# Is there a recommended # of times to pee per day?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 10, 2004, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494 "2004-05-10T18:24:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@hauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hauss)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2004, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/1 "2004-05-10T18:24:23Z")
Drink 8 glasses of water, piss \_\_\_\_\_ times a day. Please fill in the blank!
---
### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2004, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/2 "2004-05-10T18:29:49Z")
No. How often you need to urinate depends on many factors, including (but not limited to) caffeine and alcohol intake, diet, medications, indiviual metabolism, physical activity, and overall health. You should go when you need to.
There is also not a recommended amount of water to drink each day. this is a commonly-believed myth. This varies, too. You should drink water when you’re thirsty, and not when you aren’t.
---
### Author:  [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2004, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/3 "2004-05-10T18:35:52Z")
I’ve heard if you drink too much (water) and “hold it” for too long you can really jack up your bladder and associated musculature. I’ve never anything approaching 8 glasses a day and after 36 years I’m reasonably healthy.
My money says you’ll do yourself more service to worry about what you’re eating as opposed to water intake.
Just sayin.
---
### Author:  [@FX45\_4Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FX45_4Ever)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2004, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/4 "2004-05-10T19:11:39Z")
This also depends on how much you sweat. Working offshore in the Gulf of Mexico(in the sun all day), I could drink a gallon of water a day, and only urinate once. Now I have an office job and I drink about 64oz a day and go about 6-8 times a day. 🙂
---
### Author:  [@daffyduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daffyduck)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/5 "2004-05-10T19:35:37Z")
This may be an old wives tale, but I was told that if your poop doesn’t float, you aren’t getting enough fiber and if your urine isn’t almost clear, you aren’t getting enough water. Any truth to this?
---
### Author:  [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2004, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/6 "2004-05-10T20:52:05Z")
Well, I can tell you I’ve started drinking coffee in the last month, and I’ve already given it up because of the urination factor. I had two cups of coffee Saturday and I peed 20 times before noon. It was hideous.
---
### Author:  [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2004, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/7 "2004-05-10T20:53:41Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#):
>
> This varies, too. You should drink water when you’re thirsty, and not when you aren’t.
I’d say that once you get thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. So waiting until you are thirsty means you’re always playing catch-up. A person should drink continuously throughout the day. Drink more depending on physical activity, heat and humidity. Basically, if you’re sweating a whole bunch, drink more! Drink to stay hydrated. Re-hydrating everytime you get thirsty isn’t the best strategy. Your urine should definitely not be dark yellow. Very light yellow or clear is ideal.
---
### Author:  [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/8 "2004-05-10T22:08:46Z")
> [@daffyduck](#):
>
> This may be an old wives tale, but I was told that if your poop doesn’t float, you aren’t getting enough fiber.
I’ve heard, and verified from personal experience _ahem_ that this phenomenon has more to do with eating a really fatty meal.
---
### Author:  [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/9 "2004-05-10T22:27:32Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#):
>
> I’d say that once you get thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. So waiting until you are thirsty means you’re always playing catch-up. A person should drink continuously throughout the day. Drink more depending on physical activity, heat and humidity. Basically, if you’re sweating a whole bunch, drink more! Drink to stay hydrated. Re-hydrating everytime you get thirsty isn’t the best strategy. Your urine should definitely not be dark yellow. Very light yellow or clear is ideal.
Nope. Unless there’s something wrong with your thirst mechanism (more common in the elderly), thirst is an excellent indicator. The “everyone is constatnly dehydrated” stuff is a myth. [cite](http://www.waterindustry.org/Water-Facts/water-consumption-2.htm) [cite2](http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/womenshealth/features/watermyth.htm) [cite3](http://www.snopes.com/toxins/water.htm) [cite4](http://www.dartmouth.edu/dms/news/publications/news_digest/digest0802/myth.shtml) [cite5](http://healthpsych.psy.vanderbilt.edu/howmuchwater.htm)
Drink when you’re thirsty, pee when ya gotta. Millions of years of evolution are on your side…
---
### Author:  [@Roches](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roches)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/10 "2004-05-10T23:25:42Z")
According to the [Merck Manual](http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual/section17/chapter214/214a.jsp), “Normally, adults void about 4 to 6 times/day, mostly in the daytime, totaling 700 to 2000 mL/day.” The _frequency_ of micturition (an even nicer term than ‘urination’) is less important than the _volume_, since the frequency depends largely on the capacity of the bladder, which is larger in men than women. (Still, frequent urination or unusual urgency can be an indication of bladder or prostate problems.)
If you were producing an unusually small (less than 500 mL/day) or unusually large (greater than 2500 mL/day) amount of urine, you’d probably notice. Even if you tend to urinate more or less than average (closer to the low end or the high end of the 700-2000 mL range), it’s probably okay as long as it’s been the same way for a long time.
I certainly agree with the other posts in that there is no official amount of water you should drink or number of times per day that you should urinate. The commonly-cited adages along these lines are not normal, at least not for everyone. They are generally repeated in the context of trying to promote drinking large amounts of water (e.g. advertising for bottled water or a health drink) or a product or diet that supposedly causes ‘regular’ urination. The natural sense of thirst and the need to urinate are both highly adapted and well-tuned to your body’s real needs. Of course, if you’ve noticed significant changes in your thirst or urination habits, seeking medical advice would be wise. But not if you only drink six ‘glasses’ of water per day.
---
### Author:  [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2004, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/11 "2004-05-10T23:56:45Z")
I think that psychological factors also affect the number of times you have to go. When I’m nervous, I pee. A lot. In the aftermath of the 1994 Northridge earthquake, wondering if my father’s house was destroyed (it wasn’t), I must have gone about 20 times in a 4 hour span.
Doesn’t seem to happen much anymore fortunately.
---
### Author:  [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/12 "2004-05-11T00:25:28Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#):
>
> Nope. Unless there’s something wrong with your thirst mechanism (more common in the elderly), thirst is an excellent indicator. The “everyone is constatnly dehydrated” stuff is a myth. [cite](http://www.waterindustry.org/Water-Facts/water-consumption-2.htm) [cite2](http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/womenshealth/features/watermyth.htm) [cite3](http://www.snopes.com/toxins/water.htm) [cite4](http://www.dartmouth.edu/dms/news/publications/news_digest/digest0802/myth.shtml) [cite5](http://healthpsych.psy.vanderbilt.edu/howmuchwater.htm)
>
> Drink when you’re thirsty, pee when ya gotta. Millions of years of evolution are on your side…
From your cite:
"_…[T]hirst means you’re already dehydrated. That can be true… of marathon runners and military recruits in training [because] some focus so intently on strenuous exercise that they block thirst sensations until they’re in trouble._
I did not realize this was strictly a military/ intense physical training phenomenon. Being an Army medic, one of my biggest concerns is dehydration. We are always making people force hydrate because once they get thirsty, they’re already in the whole. Now I know that it’s the physical activity that’s causing the unnatural delayed thirst sensation. Thanks. And sorry for the misinformation.
That said, today was a light day for me and I consumed roughly 132 oz of water before 5pm. It’s now 8:30 and I’m thirsty again. I don’t have an issue with pissing a lot.
---
### Author:  [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2004, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/13 "2004-05-11T00:34:14Z")
Just to add one thing:
The only time I drink when I’m not thirsty is when I’m about to go running, rucking or some other physical event. If something like that is coming up, I’ll force hydrate. Otherwise, I drink only when I’m thirsty. But I get thirsty a lot.
---
### Author:  [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2004, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/14 "2004-05-11T00:46:38Z")
George Burns used to say that you could always tell a person’s age - multiply their height in feet by the number of times per day they go to the bathroom. While this was comedy, certainly I’m finding that getting older isn’t helping my -er- retention…
---
### Author:  [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2004, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/15 "2004-05-11T08:21:08Z")
My wife who is a doctor recommends to her older patients that they do not go to urinate everytime they first feel like it, essentially you are training yourself to go too often and start to lose bladder control. You must stretch your bladder a bit to keep its elasticity. I dont know what an optimal amount is - for me it three - four times a day, but I am sure as you get older this increase a bit.
---
### Author:  [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2004, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/16 "2004-05-11T14:55:31Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#):
>
> I’d say that once you get thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. So waiting until you are thirsty means you’re always playing catch-up. A person should drink continuously throughout the day. Drink more depending on physical activity, heat and humidity. Basically, if you’re sweating a whole bunch, drink more! Drink to stay hydrated. Re-hydrating everytime you get thirsty isn’t the best strategy. Your urine should definitely not be dark yellow. Very light yellow or clear is ideal.
Why is dark yellow urine bad?
---
### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2004, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/17 "2004-05-11T15:37:27Z")
Now that we’ve talked so much about micturation, I’d like to slightly hijack to ask about defecation. I come from a culture in which it is strongly believed that one should not have to poo more than once a day and that should be first thing in the morning, right before bathing. I have always had to go more than once a day and I have never been very regular, although it is usually once around morningtime (between waking and noon) and once in evening time (between 3 and 8 p.m.). Sometimes, if I’ve overeaten, I have to go maybe once or twice more. If I haven’t gone for a while, I usually have to go right after a meal.
My relatives keep telling me that these are **bad habits** and signs of problems. I think they’ve been brainwashed. My personal theory is that there is such an emphasis on regularity because where they live (India), it can be inconvenient to have to poo outside of the home.
---
### Author:  [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2004, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/18 "2004-05-11T15:53:59Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#):
>
> From your cite:
> "_…[T]hirst means you’re already dehydrated. That can be true… of marathon runners and military recruits in training [because] some focus so intently on strenuous exercise that they block thirst sensations until they’re in trouble._
>
> I did not realize this was strictly a military/ intense physical training phenomenon. Being an Army medic, one of my biggest concerns is dehydration. We are always making people force hydrate because once they get thirsty, they’re already in the whole. Now I know that it’s the physical activity that’s causing the unnatural delayed thirst sensation. Thanks. And sorry for the misinformation.
Although if you’re exercising strenuously and drinking a lot of water, you really need to be aware of the possibility _hyponatraemia_, or low sodium levels due to excess water consumption. You’re probably already familiar with this since it’s been a particular problem in the military. [cite](http://www.healthfactsandfears.com/featured_articles/jul2003/water072403.html)
> [@](#):
>
> Hyponatraemic ecephalopathy can result when too much water is ingested too quickly and the brain swells due to a sodium imbalance. This is most common amongst athletes, military personnel and the elderly. There were 125 Army hospitalizations for hypontraemia between 1989 and 1996. These cases were associated with excessive water drinking and were often mistaken for dehydration — and patients were unfortunately given additional water.
> [@](#):
>
> Athletes and military personnel are often taught to drink beyond their bodies’ requirements in order to prevent dehydration. Military personnel used to be taught to drink two quarts per hour when exercising in a hot environment. This advice is not based on scientific evidence, and it fails to take into account that humans carry a reserve of some two liters of water. It is now thought people should follow the dictates of thirst and not to exceed 1-1.5 quarts per hour.
So you really have to be aware of how much water you’re taking in, particularly on hot days when you’re exercising. Stay hydrated but don’t consume huge amounts of water in the mistaken belief that you’re dehydrated.
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#):
>
> That said, today was a light day for me and I consumed roughly 132 oz of water before 5pm. It’s now 8:30 and I’m thirsty again. I don’t have an issue with pissing a lot.
Yeah, despite my always chiming in about how you don’t need a ton of water, I personally drink around 7 or 8 liters a day (250 oz or so) plus three cups of green tea and two diet sodas. I get _really_ tired of the restroom sometimes. 😃
---
### Author:  [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/19 "2004-05-11T18:57:27Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#):
>
> Although if you’re exercising strenuously and drinking a lot of water, you really need to be aware of the possibility _hyponatraemia_, or low sodium levels due to excess water consumption.
This is also a problem in eating disorder treatment centres that have a “Privilages for Weight Gain” type program.
More than one anorexic has had a grand-mal seizure after trying to “Make Weight.”
---
### Author:  [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2004, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-recommended-of-times-to-pee-per-day/244494/20 "2004-05-11T19:04:03Z")
> [@acsenray](#):
>
> My relatives keep telling me that these are **bad habits** and signs of problems. I think they’ve been brainwashed. My personal theory is that there is such an emphasis on regularity because where they live (India), it can be inconvenient to have to poo outside of the home.
IANAD, but I would think you should just go when you have to. I sometimes go a day or two without defecating, or I go 9 or 10 times a day. I do have a disease which keeps me irregular, but it’s fairly under control with diet.
I understand the ‘regularity’ emphasis when it is inconvenient. I have to really watch my diet for several days if I’m going to be away from facilities for long periods of time (going camping or on a busy shoot, long drives, etc.) and even then it’s up in the air\* if I’m going to need to stop every 20 minutes.
\*I really really really wanted to say “crapshoot”. 😃