The “Small Bladder” Myth 🚽🎈
Have you ever said (or heard someone say),
“I have to pee all the time — I just have a small bladder”?
I used to think that sounded totally reasonable… until I entered the world of pelvic floor physiotherapy. And now? I’m here to gently bust that myth.
Spoiler alert: there’s no such thing as a small bladder.
Your bladder is actually pretty impressive. It can hold up to about 4 cups of liquid (no, that does not mean you should wait that long 🤣). A healthy bladder usually sends the “time to go” signal when it’s around 2 cups full, and by about 3 cups, it’s sending a very clear GO. NOW. message.
So if you feel like you’re running to the bathroom constantly and only peeing a little each time, your bladder may be hitting the panic button too early — a pattern known as urge incontinence.
Here’s a quick (and slightly funny) way to check:
Next time you pee, count your “Mississippis.”
If you have a steady, full stream for about 8–20 Mississippis, that’s considered normal. If it’s much shorter than that, your bladder may be asking to empty before it actually needs to.
Urge incontinence can be incredibly frustrating — especially when it starts affecting your confidence, your plans, or your willingness to leave the house.
Some common reasons this can happen include:
“Just-in-case” peeing (yep — your bladder can be trained to panic early)
Consumption of bladder irritants (e.g, coffee, carbonated drinks, alcohol)
Pregnancy (hello, baby sitting right on your bladder)
Anxiety (think exams, interviews, public speaking)
Pelvic organ prolapse (when the bladder sits lower than it should)
Too much tension in the abdominal or pelvic floor muscles
Abdominal surgery, like a C-section
The good news?
You don’t have to live like this — and your bladder isn’t broken.
A pelvic floor physio can help figure out why your bladder is acting extra dramatic and create a plan to calm things down and get you back to normal bathroom habits again.
Because constantly knowing where every washroom is… shouldn’t be your superpower 😉
Mia Dang, PT, is a pelvic physiotherapist with extensive supplementary training in pelvic floor physiotherapy and perinatal care