What’s your bladder pattern?

Download this chart pdf and use it to track your drink intake and peeing patterns for a day. Compare your chart to the types below to see what kind of bladder pattern you have.

How to use this chart

During the day, record:

  1. How much you drank
  2. How much you peed (or how many seconds you peed for)
  3. The color of your pee

The “Golden Rule”

Drink enough to make 1 cup of yellow pee, every 3 to 4 hours

How do I know how much I peed?

The most accurate way to see how much you’re peeing is to measure it in a container, but that can be a pain. An easier way is to count how many seconds you pee.

For most people: 20 seconds of peeing = 1 cup (8 ounces) of liquid.
To find your personal “flow rate”, count AND measure your pee a few times.

The Confident Bladder

This person’s chart shows a confident bladder pattern:

  • She drinks enough to stay hydrated, but not too much
  • Pee is a healthy yellow color
  • Her bladder can hold for 3 – 4 hours
Time I drank I peed Pee color
Midnight - - -
1 am - - -
2 am - - -
3 am - - -
4 am - - -
5 am - - -
6 am - 10 ounces dark yellow
7 am 8 ounces - -
8 am - - -
9 am - 6 ounces yellow
10 am 8 ounces - -
11 am - - -
Noon 6 ounces 7 ounces yellow
1 pm - - -
2 pm 8 ounces - -
3 pm - - -
4 pm - 8 ounces yellow
5 pm 6 ounces - -
6 pm - - -
7 pm 4 ounces 7 ounces yellow
8 pm - - -
9 pm - - -
10 pm - 6 ounces yellow
11 pm - - -

The Over-filler

This person’s chart shows a stressed out, over-filled bladder:

  • She’s drinking more fluid than her body needs, so pee is colorless
  • She has to run to the bathroom every hour
  • She leaks pee before making it to the toilet in the morning
Time I drank I peed Pee color
Midnight - - -
1 am - - -
2 am - - -
3 am - - -
4 am - - -
5 am 8 ounces 24 ounces yellow
6 am 8 ounces 8 ounces colorless
7 am 8 ounces 8 ounces colorless
8 am 8 ounces 7 ounces colorless
9 am 8 ounces 6 ounces colorless
10 am - 5 ounces colorless
11 am 4 ounces 6 ounces colorless
Noon - 4 ounces colorless
1 pm - 6 ounces colorless
2 pm 6 ounces 5 ounces colorless
3 pm - 4 ounces colorless
4 pm 12 ounces 4 ounces colorless
5 pm 12 ounces 6 ounces colorless
6 pm 12 ounces 8 ounces colorless
7 pm - 4 ounces colorless
8 pm - - -
9 pm - - -
10 pm - - -
11 pm - - -

The Nighttime Pee-er

This person’s chart shows a bladder that disrupts sleep:

  • She’s drinking more fluid later in the day
  • She needs to get up at night to pee
Time I drank I peed Pee color
Midnight - - -
1 am - - -
2 am - 20 ounces colorless
3 am - - -
4 am - 13 ounces colorless
5 am - - -
6 am 6 ounces - -
7 am 3 ounces - -
8 am - - -
9 am - - -
10 am 10 ounces 3 ounces yellow
11 am - - -
Noon - - -
1 pm 6 ounces 3 ounces yellow
2 pm 6 ounces - -
3 pm 4 ounces 4 ounces yellow
4 pm 10 ounces - -
5 pm - 3 ounces yellow
6 pm - - -
7 pm - - -
8 pm 10 ounces - -
9 pm - 6 ounces yellow
10 pm 4 ounces - -
11 pm - 2 ounces yellow

The Frequent Pee-er

This person’s chart shows an irritated, overactive bladder:

  • Drinking lots of coffee can irritate the bladder
  • She feels the urge to pee even when her bladder isn’t full
Time I drank I peed Pee color
Midnight - - -
1 am - - -
2 am - - -
3 am - - -
4 am - - -
5 am 3 ounces coffee 10 ounces yellow
6 am 2 ounces coffee 1 ounce yellow
7 am 3 ounces coffee 2 ounces yellow
8 am - - -
9 am - 1 ounce yellow
10 am 3 ounces coffee - -
11 am - 2 ounces yellow
Noon - - -
1 pm - 4 ounces yellow
2 pm - - -
3 pm 3 ounces 1 ounce yellow
4 pm - - -
5 pm - 2 ounces yellow
6 pm - - -
7 pm - 2 ounces yellow
8 pm 3 ounces 2 ounces yellow
9 pm 3 ounces 2 ounces yellow
10 pm - - -
11 pm - - -

The Holdout

This person’s chart shows bladder that has to hold for a long time:

  • Dark pee means she’s drinking less water than her body needs
  • She’s holding pee for a long time at work
Time I drank I peed Pee color
Midnight - 8 ounces -
1 am - - -
2 am - - -
3 am - - -
4 am - - -
5 am - - -
6 am - - -
7 am - - -
8 am 8 ounces 8 ounces dark yellow
9 am - - -
10 am - - -
11 am - - -
Noon 8 ounces 3 ounces dark yellow
1 pm - 10 ounces dark yellow
2 pm - - -
3 pm - - -
4 pm - - -
5 pm - - -
6 pm - - -
7 pm - - -
8 pm - - -
9 pm - 10 ounces Amber
10 pm 12 ounces - -
11 pm - - -
* Working nights

The Over-filler Holdout

This person’s chart shows a stressed out, over-filled bladder that has to hold for a long time

  • She’s holding an over-filled bladder for a long time throughout the day
  • She’s holding pee for a long time at work
  • She leaks pee before making it to the toilet, when coughing, and when sneezing
Time I drank I peed Pee color
Midnight - 8 ounces -
1 am - - -
2 am - - -
3 am - - -
4 am - - -
5 am 8 ounces 24 ounces yellow
6 am 8 ounces - -
7 am 8 ounces - -
8 am 8 ounces - -
9 am 8 ounces - -
10 am - - -
11 am 4 ounces 16 ounces colorless
Noon - - -
1 pm - 12 ounces colorless
2 pm 6 ounces - -
3 pm - - -
4 pm 12 ounces - -
5 pm 12 ounces - -
6 pm 12 ounces - -
7 pm - - -
8 pm - 12 ounces colorless
9 pm - 14 ounces colorless
10 pm - - -
11 pm - - -

Pee Tracking Tips

To find out exactly how much you’re peeing, you really do have to measure, but it’s not as bad as it sounds. Here are some ways to make it easier:

Get a “toilet hat”

Ask your pharmacist or look online for a urine specimen collection unit, also called a “toilet hat”, or “Texas hat”. It sits over your toilet seat and has lines to measure your output when you pee in it.

Go low-tech

Use a large jar, measuring cup, or other container to collect your pee. If you need to, dump it into another container to measure. Do the transfer over your toilet or tub in case of spills.

Keep it clean

Leave a pitcher of water in the bathroom to rinse out your pee collection container. That way you can rinse after you measure, then flush it all.