What Causes Bedwetting?

Bedwetting could cause serious hassle and it's only important to find out what causes this to put a stop to it. I'm an expert at this and I've done my due diligence as a psychologist. Here's what you need to know.

Watch and Enjoy!
Dr. Paul Jenkins

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[thequeenmidas]

This makes a lot of sense. None of my son's doctors have ever shared such information and they are qualified urologists.

[urbansanctuary]

Thank you! Spot on! My 13 year old still has bed wetting issues; he is a very deep sleeper, we set multiple alarms to wake him but he just sleeps right through them. This information has really helped in seeing that connection!

[denisethegood]

I wet the bed till the age of 22. I stopped with the guidance and treatment of a urologist and 3 meds. I’ve definitely been a deep sleeper however I’ve always woken up feeling exhausted. Sleep never ever gave me that refreshed feeling. Enuresis nocturnal is definitely a sleeping disorder.

[johnsmythe]

Good video Dr. Paul!! It should help some individuals.
Good quality sleep that leaves you feeling rested and energetic is vital to overall health. “Good quality” means getting enough restful sleep at the right times.
Though some doctors do not fully understand sleep, they do know it impacts:
How the brain works
How the body repairs and restores itself
Without enough sleep, a person has trouble learning, concentrating, and forming new memories. Physically, sleep affects the entire body, including the
immune system, heart rate, blood pressure, metabolism, energy levels, hunger, and mood.
So many of these well intended experts don't understand that Nocturnal Enuresis is a "SLEEP DISORDER" !!! Bedwetting is a SYMPTOM of that.

If you are a Health Care Worker interviewing the parents, one of the first questions to ask: Is your child a deep sleeper??” In 90% of the cases the answer will be in the affirmative.

(insert sleep chart from McGill University's sleep lab)

There are 4 stages of sleep, delta or slow wave sleep is the deepest and we only spend 13 – 23 % in Delta if we are sleeping normally. We will have 2 episodes of deep sleep with a 20 minute duration each time. Enuretics may spend several hours in Delta. REM Sleep is the dream stage of sleep and is between stage 1 & 2 ( Alpha – Beta) we attain that usually 90 minutes after falling asleep. REM is where we get our emotional rest. Delta is the physically restorative. It should be noted on the sleep chart that a rapid REM rise (red line) is not long enough to fully awaken the enuretic. They may experience a dream they are in the bathroom and void.


Stanford University's William Dement, MD, PhD, who many refer to as the “father of sleep medicine.” Identified many of the common "Sleep Disorders" back in the mid '80s: Sleep disorders: Nocturnal enuresis Bruxism Central Sleep Apnea Circadian Rhythm Hypersomnia Narcolepsy Night Terrors Obstructive Sleep Apnea REM Sleep Behavior Disorder Sleepwalking Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders Sleep-Related Movement Disorder Sleep Paralysis.
National Geographic, Dec. 1987 featured William Dement in an article Called “What’s this thing called sleep”.

Can bedwetting be inherited ?? NO! but a sleep disorder most definitely can be..

The enuretic child or adult is basically unconscious and can't respond to the signal from the bladder to the brain.
It also means they can't hear an alarm.

So many myths surround this topic and have been this way for decades.

Don’t worry your child will probably outgrow it. He/she may outgrow the symptom, but not he problem. Enuresis may now stop and the child will develop Night terrors, bruxism, sleepwalking, sleep apnea because the sleep disorder is still there. The issue is a SLEEP DISORDER !! and needs to be properly corrected.

Small bladder syndrome ?? Many enuretics have excellent daytime control. they can't have a large bladder in the
daytime and a small bladder a night. When the child or adult is unconscious the upper
sphincter muscle relaxes and they void. They may experience a rapid REM rise that only lasts between 15-90 seconds, not long enough to attain wakefulness.



Restrict fluids before bedtime, Yeah! Right! Don't have them respond to a full bladder signal.

Parents are told by their Doctor, set an alarm clock to get the child up and take them to the bathroom is a grave mistake! They aren't awake and when you drag them to the bathroom like a sack of potatoes, you are teaching them to urinate in their sleep. Exactly what you don't want them to do.

Star charts: A star chart in many cases becomes a record of failure further impacting the child's self esteem and sense of self worth.

DRUGS ??
No medication has been convincingly shown to cure bedwetting. The most common medications used to manage bedwetting are, Imipramine (Tofranil), oxybutynin chloride (Ditropan), and desmopressin (DDAVP).

IMIPRAMINE
Imipramine (Tofranil) is probably the most commonly used drug. Imipramine is an antidepressant used to treat mood disorders. One of the side effects of this drug is to decrease the frequency and intensity of bladder contractions. It also tends to lighten the time spent in deep sleep. It has been used with reasonable success to temporarily suppress bedwetting. Success rates in 50% range have been reported. But the relapse rate
approaches 100%. Some authors note that the relapse wetting is sometime worse than that experienced pretreatment.

Side effect WARNING
Imipramine is a powerful drug and any child on it must be carefully monitored for side effects. Side effects are reported in up to 40% of the children taking it. Mood changes, behavior changes, insomnia, hallucination are all seen. Imipramine is toxic and can produce cardiac problems, although normally at doses higher than used for bedwetting. The Food and Drug Administration reports that imipramine is involved in about 1, 000 children being taken to emergency rooms each year. They estimate that it is involved in the deaths of 10 children a year.

Ditropan Side effects:
*Bladder pain *blistering, crusting, irritation, itching, or reddening of the skin *bloody or cloudy urine *burning, skin rash, swelling, soreness, redness, pain,
itching, or irritation at the application site *cracked, dry, or scaly skin *difficult, burning, or painful urination *frequent urge to urinate *lower back or side pain *unusually warm skin *Diarrhea *loss of appetite *nausea *stomach pain

DDAVP Side Effects:
• Confusion • convulsions • decreased urine output • dizziness • fast or irregular heartbeat • headache • increased thirst • muscle pain or cramps • nausea or vomiting • shortness of breath • swelling of the face, ankles, or hands • unusual tiredness or weakness.

BEDWETTING ALARMS:
Bedwetting alarms, when used in a comprehensive training program can be a useful tool. When they are used to awaken the parent or guardian so they can respond and aid the Enurectic in a prescribed training program they have been 98% effective. The child or adult must attain at least 30 days of dryness before discontinuing the alarm. It can take 3 - 4 months to achieve that. Alarm systems on their own will not achieve this. A dual alarm system
(For parent & child) following a proper program can be most effective. One of the best programs currently available is: www.nobedwetting.com

[supersonicnazo]

They have to grow out of it. According to my child's father he had the same medical condition and it ceased on its own by 12~13yrs of age. You're just going to need a lot of compassion, patience and understanding til then. It's crucial to NEVER shame them or interpret frustration from the parents. All will be well. Believe it or not, all the genius minds have had that medical hormone deficiency in their youth.

[sloyilegu]

Your videos are just great and very informative. You have a way in your voice that is understanding and calming for the worried parent (me). I really appreciate you and all the work you do.

[nuday]

Thank you so much!! My son is 17 and sleeps very deeply

[rhizwanam]

Sir, please make a video on learning disability and ways to manage and improve

[sarahbean]

What if I have a son who is 21 now and we have not found answers?? It’s so sad because he’s a great young man and college or even marriage someday is scary. Anything for him?? We have no answers and no urologist or dr has been able to help. We are getting desperate. This 21 year old of mine is smart, kind and driven yet he has this problem. Help. 🙏🏼

[veeyester]

Very informative, but what about trauma. Doesn't that also affect bed wetting?

[blancaaguilar]

I’m 17 and I’ve been trying to stop for years not and it’ll stop for a few nights at most but it always eventually happens. It can be normal. I honestly think there’s smt seriously wrong with me.

[monikamedok]

I used to have this both.... At deep sleep I have creative lucid dreams where I find a bathroom and I pee

[MorganBennett]

I remember that I peed in bed and I hate the feeling when I was little

[kemielebute-idris]

Thanks so much Doc for this awesome huge information, the two related videos are just perfect explanation we (son and I) need. Yet again, thank you so much for sharing your expertise. You did really well. A big thumb up!!!

[Glogluxx]

How can I treat my son (3y/o) who just started bed wetting about 2 weeks ago? He would wake up when he needed before. Now, I try to wake him up, and he says he is ok. But wets in the morning….

[marcosnuno]

I’m 24
I think it can be due to constipation & diet
I still wet the bed too

[thephoenixrisingwithin]

My mother solved it by having my older brother wake me up one hour after going to sleep and making me go to the bathroom. It stopped the issue within a week to two weeks.

[thetruthwillsetyoufree]

I wet my bed until age 9

My parents sent me to a psychologist. They claim that after one sitting I stopped.

I lived in anxiety and fear at home. It was a war zone. I was diagnosed with ADHS (ADHD) at age 5.

I was punished for my behaviour related to ADHD and bed wetting.

I suspect that I was traumatized as a child and that was the underlying reason for the bedwetting.

At age 52 I was diagnosed with Bipolar condition, although I had been afflicted all my life. And lastly I am dyslexic. I suspect these disorders all link together and contributed to a severe burn-out at age 52 (untreated sleep apnoea also played a part).

Any thoughts from an outside perspective?

[leighwhite]

Can you give any advice on secondary day and night? My daughter is 8 and it started 2 years ago after being dry for 3 years. I took her to 2 different pediatricians and they said it was not an infection. Recently she got a fever and low back pain and they cultured her urine and she did have an infection. Finishing antibiotics tomorrow so the odor is less but still having accidents. After the first 2 doses she was dry day and night for 2 days so I was hopeful but then disappointed.

[fred]

In my family, the bedwetters were allergic to oranges.
Blood type A have a higher rate of being allergic to citric.