Why do you pee when you're scared?

Bravo · Nov 3, 2007

this is the way its supposed to work:

sympathetics = fight or flight

para= rest and digest (and urinate or defecate)

so why do we pee when we're scared?

is it a mechanism to decrease blood pressure or is there something else here?

Bravo · Nov 3, 2007

i just peed my pants in anticipation of the answer.

what caused that?

Tish Davidson · Nov 3, 2007

maybe emptying the bladder makes flight easier?

joetrain · Nov 3, 2007

is pissin when you're scared physiologically related to pissin when you're laughing, which, according to a joetrain straw poll*, mediated by a medical doctor, is more common among women?

*got on the subject drinkin with family. present was my aunt's boyfriend, a medical doctor.

JoNightshade · Nov 4, 2007

I thought it had to do with loss of control. Holding your water actually requires a bit of control. When you're scared, your knees go rubbery, your hands shake, and other muscles spasm... including the one that controls your bladder.

I could be wrong.

Kathie Freeman · Nov 4, 2007

It's nature's way of throwing a predator off your trail. The scent distracts the pursuer and gives the pursuee time to escape.

GeorgeK · Nov 4, 2007

Leaking during laughter is not the same. That's usually for women a type of stress incontinence (if it's tiny spurts as you tighten up your belly muscles) or can be a variant of urge incontinence (if laughter sets off a contraction that empties the bladder) and sometimes evidence of damage to either the shpincter or its innervating nerves. The fear response is more dubious and has conflicting origins depending upon your source. It may have to do with the primitive brain when people were more prey than predator. The para = urination is for a voluntary urination. In the primitive brain (or maybe more correctly, the infantile brain) urination is simply a reflex set off by stretch receptors in the bladder muscle. Pressing on an infant's belly can stimulate urination. When done deliberately this is called a "Crede Maneuvre". Voluntarily NOT urinating requires inhibition from the brain. When the brain is disconnected from the bladder things are different. Unfortunately for paraplegics, a Crede does not always result in a coordinated urination and sometimes stimulates the bladder to contract without relaxing the sphincter. When done habitually, this sometimes results in high urinary pressures which can cause backpressure on the kidneys and eventually kidney failure. Ok, so that's probably more than you wanted to know.

JoniBGoode · Nov 4, 2007

GeorgeK said:
Leaking during laughter is not the same. That's usually for women a type of stress incontinence (if it's tiny spurts as you tighten up your belly muscles) or can be a variant of urge incontinence (if laughter sets off a contraction that empties the bladder) and sometimes evidence of damage to either the shpincter or its innervating nerves. /quote]

Minor damage resulting in urinary incontinence is fairly common after childbirth, which is why it's more common in women. It may grow worse over time, and can require minor surgery.

(See George's entry below. I was wrong about this.)

reenkam · Nov 4, 2007

You pee when you're scared as part of the fight or flight defence. It lessens your body weight making it easier to run, or to fight.

My psych teacher told us.

dpaterso · Nov 5, 2007

Bravo: note that it's socially unacceptable to pee yourself. I thought I'd best mention this in case you're engaged in personal research.

-Derek

GeorgeK · Nov 5, 2007

JoniBGoode said:
Minor damage resulting in urinary incontinence is fairly common after childbirth, which is why it's more common in women. It may grow worse over time, and can require minor surgery.

That's a myth that is unfortunately propagated by even some gyenecologists. It's not common as a result of normal childbirth. It's simply time. Short term dysfunction (less than 2 weeks) from pressure on the pelvic nerves by edema with prolonged labor is common. In mutiparity, there can be laxity of the anterior vaginal wall predisposing for an eventual cystocoele or enterocoele which very well might require an anterior vaginal repair (probably 30 years later). But that isn't stress incontinence, it's a variant of urge incontinence. True sphincteric damage even with a major tear is rare. If I recall correctly, everyone I was ever asked to see for sphincteric damage after childbirth, turned out to have diabetes, or a ruptured disc, mutiple sclerosis or some other systemic neurologic process. The childbirth wasn't the true cause.

The common stress incontinence that women get isn't from childbirth. It's from the normal gradual and relative decrease in sex steroid production that happens with age irrespective of the parity. That's why women who've never been pregnant also develop it with time. The problem with treating it with estogen is that they don't sell human estrogen on the market. They sell Horse estrogen and it is just different enough that the skin around the urethra doesn't take it out of the blood stream. Also almost all topical applications are alcohol based, and alcohol on that skin will burn and dry it out so that the estrogen isn't absorbed. There are a variety of surgeries for stress incontince, but it can be treated with water based topical estrogen. The problem is that it takes 6-12 months to work, and it depends upon how dry you want to be. A New York Banker may find that wearing a pad "just in case" is intolerable, whereas a farmer may consider having to change a damp pad once a day with no overflow onto clothes is worth not having the surgery.

Petroglyph · Nov 5, 2007

Listen to GeorgeK. He is wise.

JoniBGoode · Nov 5, 2007

GeorgeK said:
That's a myth that is unfortunately propagated by even some gyenecologists. It's not common as a result of normal childbirth. It's simply time. Short term dysfunction (less than 2 weeks) from pressure on the pelvic nerves by edema with prolonged labor is common. In mutiparity, there can be laxity of the anterior vaginal wall predisposing for an eventual cystocoele or enterocoele which very well might require an anterior vaginal repair (probably 30 years later). But that isn't stress incontinence, it's a variant of urge incontinence. True sphincteric damage even with a major tear is rare. If I recall correctly, everyone I was ever asked to see for sphincteric damage after childbirth, turned out to have diabetes, or a ruptured disc, mutiple sclerosis or some other systemic neurologic process. The childbirth wasn't the true cause.

The common stress incontinence that women get isn't from childbirth. It's from the normal gradual and relative decrease in sex steroid production that happens with age irrespective of the parity. That's why women who've never been pregnant also develop it with time. The problem with treating it with estogen is that they don't sell human estrogen on the market. They sell Horse estrogen and it is just different enough that the skin around the urethra doesn't take it out of the blood stream. Also almost all topical applications are alcohol based, and alcohol on that skin will burn and dry it out so that the estrogen isn't absorbed. There are a variety of surgeries for stress incontince, but it can be treated with water based topical estrogen. The problem is that it takes 6-12 months to work, and it depends upon how dry you want to be. A New York Banker may find that wearing a pad "just in case" is intolerable, whereas a farmer may consider having to change a damp pad once a day with no overflow onto clothes is worth not having the surgery.

Wow, thanks George! Who woulda known!?

Melanie Nilles · Nov 6, 2007

GeorgeK said:
That's a myth that is unfortunately propagated by even some gyenecologists. It's not common as a result of normal childbirth. It's simply time. Short term dysfunction (less than 2 weeks) from pressure on the pelvic nerves by edema with prolonged labor is common. In mutiparity, there can be laxity of the anterior vaginal wall predisposing for an eventual cystocoele or enterocoele which very well might require an anterior vaginal repair (probably 30 years later). But that isn't stress incontinence, it's a variant of urge incontinence. True sphincteric damage even with a major tear is rare. If I recall correctly, everyone I was ever asked to see for sphincteric damage after childbirth, turned out to have diabetes, or a ruptured disc, mutiple sclerosis or some other systemic neurologic process. The childbirth wasn't the true cause.

The common stress incontinence that women get isn't from childbirth. It's from the normal gradual and relative decrease in sex steroid production that happens with age irrespective of the parity.

And uh...you know this, how? (and I don't care if you are a doctor--YOU have a baby and tell me it's only hormones changing with age!)

Following may be TMI for some people:

I didn't have any problems until the birth of my first child. Incontinence CAN be caused by birth, normal vaginal birth, or maybe the pregnancy. Not sure which. But I, for one, had no problems whatsoever until after the first child. I regained some control with exercise, but I still have problems when the bladder has a certain amount in it and I laugh too hard, sneeze, or cough. I don't care what any doctors say, having kids is what ruined my body. I'm still young.

/soapbox

Kathie Freeman · Nov 10, 2007

Hormones usually aren't necessary, there are exercises you can do to strengthen those muscles even if they are damaged by childbirth.

maxmordon · Nov 10, 2007

The other day I pissed myself of scare when my Latin Professor started a sreaming nag against me

veinglory · Nov 10, 2007

Peeing while fleeing is part of the general sympathetic activating, it may be to lighten the load, it might simply be a side effect of systemic processes aimed at other goals.

CACTUSWENDY · Nov 10, 2007

Because it is not ladylike to poo in my pants?

(just a thought)

Bravo · Nov 10, 2007

sympathetics are supposed to tighten the ureter sphincters and prevent peeing.

so it's still confusing.

Poohcat · Nov 10, 2007

You feel the urge to urinate (as well as evacuate your bowels and vomit) when scared because of the surge of adrenaline (epinephrine for US) that is released as part of the "Fight or Flight" effect.

The adrenaline starts what is known as a cascade. This is like a series of tripped dominoes. The adrenaline causes other endocrine glands to release hormones that in turn causes other hormones to be triggered.

The end result is the "Fight or Flight" effect. Basically the effect is for the body to cut down blood supply to what are unessential organs and shunt the blood to essential organs. This is essential for survival.

Essential organs are the brain, heart, lungs and the sense organs. Non essential organs are the digestive, elimination and reproductive systems. Hence the blood is shut off from these organs, and if full the body triggers emptying. Thus your bladder and bowel loosen and you testicles become smaller.

At the same time blood is pumped faster to the brain, limbs and lungs. The brain gets it supply increased so it is able to process information faster, the lungs so they can increase the flow of oxygenated blood to the vital organs. Blood pressure rises (blood vessel get smaller), heart rate increases, eyes dilate so more light floods in therefore more visual stimuli, face either flushes (fight) or gets pale (flight). The legs get more blood in case you run, the arms in case you fight. the result is heat, flushing of the skin, sweating etc.

This reaction takes place in micro seconds. The most common reaction is the sick feeling you get when you get a fright. This is the "Fight or Flight" effect starting and finishing in a couple of seconds.

Other hormones are released as the cascade proceeds, such as atropine, endorphines etc. Any good physiology book will give your greater detail. You will find them in any good library and most school libraries as well.

Hope this helps.

veinglory · Nov 10, 2007

That general tendency is often mild. in comparison to the way that sympathetic activation sends resources elsewhere and the neglected bladder/bowels release involuntarily. It is used as a standardised test of fear in rodents.

Vanatru · Nov 10, 2007

Kathie Freeman said:
It's nature's way of throwing a predator off your trail. The scent distracts the pursuer and gives the pursuee time to escape.

That would explain why the cats suddenly pause when they're charging me as I stand before the almighty toilet of confusion and relief.

Sleeply shuffling towards the toilet I sense them stalking me. Then, I can glimpses of their sleek bodies as the race for the kill, to pounce upon me and purr me to death.

BUT, I'm saved by the simple process of urinating into the toilet and they're thrown completly off target.

Thank god for that. I'm sure I've escaped a furry death many times as I shuffle back to the bed at 3am.

arrowqueen · Nov 11, 2007

So that whatever eats me gets left with a bad taste in its mouth.

dpaterso · Nov 11, 2007

arrowqueen said:
So that whatever eats me gets left with a bad taste in its mouth.

-Derek

Poohcat · Nov 11, 2007

I suppose that would depend on whether you frightened it when it ate you!!!!!!

Why do you pee when you're scared?

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