Peeing in the shower.
You don't necessarily think of it as a bad habit, more like a kinda-gross habit—especially if you've ever had a communal shower, in college or while playing sports.
But did you know that it's actually a really bad idea to do it at all?
Dr Alicia Jeffrey-Thomas, a physical therapist and viral TikToker, gave the explanation as to why.
@scrambledjam Reply to @gwas007 why you shouldn’t pee in the shower (probably part 1 of multiple?) #learnontiktok #tiktokpartner
Well, it's not that it's bad for your health.
It is what it is, says the doctor.
But it does create a bad association.
"If you pee in the shower, or turn on the faucet or turn on the shower and then sit on the toilet to pee while the shower is running, you're creating an association in the brain between the sound of running water and having to pee."
@scrambledjam/TikTok
@scrambledjam/TikTok
@scrambledjam/TikTok
@scrambledjam/TikTok
Essentially, this could lead to what the doctor describes as "leak issues," or little escapes from your bladder, whenever you hear the sound of running water, as you have trained your muscles to respond in that way.
It could also mean that you have trouble going to the bathroom at all without the sound of running water nearby.
@scrambledjam/TikTok
@scrambledjam/TikTok
@scrambledjam/TikTok
@scrambledjam/TikTok
And for folks assigned female at birth, there is a larger complication.
Dr. Jeffrey-Thomas explained that folks who have the anatomy of someone assigned female at birth were not "designed" to pee standing up.
"Even in [a] Captain Morgan pose, your pelvic floor isn't going to relax appropriately, which means that you aren't really going to be emptying your bladder super well."
@scrambledjam/TikTok
@scrambledjam/TikTok
@scrambledjam/TikTok
@scrambledjam/TikTok
Will this change things for most of you? Probably not, but it is a little Interesting factoid that should be incorporated into your considerations.
For those of you who are going to change your habit now, welcome to the other side! For those of you who won't, just remember--you were warned.