Society’s habits are constantly changing and this covers various areas, including the most intimate ones. An example of this is the growing habit among men of urinating sitting down instead of standing up. Beyond a simple fad, studies indicate that it can be a good habit for our urinary tract and prostate health.
The study. A meta-analysis (a study based on studies) carried out a few years ago found that there were advantages for people with the so-called “low urinary symptoms” (LUTS), sitting could increase urinary flow, reduce the time required to complete the operation and minimize the volume of post-emptying residue of our bladder. In healthy people the difference in the parameters was not significant.
Other more recent work analyzed the same parameters to obtain similar results, in which “urodynamics” was better for those who suffered from urinary tract problems such as benign prostatic hyperplasiabut did not find significant differences in the “healthy” group.
Don’t forget hygiene. Does that mean that we have to wait until our prostate begins to suffer before changing the habit? Not necessarily. hygiene It is another reason given by defenders of urinary rest. When urinating standing up, the collision between the stream and the water causes (no matter how good our aim is and it is not always) significant splashes.
These splashes may not be noticeable due to the small size of the droplets, but they can reach places that we would prefer to keep away from urine, such as toothbrushes.
Everything else. And urine is not actually the problem, since it is a relatively aseptic and harmless in sanitary terms. It is the possibility that it “pushes” with it bacteria and viruses related to gastric problems, including the dreaded Escherichia coli.
Upward trend. The tendency to sit is increasing and For some it is the effect of the Pandemic. In Japan, for example, successive surveys concluded that the number of men who urinated sitting down rose from 51% in 2015 to 58% at the beginning of 2020 and then shot up to 70% in the second half of that same year.
In Europe, this custom is closely associated with Germany, where it is common to find posters in the toilets asking that they be used from the seat.
Curious ramifications. But science is not everything, and the issue has become a topic of debate in some places. A few months ago, for example, a German court had to intervene on behalf of a tenant when his tenant requested compensation for damage to the bathroom of the rented home. Nothing less than €3,000 deposit.
The dispute had been going on for a long time and the reason was that the owner of the house claimed that, by urinating standing up, the tenant had damaged the marble floor of the bathroom by urinating standing up instead of sitting down.
Angry. Of course there are more detractors of this change in habits. In German, the term Sitzpinkleris often used derisively by those who find sitting down to urinate offensive and emasculating. For now the division is not as deep as that of taking off shoes (or not) at home. But the debate promises.
Image | Maximilian Bungart
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