The 'law of urination' and why you should stick to the '21 second rule'

Nurse practitioner Janis Miller, PhD, explained the health benefits of counting to 20 while you make peepee, noting that if it’s always taking you lots less or more than 20 seconds to urinate, you’re either holding it in for too long, or going too often. 

She added: “Or are you using the bathroom more than you need to because it’s the only private place in your house? Your answers can help you to tweak your bladder habits.”

Differences in urine flow rates can also signify health issues like cystitis, bladder stones and even prostate problems, so keeping on top of your tinkling has huge benefits. 

Back in 2015, the Georgia Tech physicists were awarded the satirical Ig Nobel prize - handed out in celebration of ‘trivial’ achievements in scientific research.

The team’s subjects included mammals of all sizes (think rats, goats and elephants) and although a consistent ‘scaling law’ was established in bigger beasties, the physicists noted that smaller animals wee differently.

While weeing seems like a hard thing to get wrong, it’s not the first time we’ve been handed some stellar slashing advice from a specialist in recent weeks.

Explaining she wanted to ‘revisit the basics of proper peeing’, Dr Irwin sat on a white chair while demonstrating optimum peeing positions. 

She explained: “I’m going to talk about the proper ways for women to pee. Did you know that there's actually more than just one way for us to pee? 

“So the proper way to pee is just like a cowboy. Lean forward, put your elbows right above your kneecaps, and pee. Make sure your feet are flat though, because otherwise it’s still not going to empty properly.”