Urinary tract infections are common yet extremely painful. If you’ve ever had one, or are currently experiencing one, then you don’t need me to tell you this. However, you will be glad to know that many urinary tract infection prevention methods can almost be considered common sense. In fact, one of the easiest ways is to simply urinate when your body tells you to and not hold it!

You should never hold urine when you need to go. Urinating expels any bacteria that happen to be in your urethra, and by holding it, you are allowing them to stay in your body longer. Needless to say, the longer you let the bacteria live in you, the more chances they have to reach the bladder, an ideal breeding ground for them.

Moreover, when you frequently hold urine, you are causing your sphincter, which is the muscle that relaxes when you urinate, to become less flexible. This is because you are constantly forcing it to stay in an un-relaxed state. An inflexible sphincter can cause incomplete urination, which means more bacteria can stay longer in your system.

If you have children, you should especially teach them not to hold urine. This can be a difficult task for them because they have to go to school. School teachers are sometimes very strict about students not using the restroom during class. In between classes, there often isn’t enough time to use the restroom. To deal with such teachers, it is beneficial to write them letters explaining the situation. Many teachers are not aware that holding urine can cause UTI’s. If they understand, they will probably be more lenient.

Some children are very timid when it comes to asking the teacher about using the restroom during class. They do not like the attention, and they might think that it’s wrong due to what they conceive to be proper classroom etiquette. You have to tell them that there is nothing wrong with needing to go to the restroom.

This prevention method might sound too easy to be true, but it is. And you shouldn’t overlook it just because it’s so simple. In this busy era, you might find it hard to spare even a moment of time between one task and the next. Just remember that when the pain hits, you’ll wish you can go back in time.