The Facts About Adult Bed Wetting   by Sandy Rutherforde

in Health    (submitted 2012-01-24)

There are certain people who have a problem with bed wetting when they get older. This action is expected of babies since they are still unable to control their bladders. This problem can be very embarrassing for an adult so they usually hide this fact from others, even their family.

What is adult bed wetting?

An adult who wets his bed while sleeping is known to be suffering from nocturnal enuresis. This is different from nocturia which is a disorder where a person wakes up two or more times a night just to go to the bathroom.

Research has shown that at least two percent of adults cannot control their bladders at night. When a person experiences one of these episodes, he should not worry immediately but if this happens frequently then it is recommended that he consult his doctor. A person who experiences this repeatedly may have a serious disease.

Why does adult bed wetting occur?

There are various reasons why bed wetting occurs in older people. Some of the reasons are the following:

Urinary Tract Infection

A person with this type of infection might feel some burning and itching which can only be relieved after urination. Thus, one might mistakenly urinate while sleeping to relieve the itching.

Stress

A person might have a very stressful day that causes him to lose sleep. He might have a very hectic schedule at work. In addition, he might have problems at home. When he does find time to sleep he might not wake up easily to urinate which results in bed wetting.

Alcohol Intake

When a person drinks liquor it stimulates his bladder. Alcohol acts as a diuretic that leads to urine production. This raises the need for urination. Thus, when one is sleeping he might not be able to hold his bladder.

What are the possible remedies to adult bed wetting?

When a person wets his bed continuously he needs to seek a doctor's advice. There are several things that a person can do or take to cure bed wetting.

A person can get their doctor to prescribe anti-depressants like Desmopressin. This drug will help reduce the amount of urine that the body produces by copying the antidiuretic hormone. Another drug that could help is amitriptyline which is known to be four times as effective as a placebo.

A person can try bladder volume training where you drink large amounts of fluids during the day but avoid urinating as much as possible. This can result in the bladder being able to store more fluids during the night.

About the Author

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