Bedwetting • Hello Healthy
Definition
What is bed wetting?
Bed-wetting or nocturnal enuresis is a complaint of passing urine on its own that occurs during sleep. In other words, bed-wetting is urinating during sleep at night and without realizing it.
Nocturnal enuresis is different from nocturia, in which a person consciously wakes up to pass urine and then goes back to sleep. Nocturnal enuresis is also different from urge incontinence, which can occur during the night after waking up to pass urine but not having enough time to go to the bathroom.
How common is bed wetting?
Bedwetting is a very common condition in young children, with a case estimate of nearly 10% in children aged 7 years. By the age of 4, most children can control their urine when they are awake. However, 2-3% of children develop this condition into adulthood (Vande Walle et al. 2012). They don’t stop wetting the bed at night until 5-7 years later.
This condition is more common in boys than girls and can be inherited. This condition can affect patients of any age.
Nocturnal enuresis can also occur later in life and is an important symptom of traumatic disorders, especially in men, as this condition may indicate that the man has chronic high-pressure urinary retention, which is usually associated with dilatation of the upper tract and a risk of kidney failure. This condition may also be associated with pelvic floor relaxation during sleep in a patient with a neobladder accompanying cystoprotatectomy.
Most children will stop wetting the bed on their own.
There may be signs and symptoms not listed above. If you have concerns about a particular symptom, consult your doctor.
Talk to your doctor for more information.
Signs & symptoms
What are the signs and symptoms of bed-wetting?
A common symptom of bedwetting is loss of urination control by itself during sleep.
If you have any signs or symptoms above or any other questions, please consult your doctor.
When should I see a doctor?
The doctor should be able to see if the bedwetting is caused by a medical problem with the following symptoms:
- Feeling like urinating more than usual
- More thirsty than usual
- Have a burning feeling when urinating
- Experiencing swelling of the feet or ankles
- Start bedwetting again after it has been off for a few weeks or months.
Cause
What causes bed-wetting?
Bedwetting is most common when:
- Your child’s bladder muscles grow more slowly than usual
- The child’s urine holds less than normal amounts of urine
- The child’s body produces a lot of urine
Often, bedwetting is not caused by medical or emotional problems, but it can also occur in some cases. Enuresis is also a symptom of many disorders, some of which are fatal:
- Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis; Enuresis is accompanied by a UI.
- Syringomyelia
- hyperthyroidism
- Williams-Beuren Syndrome is found in 50%.
- Bedwetting is more common in children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, researchers do not clearly understand the relationship between bedwetting and ADHD as daytime enuresis is common in many children.
Risk factors
What increases my risk of bedwetting?
There are many risk factors for bedwetting, namely:
In children:
- Drink lots of water before bed
- Very active in the morning
- Family history in which family members have had nocturnal enuresis
In adults:
- Experienced multiple traumatic injuries to the pelvis, potentially causing UI
- Stress, fear or lack of confidence
- Diabetes
- Enlarged prostate gland
- Sleep apnea (abnormal pauses in breathing during sleep)
- Constipation
Drugs & Medicines
The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.
How is bedwetting diagnosed?
As the name implies, this condition is confirmed when the patient wakes up in the morning with a mattress wet from urine unconsciously.
What are the treatments for bedwetting?
Enuresis in children does not require any treatment because it can be treated by reducing risk factors with a plan to treat bed-wetting on its own. For the plan to work, you and your child must have the desire to stop bedwetting. Stopping this condition can be difficult and takes a long time.
Remember that children can do nothing to deal with bed-wetting. You should not get angry, punish or tease / tease your child for bedwetting.
There are medicines your doctor can give to reduce bedwetting. Medication is usually given to children over 7 years of age who have tried different ways to stop bed-wetting. In adults, nocturnal enuresis without residual urine may be associated with OAB (overactive bladder). This condition can be treated with anti-muscarinics and with desmopressin in diluted formulations.
Patients with high-pressure urinary retention causing nocturnal enuresis are treated with initial catheterization to relieve pressure, accompanied by assessment using endoscopic surgery to shrink the prostate or remove the open prostate.
Home remedies
What are some lifestyle changes or home remedies that can be used to treat bedwetting?
Here are some lifestyle and home remedies that can help you deal with bedwetting:
- Tell your child to urinate before bed. Remind the child to get up and use the toilet when needed.
- Install night lights in the corridor or bathroom so your child can go to the bathroom easily.
- Stop using diapers or training pants at home, especially if the child is over 8 years of age. Your child can still wear it while they are staying overnight.
- Ask your child to help clean up in the morning. For example, your child can lift wet sheets from the bed or help with the laundry.
- Record a chart of child development and reward when the child stops bedwetting. You and your child must have agreed to the award in advance.
- Share your child’s drink throughout the day. Don’t let your child drink too much before bed.
- Teach children to hold the urine in order to accommodate more urine.
- Use a bed-wetting alarm that is suitable for children 7 years and older. Talk to your doctor about the type of alarm that is most appropriate for your child.
Other methods that can be done:
Tips for keeping a child’s bed clean and dry:
- Use waterproof sheets to protect the mattress and bad smells.
- Place a dry towel on the wet part of the bed.
- Install the sheets in layers, with a waterproof base in between.
- Make the bed again when it gets wet again.
If you have any questions, consult your doctor for the best solution to your problem.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Campbell-Walsh Urology. Download version Chap 75 p.1763e1 accessed Oct 25 2016
Schmitt BD .. Bed-Wetting (Enuresis) .. In: Instructions for Pediatric Patients, Saunders, 1999. P.209. Accessed Oct 25 2016
Glazener CM, Evans JH. Simple be havioural and physical interventions for nocturnal enuresis in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2004. Program Accessed content Oct 25 2016
Glazener CM, Evans JH, Peto RE. Alarm interventions for nocturnal enuresis in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2005. Program Accessed content Oct 25 2016
Glazener CM, Evans JH. Desmopressin for nocturnal enuresis in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2002. Program Accessed content Oct 25 2016
