A top urologist has warned men against standing up to wee, saying while there’s occasionally a time and a place where it has to be done, sitting down to spend a penny may be ‘better’.
Going to the toilet isn’t usually something many of us like to speak about, and yet it’s something we all do on a daily basis.
We know it’s not great to spend too long sat on the throne, with the Mayo Clinic previously saying sitting for a long time or really having to strain yourself to force something out can cause haemorrhoids - also known as piles.
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However, there’s one context where we should be sitting more, according to one expert, who has spoken out about the benefits of a cheeky sit-down wee.
Recent research from YouGov showed that most men globally prefer to stand while relieving themselves, with 33 percent of British men saying they wouldn’t even consider taking a pew and just 24 percent saying they often do so.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Gerald Collins, a consultant urological surgeon at the Alexandra Hospital, Manchester - which is part of Circle Health Group - said male attitudes towards the matter are likely to have evolved as a matter of convenience and circumstance.
“The bottom line is, if you're on a golf course, and you need to nip behind a tree, you can get away with doing that,” he said.
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“Whereas if you squat and drop your pants, it could be a much more awkward scenario.”
But Collins argues that sitting down to pee can be better for men as they age, due to a condition known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) - the prevalence of which rises from eight percent of men in their 30s to a whopping 80 percent of men in their 80s.
“BPH occurs due to a change in the hormonal environment within the prostate, mainly from the early 40s onwards,” he explained.
“You get an increase in a certain breakdown product of testosterone which causes the prostate to increase its cell development and size. As a result of this, men start to find they can pee much better sitting down.”
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What’s more, a 2014 study by Dutch researchers at Leiden University Medical Centre found that sitting down could be beneficial by making it easier for the bladder to empty faster and more completely, as muscles in your pelvis and spine that are activated when you’re standing are totally relaxed when you’re seated.
“Sitting is probably the most efficient way of doing it,” Collins added.
Topics: Health
Jess Hardiman