee/41273/7 "2000-11-15T22:36:54Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2000, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-air-makes-me-wanna-pee/41273/8 "2000-11-15T22:44:35Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![jamesglewisf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a5b964/32.png) [@jamesglewisf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jamesglewisf)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2000, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-air-makes-me-wanna-pee/41273/9 "2000-11-15T22:48:59Z")
This is a funny thread. I’ve often wondered how this all worked. Thanks Diver for the explanation. ---
**Author:** ![jb\_farley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9d8465/32.png) [@jb\_farley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_farley)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-air-makes-me-wanna-pee/41273/10 "2000-11-16T00:16:16Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![honkytonkwillie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@honkytonkwillie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/honkytonkwillie)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-air-makes-me-wanna-pee/41273/11 "2000-11-16T08:54:24Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cold-air-makes-me-wanna-pee/41273/12 "2000-11-16T09:14:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pezwookiee \* > \*\*Why does walking around out in the cold make me want/need to 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