Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Common?How Much Is Too Much?What Is Too Infrequent?Associated ConditionsBladder RetrainingTreatmentsWhen to See a Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Common?
How Much Is Too Much?
What Is Too Infrequent?
Associated Conditions
Bladder Retraining
Treatments
When to See a Provider
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How Frequently to Pee in a Day
Most people pee between four and 10 times each day, but peeing as little as twice daily can still be considered healthy.The bladder can hold about 500 milliliters (about 2 cups) of urine, but you’ll have the urge to pee when your bladder is about half full.
Contributing Factors
If you drink more fluids, you may have a higher urine output, and notice that you need to pee more often. In addition, you may need to go pee more frequently if you:
Other causes of peeing a lot include:
Peeing a Lot: What’s Too Frequent?
If you’re peeing too much, you may have a condition calledpolyuria, orfrequent urination. This happens when your body produces more than 2.5 liters (2,500 milliliters) of urine each day.
In addition, if you’re peeing too much you may have:
Not Peeing a Lot: What’s Too Infrequent?
If your body produces less than 500 milliliters of urine each day, you’re considered to not be peeing enough.If you’re not peeing at all or are peeing just once or twice a day, there is cause for concern.
The most common reason for not peeing enough is dehydration. Dehydration can be dangerous, so learn to recognize the signs, and keep yourself hydrated with water throughout the day, especially during activities like hiking or intense exercise.
Other causes of peeing too little can include:
If you are urinating so frequently that it’s impacting your life, consider bladder retraining, a treatment foroveractive bladder. The simplest change is to record and adjust the amount of fluid you drink. For example, stop drinking fluids before bed, or when you know you won’t have easy access to a toilet. You can also try to train your bladder muscles to “hold it” longer after the urge to pee strikes.
Bladder training can also be used for kids who wet the bed. Theprocessinvolves teaching kids to hold it when they have an urge to pee, which may help build up their ability to get through the night without wetting.
Treatments for Frequent or Infrequent Urination
Treating frequent or infrequent urination involves treating the root cause of the problem. For example, if you are dehydrated you’ll need to drink more water, and if you have poorly controlled diabetes you’ll need to work to stabilize your blood sugar.
If your urination is concerning, or if it’s impacting your daily activities (like sleep, meetings, or car rides), it’s best to see a healthcare provider. They’ll likely ask you these questions:
When to See a Healthcare Provider
You should see a healthcare provider if your urination habits are impacting your daily life, or if you notice any sudden changes to how often you are peeing.
In addition, you should see a healthcare provider promptly if you have:
Summary
Most people pee between four and 10 times each day. If you’re peeing less than two times a day or more than 10 times—or waking up more than once each night to pee—you may need to see a healthcare provider. Peeing too little can be a sign of dehydration or an enlarged prostate, while peeing too often can be a sign of diabetes.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bladder and Bowel Community.Urination frequency—how often should you pee?Wyman JF, Cain CH, Epperson CN, Fitzgerald CM, Gahagan S, Newman DK, Rudser K, Smith AL, Vaughan CP, Sutcliffe S.Urination frequency ranges in healthy women. Nurs Res. 2022. doi: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000595.In Brief: How Does the Urinary System Work?Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2022.Penn Medicine.Frequent urination.MedlinePlus.Urination—excessive amount.MedlinePlus.Urine output—decreased.Willis-Gray MG, Dieter AA, Geller EJ.Evaluation and management of overactive bladder: Strategies for optimizing care.Res Rep Urol. 2016;8:113-22. doi:10.2147/RRU.S93636University of California San Francisco.Bladder training.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bladder and Bowel Community.Urination frequency—how often should you pee?Wyman JF, Cain CH, Epperson CN, Fitzgerald CM, Gahagan S, Newman DK, Rudser K, Smith AL, Vaughan CP, Sutcliffe S.Urination frequency ranges in healthy women. Nurs Res. 2022. doi: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000595.In Brief: How Does the Urinary System Work?Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2022.Penn Medicine.Frequent urination.MedlinePlus.Urination—excessive amount.MedlinePlus.Urine output—decreased.Willis-Gray MG, Dieter AA, Geller EJ.Evaluation and management of overactive bladder: Strategies for optimizing care.Res Rep Urol. 2016;8:113-22. doi:10.2147/RRU.S93636University of California San Francisco.Bladder training.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Bladder and Bowel Community.Urination frequency—how often should you pee?Wyman JF, Cain CH, Epperson CN, Fitzgerald CM, Gahagan S, Newman DK, Rudser K, Smith AL, Vaughan CP, Sutcliffe S.Urination frequency ranges in healthy women. Nurs Res. 2022. doi: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000595.In Brief: How Does the Urinary System Work?Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2022.Penn Medicine.Frequent urination.MedlinePlus.Urination—excessive amount.MedlinePlus.Urine output—decreased.Willis-Gray MG, Dieter AA, Geller EJ.Evaluation and management of overactive bladder: Strategies for optimizing care.Res Rep Urol. 2016;8:113-22. doi:10.2147/RRU.S93636University of California San Francisco.Bladder training.
Bladder and Bowel Community.Urination frequency—how often should you pee?
Wyman JF, Cain CH, Epperson CN, Fitzgerald CM, Gahagan S, Newman DK, Rudser K, Smith AL, Vaughan CP, Sutcliffe S.Urination frequency ranges in healthy women. Nurs Res. 2022. doi: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000595.
In Brief: How Does the Urinary System Work?Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2022.
Penn Medicine.Frequent urination.
MedlinePlus.Urination—excessive amount.
MedlinePlus.Urine output—decreased.
Willis-Gray MG, Dieter AA, Geller EJ.Evaluation and management of overactive bladder: Strategies for optimizing care.Res Rep Urol. 2016;8:113-22. doi:10.2147/RRU.S93636
University of California San Francisco.Bladder training.
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