How to Pee Correctly (Yes, There's a Right Way!)
Bladder Health Mini Series
Part One:
Part Two:
Part Three:
Part Four: How to Pee Correctly (Yes, There's a Right Way!)
Have you ever pushed to pee faster? Squeezed to get those last drops out? Rushed through bathroom breaks between meetings? Cut your flow short because your kids are screaming for your attention? Use your toilet time to catch up on your phone? Most women do - but pushing when you pee, and not concentrating on peeing when you're peeing- actually leads to pelvic floor problems.
Straining on the toilet might seem harmless, but over time it can contribute to a constant urge to pee, bladder leaks, pelvic pain, and even pelvic organ prolapse. The way you urinate directly affects your pelvic floor health.
Learning how to pee correctly helps prevent these problems. Simple changes to your bathroom habits can protect your pelvic floor and greatly improve your bladder function.
I know this sounds silly, but in over a decade of treating women with pelvic floor dysfunction, I have come to realize most women pee in a way that causes harmful pressure to their urethra, bladder and pelvic floor- and contributes to the symptoms they are seeing me for. When these women start to pee in a healthy way, the condition of their pelvic floor improves significantly, along with their symptoms.
Why Pushing to Pee Damages Your Pelvic Floor
Every time you push or bear down to urinate, you're forcing pressure onto your pelvic organs. This pressure pushes your bladder, uterus, and rectum downward, stressing the connective tissue that holds them in place. This pressure occurs while the pelvic floor is trying to relax so that urine can be released. The combination of bearing down while the bladder is trying to empty and the pelvic floor is trying to relax is a recipe for injury, low organs, and chronic pelvic floor dysfunction.
Over months and years, this repeated pressure weakens your pelvic floor muscles. These muscles need to be strong and responsive to prevent leaking and support your organs. Pushing and straining every time you urinate inhibits the pelvic floor and creates muscular dysfunction.
Straining actually makes it harder to empty your bladder completely. When you push or bear down, the natural response of your pelvic floor is to tighten (when it should be relaxing). This tension traps urine in your urethra and bladder, leading to that feeling of needing to go again soon after you just peed.
This cycle of incomplete emptying creates a pattern of urgency and frequency. You feel like you always need to pee, so you push harder to empty your bladder, which ends up making the problem worse.
How to Pee Correctly
Position yourself with feet flat on the floor (or a stool) and knees slightly higher than your hips. This alignment allows your pelvic floor to relax fully. Sit completely on the toilet - no hovering.
Let your breath guide the process. Take a slow inhale through your nose, into your belly. Then as you exhale out your mouth like you're blowing out a candle, allow your pelvic floor to soften and release. Your urine should flow naturally without pushing or straining.
Give yourself time. Your bladder empties in stages - a main flow followed by a few more small amounts is normal. Stay seated for an extra moment after you think you're done. A relaxed pelvic floor lets those last drops release naturally.
Think about peeing when you are peeing! Most women spend their bathroom time thinking about the other 100 things on their to-do list. This lack of presence causes pelvic floor muscle tension and incomplete bladder emptying. So spend your bathroom time, being present, breathing deeply and relaxing- your bladder will thank you!
Signs of complete bladder emptying:
- Flow stops naturally without pushing
- No dribbling when you stand up
- No sensation of still needing to go
- Your next bathroom trip isn't for 2-3 hours
Daily Habits for Better Bladder Health
Hydration makes a difference. Drink water steadily throughout your day rather than large amounts at once. Start with a glass when you wake up, and maintain consistent intake until early evening. I recommend at least half of your body weight in ounces of water per day.
Create a regular bathroom schedule instead of going "just in case." Your bladder works best with consistent timing. Aim to urinate every 2-3 hours during the day, only when you have urgency.
Your posture affects your pelvic floor and bladder even when you're not in the bathroom. As much as you can throughout your day, whether you are sitting, standing or walking- keep your waist long (rib cage lifted away from pelvis as much as possible), and your lower ribs open and relaxed. This will allow your core muscles to properly support your bladder to stay in a lifted and elevated position in your pelvis, as well as ensure optimal blood/lymph/nerve flow, leading to better bladder function.
Your breathing also affects your pelvic floor and bladder. 360 rib cage breathing will facilitate optimal bladder position, as well as ideal core and pelvic floor muscle activation throughout your day. If you catch yourself holding your breath- take a slow deep full lung capacity breath into your rib cage, and slowly exhale while keeping the rib cage lifted and expanded.
A regular hypopressive training practice is another one of my favorite tools to support bladder health. This breathing and postural practice trains your core muscles to automatically lifts and center your organs with every breath you take, while it also decompresses your spine and trims your waistline. Hypopressive training will also correct pelvic floor muscle dysfunction caused by years of pushing while peeing.
Protect Your Bladder Health with Proper Bathroom Habits
While rushing, pushing, and straining to pee is common, these habits create injury to the urethra, bladder and pelvic floor muscles that can lead to more serious problems. When you restore proper voiding mechanics, your pelvic floor health improves naturally.
Ready to improve your pelvic floor health and prevent future problems? The Core Recovery Method® teaches you how to restore optimal core and pelvic floor muscle function, without complicated exercises or endless kegels. This proven online program guides you through the exact process I use with my private clients to establish healthy bladder habits, heal pelvic floor dysfunction, and get back to feeling confident in their body again.
