SKIRMISHER

The “brief, euphoric shudder” you feel down the spine after peeing is called “post-micturition convulsion syndrome,” which is simply a fancy “scientific” name to slap on something nobody yet fully understands. It is a kind of involuntary twitching of a muscle or a group of muscles and mostly occurs in men. Aren’t we so lucky?

Although no serious studies have been conducted on the matter, the most likely explanation concerns the body’s autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS is comprised of two systems: the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS).

It is the SNS which acts to control bladder function; it makes sure that the bladder is relaxed and that the urethral sphincter is contracted. Part of the SNS response causes the brain to produce a number of chemicals, including the catecholamines epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine. It is a switch to PNS, and the resulting switch in catecholamine production which most likely produces the shiver.

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