What are the Causes of Bed Wetting in Children?

Generally, children stop wetting the bed after the age of three. Children who constantly wet the bed beyond that age cause their parents to become worried and concerned. However, according to medical experts, bed wetting is not an illness in itself but a symptom of an underlying disease. It is not a behavioral or mental problem, either. In medical terms, this condition is called enuresis. About 15% of children wet the bed after reaching the age of three, and more boys than girls are prone to this condition.

The exact causes of enuresis are not yet known, though there are several factors that may explain some children’s tendency to urinate involuntarily. If you are distressed over your child’s wetting the bed, it pays to know and understand the possible causes of his or her condition so that you know how to deal with it properly.

1. Stress. Yes, stressful situations can trigger several unpleasant conditions, one of which is your child’s wetting the bed. Going to school for the first time, sleeping in a place other than home, and adjusting to a new home, and becoming an older brother or sister can cause your kid to wet the bed.

2. Hormonal imbalance. In some cases, the body cannot produce sufficient anti-diuretic hormone (ADH), which slows down the production of urine during nighttime.

3. Failure to determine a full bladder. This is a common problem for kids who are deep sleepers. What happens is that the nerves that are in charge of the bladder mature slowly, which results in your child’s inability to wake up when the bladder becomes full.

4. Small bladder. Chances are your child’s bladder is too small to contain urine produced at nighttime.

5. Problem with urinary system or neurological system. This is a rare cause of enuresis in children.

6. Urinary tract infection (UTI). If your child has UTI, it will be hard for him to control the release of his urine. Aside from enuresis, the other symptoms of UTI include frequent urination, ache during urination, and accidents during daytime.

7. Constipation. Irregular bowel movements cause urine to be retained in the body, thus leading to wet nights for your child.

8. Diabetes. Your child may have type 1 diabetes if he wets the bed when he was usually dry at night. Check for other signs of diabetes such as weight loss, fatigue, release of large amounts of urine, and frequent thirst.

9. Sleep apnea. Enuresis can be a symptom of sleep apnea or disruption of breathing when a child is asleep. This is because of swelling adenoids or tonsils. Besides enuresis, other signs of sleep apnea include sinus and ear infections, dizziness during daytime, sore throat, and snoring.

10. Genetic factors. Enuresis often tends to run in families. So if you were prone to wetting the bed during childhood, chances are good that your child will be prone as well to this condition.

In many cases, children outgrow bed wetting on their own. But if you suspect that your child has a serious disease, it is best to consult a doctor.

Understanding Bed Wetting

Image Source : medindia.net

Bed wetting is a condition wherein an individual can't seem to control urinating especially when asleep. Known as nocturnal enuresis in medical terms, bed wetting usually affects kids during their developmental stages. The condition can also sometimes be seen in teenagers and will usually fade away in time. It can also be a problem that may affect older people who may have bladder problems or poor bladder control as a result of other conditions.

Common Causes
Bed wetting can be caused by a variety of things. The condition may commonly be caused by one or more factors. One of the more common causes involves the delay in the development of the ability to control their bladders. This is usually common among kids who seem to experience delays on their ability to control their bladders. This usually is not related other developmental problems and seem to occur commonly in children.

Another known cause of bed wetting may be related to genetics. Kids who have parents who experienced bed wetting while they were young also have greater chances of developing the same condition. Research has shown that there are certain genes associated with bed wetting and may be passed on to kids from their parents. Kids with parents who had enuresis when they were young are 77 percent more likely to develop the condition as compared to 15 percent for kids with parents who never experienced bed wetting.

Disease and Infection
Although genetics and developmental delays are two of the most common causes of bed wetting, doctors are not as fast to rule out other possible causes that may also be considered as serious. Poor control of the bladder can be due to certain infections in the urinary tract.

Physical Abnormalities
Sometimes bed wetting may be a result of certain physical abnormalities such as a smaller than normal bladder. This usually leads to lesser bladder capacity than may contribute to bed wetting in some people when they sleep at night. There are times when the body produces insufficient anti-diuretic hormone. This is especially more common in kids. The anti-diuretic hormone usually increases its production during nighttime, signaling the kidneys to produce less urine. This process usually is developed at around the age of ten.

Psychological Issues
There are times when the root cause of bed wetting may be psychological in nature. Extreme stress may be a factor in some people experiencing enuresis. Certain psychological disorders may also have enuresis as one of their symptoms. There are also studies that have found that people with certain mental handicaps also have a higher rate of bedwetting problems.

Other Factors
There are many other factors that may cause bed wetting in some people. Chronic constipation is one of them. There are times when pressure is exerted on the bladder at times when the bowels are full which can lead to enuresis. Alcohol and caffeine consumption may also cause bed wetting since they can help increase urine production when taken.