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Why Does Coffee Make You Pee?
Why exactly do we sometimes need to run to the bathroom after drinking coffee? Let's explore!
Published January 21, 2022
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Vasileia Fanarioti
Coffee experts@The Coffee Lab
Our body consists of a good two-thirds of water and needs constant replenishment, around two liters a day. Because we lose fluid all the time, by breathing, sweating and above all by peeing. How does coffee affect that exactly? Let's explore below!
Why Does Coffee Make You Pee?
The decisive factor for frequent peeing is the pressure in the bladder. If it increases due to the amount of urine, the inside of two sphincters in the bottom of the bladder opens - whether we like it or not. When we actually go to the toilet, the second, outer sphincter opens. Most people can consciously control it.
How quickly the bladder fills depends on our habits and how our kidneys work. If they are not used to coffee or black tea, they usually react sensitively to the caffeine they contain. As a result, the kidneys increase blood pressure, more fluid flows through the filters - and the bladder is filled all the faster.
Caffeine is also a diuretic, which means it increases the frequency of urination. It can also increase urination when consumed in excessive amounts.
What happens in the body after drinking the coffee?
Caffeine stimulates the nervous system in moderate concentration. It is absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract relatively quickly after we drink the coffee and distributed throughout the body.
The first physical reaction that should be familiar to us: we get warm and our blood pressure rises. We feel more vital and awake, we can concentrate better. The reason for the increase in temperature and blood pressure: the organs dilate while the blood vessels in the brain tend to narrow.
The main reason for frequent toilet visits is that the kidneys are better supplied with blood. The kidneys are better supplied with blood after caffeine intake because the heart pumps more blood into the body and the kidney vessels are dilated by the caffeine.
It’s also worth noting that for a long time it was thought that people excrete more water after drinking coffee than they took in from the amount of coffee they drank. However, this opinion has since been debunked.
The need to urinate is a very individual thing
The bladder sensors also play an important role in the urge to urinate. According to experts, the female bladder holds about 400 milliliters of urine, while the male bladder holds 500 milliliters. If you drink around two liters a day, you have to go to the toilet four to five times on average. If you drink more, you have to go more often.
But the sensors in the bladder often sound the alarm much earlier. This can already be the case with a filling quantity of 200 milliliters. The more sensitive your own bubble sensors are, the faster you have to run again. It's a very individual thing.
Women how annoying that can be. This phenomenon affects 70 percent of women. However, it is unclear why so many more women suffer from the so-called overactive bladder. If this bothers you, you should see a doctor. There are medications that can reduce the sensitivity of the bladder sensors, thereby relieving the urge to urinate.
On the other hand, holding the urine intentionally in order to "train" the bladder is not successful, according to experts. The urge to urinate is a reflex that you cannot control. If you hold back the urine spasmodically, you risk pain and nausea up to and including a pelvic floor cramp.
Does coffee work the same for everyone?
Not every coffee drinker feels this pressure on the bladder every time after drinking coffee. Not everyone is affected by the phenomenon. Caffeine actually has the same effect on everyone. However, urine production depends on whether the coffee drinker's water balance was balanced beforehand - then it goes faster - or whether there was already a slight lack of water. Then the effect is not so pronounced,
For example, if an athlete has lost a lot of fluid through sweating, after drinking coffee some of the water contained in it is used to compensate for the amount of fluid lost.
Since the blood flow to the kidneys is significantly increased while drinking coffee, the ability of the kidneys to form highly concentrated urine decreases. As a result, the body produces urine that contains a lot of water.
If you regularly ignore the signals that your bladder is full, you even run the risk of the urine being forced back into the kidneys via the ureters. If this happens again and again, the kidneys can be damaged over the years. The constant pressure attacks the kidney tissue. The damage can then no longer be undone. Go to the toilet if the bladder is squeezing.
FAQs
Is coffee bad for the kidneys?
In short, coffee is an acceptable drink in kidney disease. Consumed in moderation, it poses a low risk for people with kidney disease. Coffee additives, such as milk and many creams, increase coffee's potassium and phosphorus content.
How much coffee is too much?
For healthy adults, the FDA has listed 400 milligrams per day -- or about four or five cups of coffee -- as an amount not generally associated with dangerous adverse effects.
Should I stop drinking coffee if I have to pee a lot?
Reducing caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol can dramatically reduce urge incontinence symptoms, since all three are bladder irritants. Caffeine also acts as a diuretic, meaning you urinate more. It depends on your overall health but in general if you stop drinking coffee the frequency with which you visit the toilet to pee will be reduced.
Why does my pee smell like coffee after one cup?
The smell of urine is highly dependent on what we eat. Spicy food can make urine smell stronger, while asparagus, coffee, and garlic, for example, make urine smell more distinctive. Medications such as penicillin can also affect the smell of urine. These changes in smell are all harmless.
Final Thoughts
All in all, coffee doesn’t make you pee because it's too acidic, it's too hot, or it's too caffeinated. It makes you pee because your body is trying to get rid of excess caffeine and other chemicals your body absorbs when drinking coffee. Coffee also causes diuresis, which means that your body is trying to get rid of water and electrolytes as well. My advice to you is to always listen to your body and make sure to build healthy habits that benefit you on an individual level.
About the author
Vasileia Fanarioti
My name is Vasileia and I’m here because i decided to combine my two favourite things: writing and coffee. I love travelling around the world and visiting coffee shops but my biggest goal is to visit a coffee farm, to see where it all starts! You can follow my coffee adventures via my blog: thewanderingbean.net
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