Most people urinate about six to eight times a day, though anywhere between 4-10 times can be normal. How often you pee depends on many factors, including the amount of water and other fluids you drink, as well as lifestyle factors and your overall health.
How often you need to pee can vary day to day. Several factors influence your bathroom habits, including:
- Fluid intake: Drinking more fluids, especially water, naturally makes you pee more often. How quickly you drink also plays a role. Drinking a large amount at once can send you to the bathroom more quickly and more often than sipping slowly throughout the day.
- What you drink: Certain beverages can increase the number of times you have to pee. For example, alcohol and caffeinated beverages like coffee and tea are mild diuretics, meaning they increase urine production.
- Bladder capacity: On average, women’s bladders hold about 17 ounces (500 milliliters) of urine, while men’s hold about 24 ounces (700 milliliters). Capacity can vary, but how often you need to pee usually depends more on bladder function than size anyway. With an overactive bladder, for instance, the bladder muscles contract involuntarily and trigger frequent urges to go.
- Activity level: Exercise helps your body eliminate excess fluids, which may lead to increased urination. You may notice you pee more frequently on days when you’re more physically active.
- Medications: Certain medications, such as diuretics (water pills), help your body eliminate excess fluids and can increase urination frequency. Blood pressure medications and lithium can also make you pee more often.
- Age: Bladder muscles can weaken as you get older, making it harder to hold in your pee or empty your bladder fully. This can lead to more frequent urination or cause you to feel the urge to go more often.
- Diet: A high-sodium diet can increase urination as your body works to eliminate excess salt. Some foods, such as citrus fruits, tomatoes, and spicy foods, may also irritate the bladder and trigger more frequent urination urges.
Everyone’s “normal” for how many times they pee each day can vary. With regular fluid intake of about 8 cups (2 liters), most adults produce between 27-67 ounces (800-2,000 milliliters) of urine daily.
Signs You’re Peeing Too Much
Excessive urination (polyuria) is when you produce more than 67 ounces (2.5 liters) of urine per day.
Symptoms: With polyuria, you may also experience:
Causes: Several factors and conditions can make you urinate more frequently, including:
- Intake of lots of fluids
- Consumption of caffeinated beverages (like coffee, tea, and energy drinks) or alcohol
- Intake of diuretic medications
- Electrolyte imbalance
- Diabetes or uncontrolled blood sugar
- Kidney disease
Signs You’re Not Peeing Enough
Decreased urination (oliguria) means you’re producing less than about 13 ounces (400 milliliters) of urine per day.
Symptoms: If you’re peeing too little, you may also notice:
- Dark yellow or amber urine
- Dizziness
- Lightheadedness
- Rapid heartbeat
Causes: Several conditions and factors can lead to decreased urination, including:
- Dehydration
- Kidney disease or injury
- Urinary tract blockages, such as kidney stones or an enlarged prostate
- Medications that reduce urine output, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Severe infections or shock
