Why does watching running water make us want to pee?
In: Biology
Peeing is very complicated in terms of neurology.
Our nervous system is divided into three distinct systems. Central, Autonomic and Somatic.
The act of peeing is linked into all three and all three play off against one another to make it happen.
It is the autonomic nervous system that is to blame for making you want to pee when you see/hear water.
The autonomic nervous system is the same nervous system that make your mouth water when you think of sucking a lemon, get a penile/clitoral erection when you see something sexually appealing, makes you gag when you smell something disgusting etc, etc.
It is essentially a system that makes your body involuntry respond to external stimuli.
When you urinate the sound and sight of the urine flowing from your body stimulates the ANS to keep your bladder sphincter relaxed, so you may pee freely without responses from the other nervous systems interupting it mid flow.
So seeing or hearing water trickling is tricking your ANS into thinking you’ve released your bladder and it’s trying to keep the bladder muscles relaxed to aid your peeing.
Source: used to nurse in an elderly care home and did a fair bit of incontinence care.
Latest Answers