Why do I have to pee like every 5 minutes when I drink a huge coffee????

Question

What is in coffee that does that? I can't even shop at target without running back and forth to the bathroom. Do you all get like this too?

Answer 1

Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it causes your kidneys to excrete more of the water in your body as urine... AND it's a smooth muscle stimulant, meaning it causes the muscles in your bladder to contract (along with those in your stomach, digestive tract, etc.) so it doesn't take as much to make it feel full... AND once the caffeine itself gets excreted, it can cause irritation to the lining of the bladder, causing increased urgency to urinate. So, with a huge coffee, you have 3 different biological processes working against you. This happens to everybody to some degree, but if you happen to have a smaller or more sensitive bladder than most (I'm with you there on both counts) it will affect you more severely. If you can learn to function on less caffeine, you should at least not be running back and forth QUITE so much... it's annoying though, I feel your pain there. :)