Urine is the body's means to eliminate toxins in your body. Your urine is predominantly water, but minerals like potassium and sodium also are present. While each person urinates a different number of times per day, a few basic guidelines can help you determine if you are urinating too much or too little, as both occurrences can indicate different medical conditions.
Regular Urination
The average person typically urinates between three and four hours every day, according to Dr. Gloria Katz, a physician writing for Holy Family Memorial. This takes some effort on your part because you must drink enough fluids to ensure you can urinate at this rate. A good rule of thumb is to look at the color of your urine. If your urine is a light yellow to clear, this can indicate you are hydrated. Darker urine indicates you should be drinking more water.
Urinary Volume
Your body should hold about 15 oz. of urine at a time -- this is almost 2 cups of fluid. When you urinate, the amount you release should be similar to the amount of fluids you have taken in within the past few hours. If you tend to urinate more frequently in smaller amounts, this can be an indicator you are not urinating in a normal manner. The frequent need to urinate and the seeming inability to hold as much water as your bladder normally should, may indicate an underlying medical condition, such as an enlarged prostate or overactive bladder.
24-Hour Urine Collection
Another method to ensure you are urinating at a normal rate is to perform a 24-hour urinary collection. You can accomplish this by obtaining a collection bottle or purchasing a container with a cap and measurements on the side to determine how much you are urinating. This container should hold at least 2 liters of fluid. Each time you urinate, do so in the collection bottle. Cap the bottle and store it in a cool place like your refrigerator. After a 24-hour period, measure the amount of fluid in the container. The normal amount of urination is between 800 and 2,000 milliliters per day, providing you take in about 2 liters of fluid per day.
Poor Urination
If your daily urination level is below normal values, this could be potentially hazardous to your health. Your body must urinate at least 1 qt. of water -- roughly 1 liter of water -- each day to ensure your kidneys can filter enough wastes from the foods you eat. Urinating less frequently or with less volume than is normal can indicate you have a condition such as kidney disease, which can cause your kidneys to no long filter effectively.
