Bed-wetting in teenagers and adults

Causes of bedwetting in teenagers and adults

Adults who wet the bed at night often have problems in the daytime as well, such as having to rush to the lavatory (urgency). It is not really known why this occurs. It may be a mixture of reasons. If you have always suffered from bed-wetting, you may:

If you have only recently started to wet the bed, it could be caused by:

Lack of necessary muscle and nerve control. Your bladder may not have developed the necessary nerve and muscle control, so the bladder muscle contracts and empties the bladder when it is only half full of urine. If you are a teenager, your bladder may soon learn – it is just being a bit slow.

Producing a lot of urine at night. You may be producing a lot of urine, because the mechanisms that reduce urine production at night have not developed. Again, if you are a teenager, the problem may solve itself in time.

Urine infection. A urine infection can irritate the bladder, and make it more difficult to hold urine.

Alcohol, coffee or diuretic medicines. Diuretics are medications that are used to treat high blood pressure and some heart problems. They encourage the kidney to make more urine. It is best not to take a diuretic at bedtime, because you will need to pass urine in the night and, if your bladder control is poor, this could cause bed-wetting. Alcohol and coffee have a similar effect, so avoid them within 3 hours of bedtime.

Sleeping tablets can make you sleep so soundly that you do not wake up when your bladder is full. If you take sleeping tablets, discuss with your doctor whether you really need them, or try reducing the dose.

Diabetes is a disease in which the blood sugar is too high. The kidneys try to lower the sugar by making lots of sugary urine, so you pass more urine in the day and during the night (you are also thirsty). If your bladder control is poor, this could cause bed-wetting. The problem goes away when the diabetes is treated.

Stress and anxiety can cause bed-wetting.

Other conditions, such as expansion of the prostate gland, neurological problems and sleep apnoea can result in bed-wetting.