Watch a Doctor Explain Why Guys Sometimes Shiver After They Pee

Have you ever experienced an involuntary shiver while peeing? Turns out, it’s a pretty widespread and well-documneted phenomenon known as post-micturition convulsion syndrome. While anecdotally it appears to be more common in men, there are no studies that entirely explain it or connect it exclusively to male anatomy, and it can actually happen to anyone—even babies, who have been known to shiver when in need of a diaper change.

In a recent YouTube video, Griffiths University research fellow Dr Matt Barton offers up a couple of likely explanations for what is happening when somebody experiences the pee shivers.

His first theory is that the body is experiencing heat loss, due to the loss of urine as well as the exposure of private parts to colder temperatures during urination. “But this doesn’t explain why we don’t shiver when we defecate or vomit,” he says, “or why babies still shiver when they’re in nappies.”

A more compelling argument for the cause of post-micturition convulsion syndrome, he continues, has to do with the autonomic nervous system.

“The decision to pee or not is usually voluntary, however the act of peeing is controlled by the autonomic nervous system; specifically, the parasympathetic component, which usually handles resting functions such as digestion. Here, the parasympathetic springs into action to cause the muscles of the bladder to contract, expelling urine out.”

As the bladder fills with fluid, its walls stretch, sending a signal to the brain. The micturition center in the brain then sends a signal back down via the parasympathetic region and pelvic nerve to activate the contraction of the bladder muscles, increasing pressure within.

“At the same time, a dampening signal is sent from the micturition center to the sympathetic nerves, which are usually for fight or flight,” says Barton. This results in the relaxation of the internal urethra and the bladder neck, enabling the flow of urine. An additional signal is also sent down the spinal cord to open the external sphincter muscles.

“When urine leaves the body, oddly we get a drop in blood pressure, which then causes activation of the sympathetic nervous system to increase the heart rate and vascular tone, which then restores the drop in blood pressure. This results in a mixed signal between the two components of the autonomic nervous system, which is thought to trigger an involuntary shiver. So this may explain why men are more prone to pee shivers than women; because they stand to pee. Therefore they are more prone to a drop in blood pressure, and more shivering.”

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