Experts have ranked the nine drinks most likely to make you run to the toilet.
On average, most people pee between four and eight times a day, including once or twice during the night.
However, if you’re rushing to the bathroom every two hours, it might have something to do with what you’re drinking.
Doctors told DailyMail.com that a beer or glass of wine is most likely to make you pee, because alcohol disrupts the hormones that normally suppress urine production. This causes the body to produce more urine.
Energy drinks like Monster and Red Bull follow closely, as their high caffeine content from stimulants like guarana can irritate the bladder and reduce bladder control.
This irritation tells the brain that the bladder is full, even if it is not, signaling the need to go to the bathroom.
Other caffeinated drinks like coffee and tea can also act as bladder irritants, ranking them third.
Meanwhile, decaffeinated coffee and smoothies are the drinks that cause the least bathroom problems because they are made with low-acid ingredients that don’t upset the bladder.
Aside from being annoying, experts have also warned that frequent urination can lead to long-term problems such as incontinence, urgency, restless sleep and pelvic floor dysfunction.
Dr. Justin Houman, a urologist and professor of urology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, ranked the drinks most likely to send you to the bathroom.
Dr. Houman ranked alcohol as the most irritating drink for the bladder. This is because it acts as a diuretic, meaning it causes the kidneys to produce more urine.
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Dr. Justin Houman, a urologist and professor of urology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, told DailyMail.com that alcoholic beverages are the number one drink that will make you pee.
Normally, the brain’s hypothalamus – the part of the brain that helps manage body temperature, hunger and thirst, mood, libido, blood pressure and sleep – produces antidiuretic hormone (ADH), a chemical that regulates the body’s water and salt levels.
ADH tells the kidneys to reabsorb more water, thereby reducing the amount of urine they produce.
However, alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it blocks ADH and speeds up the flow of fluids through the body, making it feel like you need to urinate.
Dr Houman said: “Alcohol suppresses ADH, which normally signals the kidneys to reabsorb water. Without ADH, the kidneys excrete more water, increasing urine production.
High-alcohol drinks, like wine and spirits, tend to be more diuretic than low-alcohol drinks like beer, making this effect more pronounced.
Dr Houman said alcohol also irritates the bladder lining. This irritation stimulates the detrusor muscle, which contracts during urination, making the bladder more sensitive and causing a feeling of needing to urinate.
Next in line are caffeinated drinks, with energy drinks coming in first.
Although their contents vary, these typically contain between 80 and 160 milligrams, or up to twice the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee.
Dr. Houman said that because energy drinks are high in caffeine and other stimulants like guarana, they also act as a diuretic, “increasing urine production and also irritating the bladder, causing urgency and a frequency”.
Some energy drinks like Red Bull also contain taurine, an amino acid believed to improve clarity.
However, taurine helps maintain cell volume and increases the amount of interstitial fluid that surrounds cells and transports nutrients and wastes. This can then suppress ADH, much like alcohol does.
Dr. Houman also pointed out the added sugar found in energy drinks, which increases bladder urgency.
In addition to being a diuretic, coffee can irritate the lining of the bladder, leading to increased urgency
Smoothies can irritate the bladder lining, depending on the fruit used. Dr. Houman recommended low-acid fruits like bananas, melons and apples
Coffee and tea follow closely, taking third place on Dr. Houman’s list, because they have the same diuretic properties as energy drinks but contain less caffeine.
A recent study in the journal Current Urology, for example, found that just under half of participants over 60 who complained of an overactive bladder also consumed more than 300 milligrams of caffeine per day.
That’s about three cups of coffee or six cups of tea.
Dr. Houman ranked carbonated sodas fourth on his list.
These soft drinks contain dissolved carbon dioxide, which creates an acidic environment that stimulates the bladder lining, leading to increased bladder urgency.
Caffeine exacerbates this effect, as do other additives in soda.
Dr Houman said: “Sugar and artificial sweeteners can also contribute to irritation. »
A 2020 study in the journal Menopause, for example, found that women who drank at least one artificially sweetened beverage per day were 10% more likely to experience incontinence than those who didn’t drink them.
This irritation can also be caused by plain soft drinks, although Dr. Houman said “the effect is milder than soda” due to the lack of caffeine and sugar.
At the bottom of the list, Dr. Houman mentions fruit juices.
He said: “Many fruit juices, especially those made from citrus fruits, are very acidic and can irritate the bladder. »
A recent study of nearly 600 women with bladder disease and pain found that citrus-rich fruits like lemons, oranges and grapefruit made their symptoms worse.
Dr. Houman noted similar effects with smoothies made from highly acidic fruits like citrus, grapes, berries and pineapple.
Although coffee and tea are high on Dr. Houman’s list, decaffeinated or herbal varieties come in at the bottom of the list.
He said the lack of caffeine leaves “minimal impact on bladder function compared to caffeinated drinks.”
“Enjoy the taste without the bladder stimulation caused by caffeine,” he added.
Smoothies made from low-acid fruits like bananas, melons and apples were low on the list. Although low in acid, these fruits are high in water, making them more hydrating than citrus-based smoothies.
Dr Houman said: “Highly acidic fruits like oranges or pineapples can irritate the bladder, while those made with low acid fruits are less likely to cause problems. »