Urination is an essential bodily function needed for eliminating waste products, maintaining fluid balance, and assessing kidney function. The average person urinates between six and seven times in 24 hours, but between four and 10 is still considered healthy.

While it might be something we all do regularly, there are some bathroom habits many people have that could be dangerous.

With this in mind, one expert spoke with Express.co.uk about three things we should avoid when going to the toilet.

According to GP Doctor Masarat Jilani, from Jude, certain habits could damage your pelvic floor, weaken your bladder and leave you vulnerable to infections.

These include pushing, going “just in case” and holding it in.

Pushing

Emptying your bladder should feel effortless, you shouldn’t feel the need to strain your muscles or push to pass urine.

Dr Jilani warned: “When you forcibly push, you’re actually activating your pelvic floor muscles, when in reality you should be relaxing them.

“Over time this could confuse your bladder by teaching your muscles to do the opposite of what they should be doing naturally. Instead, go with the flow and never interrupt the stream.

“If you find yourself needing to push to pass urine it may be a sign that something’s not quite right with your pelvic floor, so it’s worth speaking to your doctor.”

Going “just in case”

This is another “bad” bladder habit that will “confuse” your pelvic floor.

Going to the bathroom, just because you have a long car journey, or don’t want to wake up in the night might seem like the sensible thing to do.

“Unfortunately your bladder disagrees, making this a habitual time planning hack can cause your bladder to become overactive,” Dr Jilani said.

“Instead, always listen to your body and go only when you have to, even if it is inconvenient.”

Holding it in

There will always be times when you have to hold it for a short period of time. If you’re out somewhere without a public bathroom for instance.

She continued: “Holding it in occasionally won’t cause any issues.

“However, making it a habit to ignore your body’s signals that it needs to urinate will create problems over time.”

Dr Jilani explained: “If you make holding it in a habit you will weaken your bladder over time, it could also make you more prone to UTIs.

“This is because when you don’t empty your bladder frequently enough, the bacteria present in your urinary tract are more likely to colonise and lead to infection.

“This can also happen when you don’t drink enough water, so remember to stay hydrated and make time for regular bathroom breaks.”

She also urged against hovering over the toilet seat as this means your pelvic floor is unable to fully relax.

“If you absolutely must hover try to support some of your weight by leaning on the door or wall to take some of the pressure off your pelvic floor,” Dr Jilani said.