Bed Wetting Causes

bed wetting causes

Bed wetting causes cannot be attributed to a specific condition. In fact, it is quite a normal part of growing up for many children. It’s very rare that bedwetting is a symptom of an underlying illness or disease, although it can be a warning sign in a very small percentage of instances.

The primary bed wetting causes in children are much more simple.

  • Some children are unable to hold their bladder throughout the night.
  • A full bladder isn’t enough to wake a child from deep sleep.
  • A child may produce more urine during the night and evening period of the day.
  • Struggles with daytime toilet training can lead to bedwetting issues.

The situations mentioned above are a result of what is known in the medical community as primary nocturnal enuresis. While the official medical term may sound a bit intimidating, it’s really just another way of describing the typical bedwetting situation, one most children grow out of naturally.

When looking into bed wetting causes, it’s important to keep in mind that there’s usually nothing medically wrong with a child who wets the bed up through the age of 8 or even 9 years old.

The enuresis causes aren’t much of an issue, and the nighttime urination is not cause for concern. During this phase, investing in some waterproof sheets, bedwetting diapers or bedwetting pants will make the cleanup much easier to deal with until you child grows out of the bedwetting habit.

Bed Wetting Causes: Secondary Nocturnal Enuresis

Of the many bed wetting causes, this one can be a little more complicated and may indeed be a sign of a larger issue, physical or psychological. There are a number of enuresis causes that could be at play with secondary enuresis.

If your child or teen has started wetting the bed after months or even years after the problem seemed solved, the enuresis causes are very likely secondary.

  • Emotional, psychological stress: stress is considered to be one of the major causes of bedwetting in the secondary phase. Stress-induced bed wetting causes include a stressful home life, abuse, a recent move, divorce of parents, starting a new school or a new baby in the family.
  • Physical: physical bed wetting causes could include a urinary tract infection, which causes the bladder to become irritated or increases the need to urinate. Diabetes or neurological abnormalities are also considered secondary bed wetting causes.
  • Genes: enuresis can run in the family and is another leading one of the secondary enuresis causes. Recent studies show that children, teens and adults bed wetting causes can be directly related to their parents’ causes of bedwetting.

Causes of Bedwetting: Not a Child’s Fault

Occasionally parents will wrongly attribute enuresis causes to misbehavior. Studies have shown that negative reaction to a child wetting the bed or punishment does little to cure the issue and actually makes it worse.

The causes of bedwetting are never a simple answer and treating the issue is different for everyone. Causes should always be addressed in a way that that takes into account the actual bed wetting causes and doesn’t assume an issue is larger than it is.

Remember, the causes of bedwetting are typically just part of growing up. Taking curative action isn’t needed unless you are dealing with secondary enuresis causes.