Key Causes of Bedwetting (Enuresis)

Enuresis, or bedwetting, is something children may experience long after you think it should stop. Unfortunately, bedwetting is more than inconvenient for you, it’s embarrassing for your child. It can also cause them undue psychological pressure. However, there is something you can do to help.

Understanding the main reasons why children wet the bed will help you and your child put this habit behind you. Until it’s a thing of the past, expect your child to feel stressed over it and degrade themselves because of wetting the bed. Following is an explanation of what bedwetting is, as well as what you and your child can do about it.

All infants and young children will pass urine, or wet the bed, while they sleep. It’s normal for small children to experience this because their bladders aren’t very large or they don’t recognize the feeling of full bladder. Generally, by the age of five, most children have outgrown bedwetting although it can continue in rare cases up until a child reaches their teen years. In very rare cases mature adults will have incidents of bedwetting.

Bedwetting is broken down into two categories: Primary Nocturnal Enuresis and Secondary Nocturnal Enuresis. Which category your child falls into will depend upon their age and whether or not they’ve been dry for an extended period.

Primary Nocturnal Enuresis occurs when a young child wets the bed consistently over time. Most causes for this type of bedwetting are developmental, genetic, or hormonal. All three causes may act together in some children:

• Developmental factors include not recognizing a full bladder or having control over the muscles that stop urine from passing during sleep. The areas in the brain that affect arousal-control may also allow a child to sleep through needing to wake and use the restroom.
• Genetic factors may come into play if both parents had bedwetting problems when they were children. This may not be as likely if only one parent had this problem as a child. Researchers have recently pinpointed the chromosome that is associated with bedwetting, and more research will be done.
• Hormonal factors could include a child with too much anti-diuretic hormone during night-time hours. This means that the bladder continues to produce the same amount of urine as during waking hours.

Secondary Nocturnal Enuresis occurs in children who have previously remained dry at night for at least four months and then have begun bedwetting again. Most often this is caused by environmental stresses such as a new sibling, moving, or a death in the family. It can also be related to sexual abuse, extreme bullying, or a medical condition such as diabetes or a urinary tract infection.

Now that you understand what the key causes for bedwetting are you may be able to discuss your child’s condition with your doctor. It will also enable you to ask informed questions when your doctor makes recommendations regarding your child’s bedwetting experience. With the two of you working toward a resolution, your days of wet sheets and clothing will soon be behind you.