Most of us are familiar with the situation when there’s no restroom nearby, and you must hold your urine for a while. Although doing it occasionally is relatively harmless, repeatedly holding in your pee may not be as safe as it seems. Besides causing temporary discomfort, there are several reasons to break this habit once and for all.

Although occasionally holding your pee doesn’t pose serious health risks, some people might want to avoid doing so. For example, keeping your urine for a long time might make you vulnerable to infections, especially if you have kidney conditions. In severe cases, it might even cause urine to back up in the kidneys, leading to serious damage.

While holding your pee from time to time may seem harmless, doing so regularly might have some unwanted consequences. Holding your urine for long periods puts pressure on your bladder and pelvic floor muscles. Over time, it might lead to incontinence and cause difficulties emptying your bladder.

Emptying your bladder helps bacteria that are naturally present in the urinary tract exit your body. But when you hold in your urine, bacteria start to build up and multiply, which might lead to infections in the long run.