I have a really oilly complexion, so I drink about a gallon of water per day to keep it under control.
Now, I can’t make it to the bathroom exactly when the urge hits, so I often end up holding it for a little while. When I do finally get to go, the feeling is nearly orgasmic and I involuntarily shudder at the end.
#1.) Is this normal? Not that I care about being abnormal, but I’ve never heard anyone else mention it.
#2.) What are the reasons behind the pleasurable sensation and especially the shudder?
It’s that little area of your brain that’s in charge of telling your bladder/prostate/whatever to keep closed going “ahhhhhhh” and having a somewhat orgasmic sense of relief. It’s rewarding you for pissing, hoping that you’ll do it more often and not let your bladder fill up so much.
But seriously, my guess is that it is related to the orgasm in some ways, as the Cecil column mentions. It’s almost like your brain is used to interpreting the signals it receives from the nerves in that area in a special way.
I’ve always called em the “pee-pee shivers”. Albeit not the best name for it, but it worked in the chorus of the song that my former band wrote about it. The euphoric sense of relief after a good evacuation of ones bladder is probably your body’s way of thanking you physically, for the expulsion of that which your body considers to be absolute waste. I agree with voltaire on this, orgasms feel good in order to increase procreative activity, and since urine is a good thing to get rid of… you’re rewarded accordingly. This seems to me to be a bit of a thin argument, but other than the relief of stress on one’s bladder, I can think of no other reason that it should “feel so good”.
Guess I’m not the only one that gets embarrased when they involuntarily shudder at a public urinal after a good pee. Since it happens to most of us though, it’s not that embarassing.
It always seemed to me that this was a throwback to the (pre)caveman days. Your urine contains body heat, so when you expel that heat, your body automatically compensates by warming you up with a little shiver. Sure, it doesn’t really do much by way of warming you, but neither does goosebumps.
It’s not very healthy to hold it in for very long; it can actually cause real dammage to your bladder over time.
So it’s probably a subtle defense mechanisim that gives you that euphoric sense of relief to encourage you to empty your bladder before you hurt yourself.
Of course, if it felt as good as a real orgasam, I’d hold it for as long as possible to really ride that sensation.
I remember reading a theory that the shudders (and attendent goosebumps) are part of an old defense mechanism. Since you are kind of vulnerable when you pee, a reflex evolved to make you look bigger (goosebumps making hair stand on end) and violent or aggressive–hence the shudders.