Bursting Hydration Myths: The Truth Behind Breaking The Seal
If youâve ever been on a long drive or spent a long evening at the bar, youâve heard about breaking the seal.
The seal, as we have been led to believe, is letting us enjoy our evening or our long drive in relative peace. Though we may have the urge to go to the bathroom, we believe if we break the seal, we are supposedly opening the door to many more bathroom visits.
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So, why would we hold out, when going to the bathroom is a natural, relatively easy thing to do?
(Youâre making an awful lot of sense right now. Too much, in fact.)
Because in a few select situations, going to the bathroom isnât so easy.Â
If weâre at a bar, there could be a long line. If weâre at a baseball game or concert, the bathroom could be in another section. And if weâre driving, youâve got to wait for the next rest stop.
Yes, cutting down on drinking could help, but paradoxically, each of these situations rewards more beverage intake.
If youâre at a bar to have a drink with an old friend, you may end up having a second drink⌠for old timesâ sake.
If youâre at a baseball game, that summer sun makes a second lemonade more than a nicety⌠itâs a necessity.
And on a long drive, you might need that extra cup of coffee to keep your focus on the road.
Thatâs why the idea of breaking the seal - and theoretically subjecting ourselves to more visits to the bathroom - becomes so vital.
Unfortunately, itâs all made up.
Why Breaking The Seal Isnât Actually A ThingâŚ
For one, thereâs no seal. Itâs your bladder. The one youâve had your whole life.Â
But there is something physiological happening, even if thereâs not an actual seal.Â
One relates to drinks that are diuretics, like alcohol, that cause you to want to drink more.
And if you end up drinking more than you normally would, youâll end up going to the bathroom more than you normally would.
Letâs take an example. In an everyday setting, say an afternoon at work, how much water would you drink? A normal bottle of water is 16.9 ounces, or roughly 500ml. Are you drinking three in three hours? Maybe not. But if you drink three beers in three hours, thatâs 1,500ml.
The average bladder? It holds about 300-400ml.Â
So if you are ending up in the bathroom more often, remember that you are also putting in a lot more than you might otherwise.Â
Beyond the diuretic effect, alcohol also suppresses a hormone called vasopressin that regulates how often you need to urinate (itâs the one that helps you have peaceful nights).Â
So youâre putting in more liquid and your body has less of a hormone telling it not to go⌠you end up in the bathroom.
And Why âBreaking The Sealâ Is A Good Thing
Letâs rephrase that: hereâs why going to the bathroom regularly is a good thing.Â
Though it can be inconvenient in those moments mentioned above, holding it in is even worse. It can lead to weakened bladder muscles (which leads to incontinence), UTIs, and in some cases, kidney disease.
Whether youâre trying to have a fun night out at the bar or endure a long drive, this all boils down to hydration health.
Meeting your hydration goals is as much about youâre drinking as why you might not be drinking. If youâre holding off on an extra bottle of water while youâre driving because youâre worried about breaking the seal, it might be time to reconsider.
What about you? Do you believe in breaking the seal?