Woman standing in bathroom having to pee
Some people feel the urge to pee seemingly all the time. You’ll catch them crossing their legs and fidgeting during meetings or requesting extra pit stops on road trips. But other people only need to go a few times a day—hardly ever having to get up to head to the bathroom. So, how many times should you pee a day?
Knowing how many times a day it’s considered normal to pee can be an important clue to one’s overall health. If you’re outside the normal range, it’s important to see a doctor to pinpoint the reason why.
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Dr. Dennis Moledina, MD, Ph.D., a board-certified nephrologist and assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine, explains that, generally, when the urinary bladder collects more than a few hundred milliliters of urine, there is an urge to urinate. If someone is producing between a half liter and 18 liters of urine, they’ll likely be heading to the bathroom to pee six or seven times a day. That said, anywhere from between four and 10 times a day is considered healthy.
Dr. Moledina explains that how many times a day it’s considered normal to pee depends very much on someone’s individual body needs, what their diet is like and how much fluid they’re taking in. “Typically, the amount of urine one produces is directly related to the amount of fluids one consumes,” he says. “At a minimum, a healthy young person eating a typical Western diet produces about half a liter of urine. And the maximum is about 15 to 18 liters.”
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Having to pee only once or twice every 24 hours or, on the other side of the spectrum, having to pee more than 10 times a day, can be a sign of an underlying medical problem that’s worth seeing your doctor about. If you feel the urge to pee more than 10 times a day but when you go to use the bathroom you aren’t producing any urine, Dr. Moledina says this could be a sign of a urinary tract infection. Pain when you pee and lower back pain are also symptoms of a UTI.
Dr. Moledina says that having to pee excessively could also be due to having an overactive bladder. Unlike with a UTI, people with an overactive bladder do produce urine when they feel an urge to pee. If you have an overactive bladder, don’t be afraid to talk to your healthcare provider about it because there are solutions, including behavioral interventions and medications.
If you are a male who has to pee more than 10 times a day, another possible cause could be an issue with your prostate, such as benign prostatic hyperplasia, according to Dr. Moledina. With this condition, the prostate gland is enlarged, but it isn’t cancerous. Symptoms include difficulty urinating despite straining, having a weak stream of urine, and dribbling at the end of urinating. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, see your healthcare provider.
In addition to these possible medical conditions, Dr. Moledina says that having diabetes, drinking excess water and consuming excess salt can also cause someone to pee more times a day than what is considered normal.
If you are only peeing once or twice a day, Dr. Moledina says that this may be a sign of a kidney injury or kidney disease, which is why it’s important to see your doctor. But it could also simply mean you’re not drinking enough liquids. (A good goal to aim for is eight, 8-ounce glasses of water every day.)
It bears repeating that the number of times someone has to pee every day varies greatly depending on their individual needs, body and diet; there is a wide range of what’s considered “normal.” But if you’re experiencing any sudden changes in how often you have to go, it’s best to see your healthcare provider about it. And certainly, if you’re experiencing any pain when you go, that’s another time to see your doctor.
Next up, see which eight foods and drinks irritate the bladder the most.
Dr. Dennis Moledina, MD, PhD, board-certified nephrologist and assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine
Urinary Frequency — How Often Should You Pee? Bladder & Bowel Community.
Urinary Tract Infection. StatPearls.
Urinary Tract Infections. Cleveland Clinic.
Overactive bladder. Mayo Clinic.
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). Johns Hopkins Medicine.
