An infection in the urine (urinary tract infection, 'UTI') can sometimes cause bed wetting. Stress or anxiety can also cause the problem, which might last long after the stress has gone. If you start bed wetting again as an adult and this persists, it could be the result of a more serious underlying problem.
The association between stress and bedwetting is actually one step removed, says Atala. Although stress doesn't cause a child to start wetting the bed, behavior the child engages in when under stress can make bedwetting worse, or make a child who was mostly dry experience wet nights.
Causes of adult bed-wetting may include: A blockage (obstruction) in part of the urinary tract, such as from a bladder stone or kidney stone. Bladder problems, such as small capacity or overactive nerves. Diabetes.
Stress and anxiety is another major cause for adult bedwetting. Adults have busy schedules these days and the stress and anxiety levels are high in them. Extreme stress and frustration can make one nervous as a result the person may find it difficult to control his nerves and thus lose control over the bladder.
Seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis (MS), and Parkinson's disease have been linked to adult bedwetting due to impaired bladder control.
Psychological or emotional problems: Emotional stress caused by traumatic events or disruptions in a child's normal routine can cause bedwetting. For example, moving to a new home, enrolling in a new school, or the death of a loved one may cause bedwetting episodes that become less frequent over time.
Your child's bladder may not be developed enough to hold urine produced during the night. Inability to recognize a full bladder. If the nerves that control the bladder are slow to mature, a full bladder may not wake your child — especially if your child is a deep sleeper. A hormone imbalance.
Anxiety itself doesn't cause nocturnal enuresis. But overly apprehensive behavior could be a contributing factor. Nocturnal enuresis (wetting the bed when sleeping) has been linked to emotional problems and the toll they take on the body. Anxiety disorder is considered an emotional problem.
Stress and anxiety in and of themselves will not cause a child who never wet the bed to start nighttime wetting. However, stress can contribute indirectly to nighttime wetting. Emotional and psychological stress can cause a child to behave or act differently, which can lead to nighttime wetting.
Most children with primary nocturnal enuresis have significant signs of stress and mental problems and most of the symptoms are anxiety disorders (10-12). Logan et al. (13) (2014) showed that 60% of patients with enuresis disorder had at least one mental factor.
The three most common causes of Bed-wetting in a young adult include a problem waking up to the sensation of a full or contracting bladder, making too much urine overnight, or a bladder that acts small.
See a GP if:
you've tried things you can do at home and your child keeps wetting the bed. your child has started wetting the bed again after being dry for more than 6 months.
IMIPRAMINE. Imipramine has been used successfully for many years to treat children with bed-wetting. Complete dryness has been reported in 10-50% of patients. Some children who are not completely dry show significant improvement.
What are the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in children? These are some of the most common symptoms of PTSD in children: Sleep disturbances including fear of sleep, nightmares or bedwetting.
The insula is widely considered to be involved in bladder control. When the bladder is full, the insular cortex is activated in healthy people [22].
Bed-wetting is not a mental or behavioral problem. It doesn't happen because the child is too lazy to get out of bed to go to the bathroom. Children should not be punished for bed-wetting. There are many medical conditions that can cause bed-wetting, although the cause is not always obvious.
Desmopressin link (DDAVP) is often the first choice of medicine for bedwetting. This medicine slows the amount of urine your child's body makes overnight, so the bladder doesn't overfill and leak. Desmopressin can work well, but bedwetting often returns when a child stops taking the medicine.
Encourage double voiding before bed.
Double voiding is urinating at the beginning of the bedtime routine and then again just before falling asleep. Remind your child that it's OK to use the toilet during the night if needed. Use small night lights, so your child can easily find the way between the bedroom and bathroom.
Omega-3 may reduce wet nights through possible effects on the bladder and urethral contraction by inhibiting nitric oxide synthesis. This evidence indicates that omega-3 supplementation may be an alternative treatment for nocturnal enuresis.
Nocturnal enuresis is involuntary urination that happens at night while sleeping, after the age when a person should be able to control his or her bladder. (Involuntary urination that happens during the day is known as diurnal enuresis.)
Bedwetting that begins suddenly or happens with other symptoms can be a sign of another medical condition, so talk with your doctor. The doctor may check for signs of a urinary tract infection (UTI), constipation, bladder problems, diabetes, or severe stress.
Causes of urinary incontinence
Stress incontinence is usually the result of the weakening of or damage to the muscles used to prevent urination, such as the pelvic floor muscles and the urethral sphincter. Urge incontinence is usually the result of overactivity of the detrusor muscles, which control the bladder.
The trauma of treatment for brain and spinal cord tumors causes many children to regress to earlier behaviors such as thumb sucking, baby talk, temper tantrums, and bed wetting. Punishment for these behaviors only adds to the child's distress and rarely solves the problem.