The urinary tract is packed with adrenaline receptors that play a role in regulating how your bladder contracts and empties itself.

Imagine it: you’re about to give a speech, have a job interview or undergo a medical procedure. You feel increasingly nervous — your palms are sweating, your heart’s beating a bit faster than usual, and, suddenly, you feel an intense urge to pee.

If you can relate, you’re in very good company. Research shows that needing to urinate is an incredibly common reaction to psychological and mental stress. It’s such a typical reaction, in fact, that Jenny Shields, a clinical health psychologist at Shields Psychology & Consulting, tells her patients that the bladder is stress’s megaphone — if you’re on edge, you’re bladder’s going to feel it. “As soon as the body interprets a situation as high‑stakes or uncertain, the bladder reflex can switch on,” Shields told HuffPost.

Here’s why your stress sends you rushing to the bathroom — and how to deal if you can’t stop thinking about peeing when you’re under pressure:

Why you feel like you have to pee when you’re nervous

According to Dr. Victor Nitti, an OB-GYN and professor of urology with the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of........

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