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Tips to Hold Pee When There’s No Bathroom Around

woman holding pee

It’s is never a good idea to hold in urine for long periods of time. However, there are situations in which there is simply no other choice. If there is no bathroom around, there is nothing else to it but to delay peeing until a suitable place can be found. There is one notable exception in which case it is actually alright to delay urinating. Let’s take a look at some hints and tips.

When Is it OK to Delay Urination?
The one time when people need to learn how to hold pee is if they are incontinent. Here, learning how to avoid urination can be an excellent tool in solving some of the problems with urinary incontinence. Essentially, what people are taught here is how to better control the muscles in their urinary tract. As such, they are not delaying the natural need to urinate, but rather they learn when it is appropriate to go.

How to Delay Peeing
As stated, there are reasons as to why you may have to avoid peeing. Perhaps you are on the motorway, stuck in a traffic jam, with no service station nearby. Perhaps you find yourself in a train with a long cue at the toilet, or may even a broken toilet. Having to hold pee for a little while is perfectly ok.

Best Tips to Hold Pee
1. Exercise your Pelvic Floor Muscles
In order to avoid urination, we need to exercise our pelvic floor muscles. Women who have recently had a baby are told to practice this on a regular basis, in order to regain strength in those areas and avoid later incontinence. It is simply a case of clenching the muscles in that area of the body, but the best way to train them is to actually stop and start the flow of urination when on the toilet. These are the muscles that control our urination.

2. Position your body the right way
There are a few other hints and tips that you could follow in order to avoid peeing. Crossing the legs, thereby putting reverse pressure on the urinary tract also works very well. However, a problem with this is that it only works while standing still and you may find that as soon as you release the pressure to move, the urge becomes even stronger. Physically holding down on the area also works and is often a better solution, because although it may look silly, you at least have the ability to still move.

3. Try to meditate and relax
If you do feel that you are starting to burst, some people feel it is better to reach an almost meditative state. This means you have to train your mind to think about anything other than urinating. Make sure you don’t consume anymore beverages until you have been to the toilet, don’t listen to the sound of water flowing and try as much as possible to not think about the fact that you have a full bladder.

4. Stay away from cold
Other tips which will help both men and women to hold pee is staying away from cold. If you have the urge to urinate and are not near a bathroom, make sure that you stay in a warm environment before you reach the toilet. Cold is one of the main trigger of peeing especially if you experience it in your feet or pelvis.

5. Talk your way to the bathroom
It’s also very useful if you have a conversation partner. Start talking about anything that will keep your mind away from peeing. You will discover that your road towards a toilet will be shorter than expected if you speak about your favorite hobbies. It’s recommended to speak about anything related to summer, hot weather and high temperatures. It will make you feel warm and relieve some of the pressure.


Remember at all times that you should only do this if there is a good reason as to why you are unable to reach a toilet. Keeping a full bladder for too long can be very unhealthy, not in the least because it may mean there is no further space available for urine to be contained, possibly poisoning the body. It is very rare for people to experience toxicity or blood poisoning by holding in their urine – the body’s natural response would be to override the attempts of holding it in – but it is possible and it has happened.

{ 2 comments… add one }
  • Kirsty Alexander January 1, 2014, 1:28 am

    Years ago when I was about 16 I went to a music festival and we were stuck sitting on the grass in the middle of a huge crowd. Because it was such a hassle making my way to the toilet I put it off – dumb move! When I finally had to go I found the queues for the loos were enormous. As it was still broad daylight I simply had no other choice but to wait in the line, but I just literally could not hold it and ended up wetting myself. The next year we were due to go to the same concert again, and I remembered the previous year’s disaster, but then I got a brilliant thought. I wore a flared skirt with no undies, and when I needed to pee I just discreetly stood up then sat down again with my butt on the grass, and just peed into the grass under my skirt. Try it, it really works, no one will notice a thing! As long as you pee bit by bit so it sinks into the ground and doesn’t make a huge flood!

  • Amy March 2, 2017, 9:41 pm

    Having a conversation partner sure helps. My good friend and I were on college break on a long drive. We both needed a restroom but wanted to wait until we got to our hotel. She and I can talk about anything, even personal stuff, so we both talked about our bathroom needs at the moment. Initially we tried joking about other times that we needed to go badly, but then realized that it would be best to talk about non-related things. Sometimes its good to make light out bathroom needs, but when you are the one in that situation it is not funny. Honestly, I had to go pee SO bad that I remember every bump in the road! When we got to the hotel check-in counter I just couldn’t control myself any longer and used their lounge ladies room. Just in time too. It was such a relief to urinate.

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