Why Does Beer Make You Pee?

Beer makes you pee because alcohol dehydrates you. Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it causes you to urinate more often.

This is why drinking too much beer or other alcoholic beverages can cause dehydration.

Alcohol is a depressant, meaning it slows down your body functions. When you drink alcohol, your blood pressure drops, your heart rate increases, and your breathing becomes shallow.

All these things slow down your metabolism, causing your body to burn fewer calories and leading to eventual dehydration.

To prevent dehydration, drink plenty of water before, during, and after drinking alcohol.

If you want to stay hydrated without feeling bloated, try drinking a glass of water 30 minutes before you start drinking alcohol.

And if you’re going out for the evening, make sure to bring along a bottle of water with you, even if it means you pee a little more! 

In this article, we look at why beer makes you pee in a little more detail and answer any questions about why you’re running to the bathroom every few minutes when you’ve had a few too many.

Why Does Beer Make Me Pee?

To put it simply, it is dehydration that makes you pee when you are out for a few pints of beer.

The primary reason that beer makes you pee is due to its high alcohol content and alcohol causes you to become dehydrated.

Alcohol is known as a diuretic, and this means it promotes water loss by way of urination.

It does this by inhibiting the production of vasopressin, which is a hormone that plays a role in water excretion.

Vasopressin tells your kidneys to absorb the water up as opposed to flush it through the bladder. 

With the hormone switched off, the bladder is able to fill up with urine we need to get rid of when we go to the bathroom.

This means frequent trips to the toilet but eventual dehydration if we are not replacing the liquid we are losing with water.

Moreover, when you drink alcohol, your body starts metabolizing the alcohol into energy.

As soon as your body has used up all the alcohol, it will begin to metabolize the leftover alcohol into carbon dioxide and water.

It has also been proven that people who consume large amounts of alcohol will have an increased risk of developing kidney stones.

However, there are some exceptions to this rule. For example, women who drink heavily may not be as prone to develop kidney stones as men.

The amount of alcohol that you consume determines how much urine you produce.

A study by the University of California found that people who drank 5-6 units of alcohol per day produced more urine than those who consumed 2-3 units of alcohol per day.

The amount of alcohol you consume also affects whether or not you feel thirsty. People who drink 3-4 units of alcohol per day do not always experience thirst.

However, people who drink 6+ units of alcohol per day usually feel very thirsty as a result of dehydration. And the more you drink to quench this thirst, the more you are going to pee.

Why Do Some Beer Drinkers Pee More Than Me?

Some factors influence how much you urinate after drinking beer. Some have to do with the type of beer, but others are about the individual.

If you haven’t drunk in a while for example,  you will react differently from a person who has been drinking for a long time and more frequently.

Some people are also accustomed to alcohol and their body has accepted and adapted to alcohol being in the bloodstream, so do not pee as often.

Some drinkers also know how to control their bladders when drinking. They avoid breaking the ‘seal’ for as long as possible.

Breaking the ‘seal’ is a psychological skill where you hold out on urinating for as long as you can, as once you go, you often can’t stop making frequent trips all night.

However, you should be warned that this can make you vulnerable to urinary tract infections and other issues.

How Much Is Too Much?

The amount of alcohol that you consume will determine how much you should be worried about dehydration.

According to the Mayo Clinic, moderate drinkers are advised to limit their consumption to no more than one drink per day.

Heavy drinkers are recommended to cut back on their intake by at least half.

If you don’t have any obvious symptoms of dehydration, then you probably aren’t dehydrated.

However, if you feel thirsty, dizzy, light-headed, weak, or tired, then you may be experiencing mild dehydration.

If you notice any of these symptoms, especially while having a few alcoholic drinks like beer, stop drinking and hydrate with water to return to normal levels.

What Causes Dehydration?

Dehydration occurs when there isn’t enough fluid in your body. Your kidneys remove excess salt from your bloodstream through urine.

The problem arises when your body doesn’t produce enough saliva to keep up with the volume of liquid being lost.

Saliva contains electrolytes like sodium and potassium, which help regulate the balance of fluids in your body.

When you drink alcohol, it interferes with the production of saliva. Alcohol also lowers your blood pressure, making it harder for your heart to pump blood throughout your body.

As a result, your brain gets less oxygen and nutrients, which leads to headaches, nausea, and fatigue. These symptoms are all signs of dehydration.

When you drink alcohol, your body starts producing more sweat, which means you’ll need to replace the lost fluids.

And since sweating removes salt from your system, you could end up losing even more fluids.

Drinking lots of water helps replenish your body’s supply of salts, but remember, this is going to make you pee even more.

How To Prevent Dehydration

Drinking plenty of water before, while, and after drinking, alcohol will help you maintain proper hydration.

It’s important to remember that alcohol can interfere with the absorption of certain vitamins and minerals, so make sure you’re eating healthy foods while you’re drinking.

You should also try to stay away from sugary beverages like soda and juice. Sugary drinks can also cause an increase in urination.

They also contain caffeine, which can lead to increased excretion of water. This means with both alcohol and soda making you pee more frequently, you will be losing a lot of liquid.

Final Thoughts

We hope after reading this article, you are more aware of why beer makes you pee so often. Some drinkers know how to control their bladders when drinking.

But generally, it’s best to empty them and replace the lost water with fluid to avoid dehydration, whilst also avoiding that nasty headache in the morning!

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Andrew Carr

Hi, I’m Andrew Carr and I find beer fascinating. Not just drinking it (although that is a plus!) but everything about it. There is so much to learn - the fermenting process, the best glasses for each type, recipes to make at home… The list goes on!

I have been making my own beer for almost a decade now and I pride myself on my home setup. I’ve made sours, pale IPAs, stouts - you name it, I’ve probably made it in the comfort of my own home.

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