The average person urinates 8 to 10 times every day. The average trucker is another story.

Let’s face it. One of the facts of life for truckers that no one really talks about is having to wait hours upon hours between bathroom breaks. Many drivers pride themselves on having bladders of steel, but there are health risks associated with waiting too long between bathroom breaks!

What You Need To Know About Waiting To Go

1. You can lose the ability to know when it is time to go. Holding in your urine for too long stretches the walls of your bladder. Eventually, your bladder could stretch so much that it becomes harder for your body to sense that nature is calling.

2. Your bladder IS probably bigger than a normal person’s. A study of nurses revealed that employees who have few chances to get bathroom breaks — like truckers — actually do develop slightly larger bladders.

3. A normally hydrated person could hold it in for 9 to 10 hours — if they had to. 

4. Your bladder probably won’t burst. It has happened, but doctors say it usually occurs when someone has had bladder surgery or reconstruction. You would almost certainly urinate accidentally long before your bladder actually burst.

5. You can get sick if you wait too long. Waiting a long time between bathroom breaks allows bacteria to multiply in your bladder. This can lead to urinary tract infections, bladder infections, or kidney infections. Left too long, these conditions could become serious and require hospitalization. If you notice pain during urination, blood in your urine, or feel the need to go frequently, make sure to see a doctor.

6. If you really can go all day without a bathroom break, you’re probably dehydrated. If you suspect you might be dehydrated, check out the color of your urine. Very light urine indicates you’re drinking too many fluids, while very dark urine means that you’re not getting enough to drink — a scary fact when you consider that studies have shown that driving dehydrated is equivalent to driving drunk.

Sources:
Huffington Post
Women’s Health
Business Insider
Popular Science
CBS News