A TikTok star has revealed the real reason why you should go to the toilet before a journey in a car and its due to a sinister reason.
A doctor, who goes by the username medexplained2you on the short-video hosting platform, has given his advice for relieving yourself before any car trip and it appeared to have resonated with his fans.
The video has had more than 988,000 views as he delved further into the science behind not holding onto a pee when you get into a vehicle.
The doctor asked: "Did you know that you should always pee before going on a car trip in order to give yourself the best chance of survival if you get into a car accident?"
He added: "This is because your bladder is like a balloon and when you pee, it deflates the balloon. When you hold it, it inflates it.
"If you get into a car accident with an inflated bladder, you’re more likely to have something called an intraperitoneal abdominal wall rupture. This is devastating and can lead to a quick death."
The doctor explained that if you have relieved yourself beforehand, hence deflated, it is harder to "pop" the balloon but even if it does, it will cause an extraperitoneal abdominal rupture which is less dangerous.
Holding onto your pee could can cause an urinary tract infection (UTI), which can affect your urinary tract, including your bladder (cystitis, urethra (urethritis) or kidneys (kidney infection).
The NHS website explains some of the symptoms of a UTI, which may include the following:
- pain or a burning sensation when peeing (dysuria)
- needing to pee more often than usual during the night (nocturia)
- pee that looks cloudy, dark or has a strong smell
- needing to pee suddenly or more urgently than usual
- needing to pee more often than usual
- blood in your pee
- lower tummy pain or pain in your back, just under the ribs
- a high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery
- a very low temperature below 36C
Health guru Stephanie Taylor also explained ignoring your bladder can damage your pelvic floor.
She said: "Holding in your wee too often can cause the muscles in your bladder to lose the ability to contract when you need them to, leading to urinary retention where you can’t empty your bladder – even when you’re bursting to go.
"Not just that but it can also cause uncomfortable dryness (urogenital atrophy) and incontinence - where you pass urine without meaning to."
