Problems That Can Cause Bed Wetting

There are quite a few problems that can cause bed wetting. If you can find out which one applies to your child, you are one step closer to stopping your child's bed wetting.

Bladder Problems

If a child’s bladder is too small to hold urine produced during the night, this may not be readily apparent during the day, as during the day the child can simply go to the bathroom more often. There are no real medical treatments for this, as no medications will increase bladder size. The bladder will eventually grow into the size needed.

Some children do not have a too small bladder, but their body produces too much urine during the night. This can be a hormonal problem, as the antidiuretic hormone is simply not being produced in large enough amounts. Medications can help, as synthetic hormones can be given as medications.

Is your child a deep sleeper?

Most children who wet the bed are deep sleepers – not all deep sleepers wet the bed, though. If a child is a deep sleeper, they will not wake up when they feel the need to urinate. The muscles that during the day allow them to hold in the urine are also asleep, and thus they wet the bed. This is often inherited, and if a parent or an uncle or aunt also wet the bed, then deep sleep was a likely cause. Solutions for this include buying a special moisture detecting alarm, or setting your own alarm in the middle of the night and waking your child to help them go to the bathroom.

Drinks and fluids

Some people have pointed at caffeinated, carbonated, and high in sugar drinks as a potential cause for bedwetting. While these drinks are not good for children and should be limited in their diets, they may be no more of a cause than water or milk. Large amounts of any fluid before bed is bad. You can try limiting your child’s fluid intake 2 hours before they go to bed and having them use the toilet before they go to bed for the night to ensure they have an empty bladder.

Is bedwetting a sign of an emotional problem?

Many toddlers and young children react to emotional difficulties by wetting the bed. If your child is undergoing significant or emotional stress, they may wet the bed. This happens because in times of stress, their bodies will have abnormal daytime bathroom habits, as well as abnormal sleep habits. Events in your family such as a death or a divorce may bring this on, or even being in an unfamiliar place.

Bed wetting also seems more common in high energy individuals.

We Recommend

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