What is it about being out in the cold that makes one need to urinate?

Asked by Rude_Bear (882

) December 17th, 2009

Why is it, even though my intake of liquids hasn’t gone up, and I’m perfectly healthy, exposure to extreme cold ( it was 7 degrees here today with a -10 wind chill) causes my bladder to fill almost instantly. Seriously, in normal weather I can go hours without a stop, but once it’s legitimately cold, I gotta go every 20 minutes. And I have noticed this with children playing in the snow…. They’re in and out of the house for the same reason every ten minutes. Is there something in our bodies that is programed for this? Is it how we generate body warmth? Is it just condensation????

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6 Answers

A full bladder.

CMaz (26303

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Interesting question. Sorry, but, I don’t have an answer.

I also would like to know why it is that when you’re in water (pool, lake) or hear running water, often times you have to pee.

Jude (32198

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“Urination – people will have to urinate from cold diuresis. Vasoconstriction creates greater volume pressure in the blood stream. The kidneys pull off excess fluid to reduce the pressure. A full bladder results in body heat being used to keep urine warm rather than vital organs. Once the person has urinated, it precious body heat will be used to maintain the temperature of vital organs. So in the end urinating will help conserve heat.”

http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/safety/hypocold.shtml

75movies (2490

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Now, if we can just figure out why bookstores and libraries make me need to urinate.

75movies (2490

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@75movies You Rock!

Rude_Bear (882

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