Sitting to pee verses standing…which is better? For most people, it’s a personal choice or maybe even cultural. For example, a study of 7000 men from 13 countries showed that in the U.S., 31% of men never sit to pee, 17% rarely sit and only 10% of men sit to pee. By way of contrast, in Germany, 40% of men sit to pee.
But for some people with certain medical conditions, if they’re not sitting, they may want to consider changing their practice. For older men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) which occurs with an enlarged prostate, sitting may be a more beneficial position from which to pee. As the prostate enlarges, it narrows the urethra (the tube through which urine passes). With a narrowed urethra, men suffering from BPH often have symptoms such as:
- straining to urinate;
- waiting for the urine stream to start;
- dribbling during urination; and/or
- having a weak urine stream – (which makes it hard to aim into the toilet while standing).
When compared to a standing position, in a seated position the pelvic floor is more relaxed which can result in better urine flow through the urethra. Additionally, in a study with men who had BPH, they found that when they sat to urinate, they had higher flow rates, higher voided volumes of urine, and better emptying of the bladder, with less urine being left behind.
So, in the sitting verses standing debate, it may not matter so much if you’re a healthy male without any urinary issues. However, if you’re an older male with urinary issues such as BPH, sitting may be more beneficial towards a more complete emptying of your bladder.
Whether you’re a healthy male or an older male managing urinary issues, if you do choose to sit to pee, a P-flector® urine deflector can help avoid the additional embarrassment of urine wetting your clothes, by blocking the gap between the toilet seat and bowl, to prevent urine passing through the toilet seat gap. A P-flector® urine deflector will help keep your clothes and bathroom floors clean and dry, giving you peace of mind when sitting to pee.
The P-flector® is available at p-flector.com and Amazon.com.