Issues Related To Wetting The Bed

Wetting the bed at night is typical for young children, but as they grow older, they normally gain more bladder control. Adults who occasionally have accidents at night are generally upset, and there is more concern about this happening to them, especially before they’ve reached their senior years. With young children, it is normal to have accidents, but if they continue to have accidents at night beyond the age of six, then parents and the child do become concerned.
If a child has been bed wetting at night from the start, then their condition is known as primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE). This is where the body has never learned how to exercise control over the bladder. Once the bladder is full, a signal is released to the brain to rid the body of the urine. Normally, we learn how to train our body so that we can hold the bladder full, so that release can occur in the toilet when we wake up, yet for some this ability takes more time.
In some cases, children learn how to stop waking up to a wet bed but the problem returns. This condition is called secondary enuresis. If it happens during the day, then it is called diurnal enuresis, and of course this is even a greater concern for children in school and of course for adults. Generally, a minimum of six months has to have elapsed from when control over the bladder is achieved until control is lost, in order for the condition to be considered secondary enuresis.
When looking at why children or adults are wetting the bed at night, these two conditions are considered. PNE is not a major concern for most doctors, as statistically speaking most children will eventually gain control over their bladder as they get older. It is the secondary form that is usually the concern, as the sudden loss of the ability to control one’s bladder is usually linked to some kind of event. This could be a physical or mental occurrence or development within the body, or it could be due to some external factor.
If you are an adult wetting the bed at night, then you should definitely speak to your doctor to identify the reasons why this is occurring. If it is your child and he or she has always had problems controlling their bladder, then it is unlikely that any doctor’s assistance is needed. Instead, training and steps to minimize the discomfort and inconvenience should be taken. Once the type of problem has been identified, it is far easier to determine the best course of action.