When guys miss the urinal, they spray pee on the floor. It happens constantly, and it’s annoying for anyone who has to use the same bathroom.
Some people blame it on male laziness, but there are also physiological and medical reasons why men’s aim can be iffy.
Urinary incontinence
Having bladder control problems is abnormal, but many people don’t discuss it. It might seem embarrassing or like it’s just a part of getting older, but there are many ways to treat urinary incontinence.
Urine moves from the kidneys to the bladder, a hollow organ inside your lower abdomen. When your bladder is full, your brain sends a signal, and muscles tighten to stop urine from leaving the body through the tube-shaped urethra. When the signal gets scrambled or doesn’t work, urine might leak from your bladder.
Your bladder can be affected by a number of things, including physical activity and certain medicines. If you’re doing a lot of running or lifting heavy weights, your urine might leak more often, a condition called stress incontinence. It also happens when you cough, laugh, sneeze, or have a stomach bug.
Other times, your bladder can leak urine even when you’re calm or sleeping. This is called urge or overactive bladder (OAB). Your bladder muscle squeezes more than it should, and you might have to go to the bathroom a lot before your bladder fills up completely. You might wake up during the night to pee, a condition called nocturia. Or you might lose small amounts of urine after you’ve emptied your bladder, a condition called post-micturition incontinence.
If you’re experiencing urinary incontinence, keep a urine diary to track your symptoms. This will help you and your doctor find the right treatment for you. It’s important to drink plenty of water, too. Dehydration can make the problem worse. Drinking water can also help you avoid getting a bladder infection or urinary tract infections (UTIs). Drinking lots of water can help keep your urine less concentrated and irritable, which may reduce leaks.
Splashback
As anyone who has a male roommate or has ever shared a bathroom with someone who stands when they pee will know, it’s very easy to end up with a fine layer of pee on your pants, floor, or whatever else is nearby. This is known as a splashback, and it can happen when you’re not paying full attention to your pee session (because you’re thinking about how great salt is) or if you’re standing too far from the toilet or urinal. That’s why some guys, like Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm and Lionel Messi, prefer to sit down to pee. They believe that doing so will reduce the amount of pee they get on themselves or their clothes.
This is actually backed up by science. As physicists at Brigham Young University explain, when you stand too far from a toilet or urinal, the liquid ricochets off your pants in droplets that cause more splash than a steady stream would.
Aiming at the urinal is hard
Men who use urinals often miss the target completely, which is where urinal targets can help. Then, pee ricochets off the wall behind them and splashes on other people in the bathroom. This is what is called splashback, and it’s not fun. But why does this happen?
One reason is that men are not good at aiming. They can’t aim at the urinal until the urine stream starts, so sometimes, they get the angle wrong. Their bladder pressure fluctuates, and the pee will veer downward faster than they can re-aim it.
Another reason is that guys stand too far away from the urinal. According to a study by BYU, your urine loses power and cohesion after about six inches from your urethra. It’s important to be close enough so that the stream is strong but not so close that it creates a mess.
A third reason is that the urinals aren’t well designed. The urinals are too tall, and hitting them straight on is hard. Often, the men have to move around or lean down to do so. This makes it harder to aim at the urinal and can cause them to spill more than they want.
Urinal cakes are supposed to help with this problem but are not always effective. They’re made up of a chemical called 1,4-dichlorobenzene (the same stuff in mothballs) and absorb the smelly ammonia that comes with urine. But it’s not as powerful as pee, so the odor can still come through.
So, the next time you’re in a public restroom and a guy is peeing directly on you, don’t just shrug your shoulders and say, “Oh well.” Instead, offer him some urinal cake. It might make all the difference! But don’t be rude if he doesn’t take it. He might be trying to avoid a splashback mess or be too shy to ask you for some urinal cake. And remember, he’s probably not doing it on purpose! He just doesn’t realize how much more difficult it is to aim at a urinal than he thinks. Hopefully, all urinals will be designed someday to make it easier for people to aim.
Trying to pee in a toilet when you have an erection
As anyone who’s ever had morning wood knows, peeing with an erection can be difficult and messy. While it’s usually not a problem, it can happen when the bladder is full or, in some cases, when guys are not in the mood to go (like after sex). Thankfully, it is possible to pee while hard, and it is not an indication that you have a serious condition like urological cancer or something.
In fact, it’s completely normal and nothing that a little patience and relaxation won’t fix. The trick is to relax so you can urinate, and then once your bladder has emptied itself, wait until you’re ready to pee again.
The best way to pee with an erection is to sit down and try to relax the muscles in your pelvic floor. If you’re able to do that, your bladder will empty itself more easily, and you won’t experience the splashback or misses that can happen when you’re standing.
Unfortunately, sitting down isn’t always an option, especially when you’re in a public restroom. In these situations, being as discreet as possible is important to avoid disturbing other people. Fortunately, several techniques can help you pee while hard without embarrassing yourself or anyone else.
One trick is to gently massage the area where your bladder meets your pubic bone. This can increase the pressure and help you aim better. Another method is to walk away from the toilet after peeing and return a few minutes later. This can help you re-aim once the urine stream has dribbled on the floor and is weakened.
In addition, it’s a good idea to drink lots of fluids and eat fiber to help your urinary tract stay healthy. You should also avoid coffee and other caffeinated beverages, which can increase your urine flow and make it harder to control. Finally, if you’re having trouble peeing while hard, seeing a doctor as soon as possible is a good idea. This may indicate an underlying infection or condition that requires treatment.