Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: MooseHole on 26/03/2004 23:05:33

Title: Why do I shiver involuntarily when I begin to urinate?
Post by: MooseHole on 26/03/2004 23:05:33
I've heard that when the ambient temperature is cold, people tend to want to urinate because their bladders shrink.  Sometimes when I urinate, I shiver a little bit.  I think this is because my body has built up a response to my shrinking bladder.  That is, my body detects that my bladder has shrunken (because I'm urinating), so it reacts with a shiver because it thinks I'm getting cold.

Is this probably true, or does the urine just keep me warm before I urinate?

Kindest regards,
MooseHole
Title: Re: Why do I shiver involuntarily when I begin to urinate?
Post by: chris on 27/03/2004 07:15:20
A great observation - I too have experienced the urine-shiver phenomenon !

However, I don't think that it has anything to do with temperature.

Urination requires a complex co-ordinated interaction between 2 different parts of the nervous system - the voluntary part of the nervous system that you use to initiate urination (and defaecation) and the autonomic nervous system (the automatic arm of the nervous system that controls blood pressure, sweating, shivering (temperature regulation) and keeps you continent when you are asleep).

I suspect that when you switch off the part of the autonomic nervous system involved in keeping you continent (so that you can pass urine) there is a bit of accidental cross-talk to various other nerve groups, some of which are involved in shivering. Whether this occurs in the spinal cord or higher up in the brain (hypothalamus) I'm not sure.

Great question though.

Chris

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception"
 - Groucho Marx
Title: Re: Why do I shiver involuntarily when I begin to urinate?
Post by: MayoFlyFarmer on 27/03/2004 19:17:11
Ahh the "pee shiver".  One of the greatest parts of being male....  I've never heard any good theories as to what causes it, but I have a good feeling that yours might be right on (or at least close) chris.

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Title: Re: Why do I shiver involuntarily when I begin to urinate?
Post by: Donnah on 27/03/2004 21:33:49
So I suppose you men are going to blame lousy aim on "pee-shivers"![;)]  Women wouldn't care if you cleaned up your own mess.
Title: Re: Why do I shiver involuntarily when I begin to urinate?
Post by: MayoFlyFarmer on 29/03/2004 05:08:02
Actually, they do account for some of the bigger messes Donnah, but they don't happen all the time and they're usually after you're done, and to be honest we're just too lazy to clean up the other messes.  For that I'll appologize to the females of the world.
Not putting the toilet seat down on the other hand... I refuse to appologize for... I say, "why don't YOU put it UP when YOU'RE done??!!"
Sorry, minor rant.

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Title: Re: Why do I shiver involuntarily when I begin to urinate?
Post by: Donnah on 29/03/2004 05:29:59
Oh Justin you must have missed it but that topic has been covered in depth before.  Chris informed us that when the toilet is flushed minute particles spray the room like a sneeze.  I say keep the seat and the lid down to contain the spray and prevent things falling in the toilet.

I lift the seat and the lid for my sweetie if I know he's on next.  Why not?
Title: Re: Why do I shiver involuntarily when I begin to urinate?
Post by: MayoFlyFarmer on 29/03/2004 15:03:57
Awe, how sweet!   See.... i just need to find me a Donnah

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Title: Re: Why do I shiver involuntarily when I begin to urinate?
Post by: MooseHole on 29/03/2004 21:38:03
Well, shiver me urethra.  Thanks a lot!
Title: Re: Why do I shiver involuntarily when I begin to urinate?
Post by: bezoar on 04/04/2004 14:25:09
Do women get pee shivers too?  I've never had one.
Title: Re: Why do I shiver involuntarily when I begin to urinate?
Post by: Donnah on 04/04/2004 21:52:20
Never had shivers like that, but I get goose bumps if I have to go really bad (wonderful grammar).
Title: Re: Why do I shiver involuntarily when I begin to urinate?
Post by: MayoFlyFarmer on 04/04/2004 22:16:17
Just by the nature of what it feels like I can imagine getting one if I were "going" while sitting down.

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Title: Re: Why do I shiver involuntarily when I begin to urinate?
Post by: bezoar on 04/04/2004 14:25:09
Do women get pee shivers too?  I've never had one.
Title: Re: Why do I shiver involuntarily when I begin to urinate?
Post by: Donnah on 04/04/2004 21:52:20
Never had shivers like that, but I get goose bumps if I have to go really bad (wonderful grammar).
Title: Re: Why do I shiver involuntarily when I begin to urinate?
Post by: MayoFlyFarmer on 04/04/2004 22:16:17
Just by the nature of what it feels like I can imagine getting one if I were "going" while sitting down.

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Title: Re: Why do I shiver involuntarily when I begin to urinate?
Post by: Karen W. on 06/01/2009 04:26:42
Yes women do get them....both me and my daughter.. she more then me.. and both boys..and huband.
Title: Re: Why do I shiver involuntarily when I begin to urinate?
Post by: Seany on 06/01/2009 09:46:39
Quote from: MooseHole on 26/03/2004 23:05:33
I've heard that when the ambient temperature is cold, people tend to want to urinate because their bladders shrink.  Sometimes when I urinate, I shiver a little bit.  I think this is because my body has built up a response to my shrinking bladder.  That is, my body detects that my bladder has shrunken (because I'm urinating), so it reacts with a shiver because it thinks I'm getting cold.

Is this probably true, or does the urine just keep me warm before I urinate?

Kindest regards,
MooseHole

Hey this is the exact question I was asking.. Except not with an expected-detailed-answer [:P]

Thankyou for your post on this!