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A 19-year-old male asked:

If i hold my pee even for a minute or two, my head starts to hurt. the longer i hold it in, the more my head hurts. is that normal?

1 doctor answer2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Dariush Saghafi
Neurology 35 years experience
Don't know for sure: First of all, yes people can get headaches by holding back from either urinating or defecating for long periods of time. If I had to take an educated guess I would say that holding one's bladder could cause one to tense up the abdominal muscles. This is the equivalent of doing what's called a Valsalva maneuver. This then, increases internal head pressure and thus can lead to headaches.
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Last updated Aug 26, 2018

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