The amount of times you should go to the restroom per day on average
You can say “having a wee,” “emptying the tank,” or “taking a whiz” to let someone know you need to go. Even though it’s typical to pee several times a day, it’s easy to worry how much is too much.
A urologist who works as a consultant argues that your age has a lot to do with how often you should go to the restroom. The largest thing that impacts how often you should expect to go to the bathroom is getting older. However, things like tea, coffee, alcohol, and fizzy drinks can all make you need to go more often.
Hamid Abboudi, a consultant urologist at New Victoria Hospital, told Metro, “There are likely to be several changes to toilet habits over the course of a patient’s life.”
When it comes to what’s really a healthy range, Abboudi says you should expect different things at different points in your life.
The numbers are high for kids.
He said, “Young kids may pee 8 to 14 times a day, but older kids only do it 6 to 12 times.”
If you have to pee more than that, it could be because you’re stressed, constipated, drinking too much caffeine, or have allergies. It could possibly be because your bladder is small.
Teenagers usually go four to six times a day.
Hormonal changes throughout puberty can lead to more visits, but Abboudi noted that most of the time this is “nothing to worry about and will naturally clear up.” But if it doesn’t, needing to go to the bathroom a lot could imply you have an infection, diabetes, too much coffee, or, in rare cases, something worse.
Abboudi added that adults under 60 frequently go six to nine times a day, and it’s also normal to go once at night. He said, “Women tend to urinate more often than men,” and he pointed to one study that found that women do so 5.6 times a day on average, while men do it 4.8 times a day on average.
Pregnancy is another explanation, since the baby pushes on the uterus. People also have to make extra trips because of urinary tract infections.
After you turn 60, things will probably change again.
Abboudi believes that older persons may have to go up to ten times a day. As individuals get older, their kidneys don’t perform as well, their bladder muscles get weaker, and some medications, like diuretics, can make them need to go more often.
The NHS also notes that as people get older, they need to get up to pee at night more often. A growing prostate can also put pressure on the bladder, which might make men need to pee more often.
It’s important to remember that everyone is different, but there are several signs to watch out for. Abboudi advises you should contact a doctor if you see blood in your urine, a sudden change in your typical habits, or waking up more than once a night. He also warned that smokers should be very vigilant about any changes in their habits because they are more likely to have bladder cancer.
So, even if there isn’t one number that works for everyone, knowing what the usual range is for your age could help you find out when anything is wrong.