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Why do anxious feelings create the need to go to toilet frequently?

193 Answers
Last Updated: 02/19/2022 at 2:01pm
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Psychologist

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Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
May 6th, 2020 9:34am
That's something that not everybody experiences, but some people do. It's an instinctive reaction of your body. When you're anxious it's because you feel there's a threat, something that put you in danger, so your body, as a reaction to the danger, gets ready to flee or fight. In this "preparation" it does everything it can do focus your energy o your muscles, and also make you lighter, so that's why you feel the need to go to the toilet. It's also the reason people sometimes throw up when they're nervous. Digestion takes a lot of energy, so to be ready to face the danger. Nowadays, in most cases, this reaction does not make sense, but just imagine you were fighting a bear and then you get why we developed this. Hope I was helpful.
Anonymous
April 24th, 2020 3:27pm
Anxious feelings create the need to go to the toilet. It is very common with a lot of people. When we are nervous or excited we tend to sensations inside our stomach. From where everything usually starts as it is the center of our body. Due to the anxious feelings, we feel pressurized which creates pressure in our stomach too due to excess stress or excitement which we take out by going to the washroom which is completely normal for a human body to do. So there is nothing to worry about if you are under stress or feeling anxious and you need to go to the toilet
caringWinter88
March 25th, 2020 4:03pm
I have had that, so, i feel that way when I am very anxious, my muscles just let go all, they are not so strong anymore, so I feel my body can not do all at once, and it is simply to much tension. I think it is a logic feeling for my body to let go everything when I fear deeply. It will focus on the fear. Are you very anxious sometimes? What is it about? Do you feel anxious about the same things and frequently? Or very rare? Do you have to go to the toilet more often because of fear?
courtney9310
March 21st, 2020 12:58am
People experience anxiety a lot of different ways and this is a common one! A lot of people will experience this or nausea. I know it can be uncomfortable and your doctor also may be able to help you if medicine is needed or even tips to prevent anxiety. Some tips I like to use to calm my anxiety are breathing exercises or meditation. Practicing these regularly may help reduce those symptoms. It's important to remember that this is a result of the anxiety, so working on the anxiety itself can prevent this from happening frequently. I hope this was helpful :)
Anonymous
March 1st, 2020 7:52pm
I'm not a doctor or anything but this is just what I'm learned. In short, the your body's fear system (flight or fight response) is connected to your bladder (where urine is collected). When you are anxious, there is pressure put on the bladder that causes you to feel like you need to go use the toilet. Anxiety can also cause digestive problems and such so that could also be part of the problem. When you are anxious, you tend to want to be alone and have a minute to yourself. Bathrooms could be connected to this because you feel safe there. There's probably a bunch more reasons why but this is what I've found.
CherryBlossom360
February 29th, 2020 7:58pm
Anxiety isn't good for you, and it often puts pressure on specific areas of your body--including your bladder, and abdomen. According to sources, the bladder is closely connected to the body's fear system (fight-or-flight response). On top of all that, some experts claim that anxiety sends our kidneys into overdrive which can then cause them to produce more urine then usual. Peeing is the body's way of releasing toxins--flushing out the bad stuff that shouldn't be in our body. Maybe (don't quote me on this) this is why you find yourself going to the bathroom more--especially when you are really anxious. Please do go see your doctor to make sure there is nothing medically wrong.
Anonymous
January 8th, 2020 10:51am
I used to do so because I always felt that toilets are a safe place where I can be by my own and focus on my thoughts and my feelings with no one around me. It calms me down so I don't have to deal with the reactions of people around me when I don't feel okay, and them asking me what's going on and why am I acting bizarre or whatever. Also literally I think stress makes our bodies work faster and give us the feeling that we need to go to toilets more often than we usually do !
gentleSun78
December 15th, 2019 3:58pm
It is because anxious feelings trigger fight or flight response in our bodies. When the fight or flight response is triggered, stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) are released which cause that organs and tissues in the body work differently: heart beats faster, blood sugar level increases, digestive tract works faster, more water is spent in the body, there are consequently also more wasstes which are excreted via the kidneys, which all cause that we need to go to toilet more frequently. It in turn also cause that we drink more water which needs to be substituted as more water is lost due to it.
Anonymous
August 28th, 2019 4:19pm
the stress causes some hormones in your body to be released particularly noradrinaline and it is the main reason behind the feeling of going frequently to the wc. it is normal to feel that way and trying to fight it won't help. my panic attacks included intense bowel movement which embarrassed me to no end. i struggled with it for years. still do but it isn't as intense.
strawberrysky250
August 21st, 2019 3:33am
Anxiety triggers a flight-or-fight response, and part of the body's reaction to that is to shut down all unnecessary bodily functions. This includes digestion, libido, and ability to control certain nerves/reflexes, as your body goes into an anxiety-ridden survival mode. One might feel like they suddenly have to use the toilet frequently because your body is naturally responding to get rid of everything deemed "unnecessary" - including whatever might be in your bladder or bowels. Your body is preparing to fight or take flight, and in order to do this it attempts to eliminate everything that would not be necessary.
Anonymous
August 2nd, 2019 11:21am
When you are in bathroom, you feel safer because you know no one is going to come in. You don't have to worry about things around you in a small room like a bathroom. That feeling of safety eases your anxious feelings. Also, when you feel anxious, you often don't know what to do, but going to the toilet gives you a purpose. You know what to do, so you can focus on one thing and not think about other things. For me, peeing feels like letting toxic things out of my body. It makes me feel relieved in some way.
Anonymous
July 26th, 2019 1:52am
I have read that our central nervous system is connected to our bowels in a way that it can affect our bodies in a state of fear. That can be mistaken as IBS or other digestive symptoms, hence the physical reactions to stress. I've been checked for certain things that I never linked to anxiety or extreme stress (and not just the frequent--or lack of visits to the bathroom). It can cause even more anxiety so it's best to consult with a doctor or physician about these things if they persist, and can help find options to alleviate that!
Kalosia
June 26th, 2019 7:32pm
Usually because the mind finds a way to distract itself from feeling it. The mind does not want to deal with it so it finds the toilet as a distraction. It’s like a getaway. There’s nothing wrong with it. The mind is powerful but when you are going through something the mind scares you from feeling better. It thinks it’s a horrible thing to get better. In reality it’s the most beautiful thing to heal. You also get distracted by movies and games just so you can avoid facing your anxiety. It’s just part of growing up. You will learn to deal with it without distractions.
BearsBeetsBooks
May 4th, 2019 5:54pm
Anxiety creates physical symptoms as well as psychological symptoms. These psychosomatic symptoms can cause bowel irregularities or gastrointestinal issues as well as many other physical symptoms, such as headaches, heart racing, chest pain, shaking, dizziness, nausea, and more. Your gastrointestinal system has a nervous system all its own. When anxiety puts you into fight or flight mode, stress hormones are released. These stress hormones have an effect on that nervous system which may cause you need to need the bathroom more frequently. Another possibility is that you're experiencing IBS or irritable bowel syndrome. IBS is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder that causes an array of symptoms, such as stomach bloating, abdominal pain, cramps, diarrhea, and constipation. If you're experiencing these symptoms frequently, you may want to check with your doctor about the possibility of having IBS and what you can do to manage the symptoms.
LivieGrace
March 27th, 2019 6:24pm
There are quite a few reasons that could create the need to urinate frequently with anxiety. One reason could be muscle tension. When you are anxious, all of your muscles tense, even the muscles that surround the bladder, and that could lead to needing to go to the bathroom. Another reason could be a sensory/light overload. Because anxiety comes from the fight/flight reflex, it could be an overload of that system. Like when it comes to a scary moment, it could lead you to wet your pants unintentionally, the need to go to the bathroom due to anxiety can manifest through a smaller version of that unintentional system malfunction.
savingimage
January 23rd, 2019 5:29am
Anxiety/anxious feelings cause the need to go to the toilet frequently mainly because of the fight or flight system. The fight or flight system, if you don't know what it is, is a system wired in our brains that helps us decide whether to flee from a dangerous situation, or to stand our ground. It pumps adrenaline into our bodies and is meant to protect us from harm, but anxiety often forces this system into continue use. Because of this, the system creates a large amount of stress and tension in our bodies. This can put pressure on our internal organs which makes us feel as if we need to use the bathroom, or even cause us to go because of the pressure being put on our bladder. Anxiety can also cause our stomachs to turn or hurt, which may result in some bowel movement or nausea.
Anonymous
December 23rd, 2018 2:59pm
Behaving in an apprehensive manner activates the stress response. The stress response secretes stress hormones into the bloodstream where they travel to targeted spots in the body to bring about specific physiological, psychological, and emotional changes that enhance the body’s ability to deal with a threat - to either fight with or flee from it - which is the reason the stress response is often referred to as the fight or flight response. A part of the stress response changes include causing the body to eliminate waste as quickly as possible (so that you don’t have to stop and do that when either fighting or fleeing)
niceMonkey80
December 15th, 2018 9:37am
I researched it. Do you feel as though you have to urinate more frequently than usual? Do you feel you need to urinate even though you just urinated? Anxiety can cause frequent urination. Behaving in an apprehensive manner activates the stress response, which sends out stress hormones into the bloodstream and bring out physiological, psychological, and emotional changes to ensure the body can deal with a threat. Kinda like flight or fight. A part of the stress response changes includes causing the body to eliminate waste as quickly as possible (so you don’t bave to stop and do it while you’re either fighting or fleeing). Therefore, many people feel the urge to go to the toilet when they wr stressed or anxious.
hangingoutdownthestreet
October 27th, 2018 6:47pm
I actually have Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, in part because of anxiety. Most people don't realize how tense their body is, and all muscles in the body are connected. When people get very anxious their whole body is often subconsciously tense. Bladder and bowel muscles can involuntarily contract. Of course, nausea doesn't help. Progression muscle relaxation is one of the best methods for relaxing your entire body. Keeping your physical body relaxed will help keep you from going to the bathroom all day long. Often just taking some deep breaths and relaxing your muscles when you get the urge to go to the bathroom helps.
rebeckity
October 27th, 2018 4:22am
Anxiety involves the activation of the fight-or-flight response. This is an ancient mechanism that brains have developed to get us out of dodge as quickly and efficiently as possible. If something makes us afraid, we better get out of there or be prepared to fight that thing. Part of fight-or-flight is that we can't be "wasting" any energy on digesting food, or holding urine in the body. Our has to be dedicated to our muscles and limbs. So, for the same reason fear causes people to soil themselves or throw up, anxiety creates the urge to go to the toilet.
MellyLa
October 21st, 2018 8:48pm
It has to do with the fact that our body is preparing for a dangerous situation, and it wants to make sure we have all the attention necessary to deal with it without distractions. If you notice, it generally happens up until the point you have to deal with the "dangerous thing." For example, if you are nervous about an exam, you'll go to the bathroom for a few hours before and then once the time comes, you can sit through the exam quite normally. Basically, it's the body emptying itself out so that you can give your all to the upsetting situation. Imagine having to fight a tiger and all of a sudden you have to pee ;)
MaryGato
October 11th, 2018 8:19pm
They are several hyphotesis: The first one is that when we are anxious, the nervous system operates at a higher level of sensitivity, which could cause the bladder to activate the mechanisms even if it is not completely full. In addition, the adrenaline generated by the stress situation could activate the mechanism to give relief to the body. Another possibility is that, in a state of anxiety, many of the muscles of the body become tense, and among them could be those of the bladder. That's what I've listen and read. I'm not sure if that's the real reason.
Anonymous
October 3rd, 2018 5:40am
Anxiety triggers the release of adrenaline from the adrenal glands located atop your kidneys. Your body's response to adrenaline causes your body to produce blood sugar from fat stores and direct your blood away from your core into your skeletal muscles in preparation to make a quick getaway. While your blood is being directed toward your skeletal muscles, it is also being directed away from your vital organs. For this reason some people begin to feel nauseous, and have difficulty breathing. In more acute responses it can cause people and animals to lose continence. People who experience chronic anxiety will likely experience frequent diarrhea from incomplete digestion as well, which will also contribute to the sudden urge to void their bowels.
caringFriend21
August 15th, 2018 3:17am
Scientifically, your body produces hormones that want to speed up the process of digesting. This means that your body is on hyper speed because your neurons and hormones as well as your heart are moving faster than normal.
Anonymous
July 26th, 2018 9:50pm
Is it something you ate? I get like that when something I eat doesn't go well with my body and it rejects it.
Bluelight33
July 25th, 2018 11:13am
Hm I often heared that anxiety can maybe affect the work of the concerned organs generally. But I could imagine that someone goes to toilet cos it is a lockable room and you feel "saver" somehow. Or if the feelings go together with flashbacks and the person is somethere outside she/he want to hide the flash and be alone and undisturbed until stabilized again.
AmethystUnicorn
July 20th, 2018 2:13am
There is actually something I learned recently. When people are in the sympathetic nervous system mode (fight or flight), their blood flow leaves the digestive/GI system (to go to your limbs as if you'll run away), which causes stomach issues.
AlfieGammon53
July 18th, 2018 7:16pm
Anxiety often causes discomfort in the mind and the body. Therefore, the anxious feelings affect your body, and alot of the time that can be your stomach, which often causes more toilet use. However this does help as it is a sense of letting go.
ElaineSaysHello
July 12th, 2018 2:50am
Perhaps these feelings are physiologically correlated to paranoia and activating something in our bodies to make our bladder go haywire, which forces us to use the restroom frequently. But then again, I would consult a licensed professional about these matters. Sometimes it doesn't even have to involve anxiety, but a urinary system issue which is a completely different case.
Anonymous
July 1st, 2018 10:28am
Anxiety causes your muscles to tense and eventually that puts pressure on the bladder and you feel the urge to urinate. If it's happening more often then you should visit a doctor.