Many people believe that bed-wetting is something that only happens to children, and then eventually grow out of. What’s less well known is that wetting the bed can happen to adults too.

It can be a very embarrassing condition and can have an impact on so many areas of your life. For example, it can make you feel embarrassed in front of your partner, and also hinder your desire to travel for fear of wetting the bed at a hotel, or a friend’s or family member’s bed.

 

If you’re one of the five million people struggling with this problem, it’s not your fault. The condition can be caused by anything from a physical problem with your bladder to a medical problem. It can even be the result of medicine you’re taking. Here, we take a look at the causes of adult bedwetting and how to treat the condition.

Causes of Adult Bedwetting

Don’t just suffer in silence if you start wetting the bed. See your doctor. Adult bedwetting, also known as nocturnal adult enuresis, may be happening to you for any of a number of reasons. These can include:

• Your bladder is unable to hold enough urine. If there’s not enough space in your bladder, urine can leak out.
• Your kidneys are making more urine than normal. A hormone called ADH, also known as or antidiuretic hormone or vasopressin, sends signals to your kidneys to make less urine. Usually, your body should make less ADH at night. If you wet the bed, it may be due to the fact that your kidneys aren’t responding well to the hormone, or alternatively, you’re not making enough of it. Diabetes insipidus is a condition that can also affect your ADH levels, making you urinate more often.
• You’re taking certian medications. There are various drugs that can irritate your bladder. These include Clozapine and Risperidone among others.
• You have an overactive bladder (OAB). When you have OAB, your muscles that squeeze when you’re ready to urinate do so at the wrong times or too often.

Certain cancers and diseases of the spine and brain can also make you urinate too much. Other causes are:

• Constipation
• Blocked urethra
• Pelvic organ prolapse
• Diabetes
• Structural problems of the bladder or other related organs
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Urinary tract infection or stones
• Enlarged prostate

Some pregnant women occasionally wet the bed, too.

Treatments for Adult Bedwetting

There are various treatments for adult bedwetting. These include:

Lifestyle Changes

• Cut out or reduce your alcohol and caffeine intake.
• Empty your bladder before bedtime even if you don’t feel the need to.
• Limit your fluid intake.
• Set scheduled urination times every one or two hours.
• Wear absorbent briefs at night.
• Set an alarm to wake you during the night to go to the bathroom.
• Equip your bed with waterproof mattress protectors.

Medical Treatments

• Antibiotics for UTIs.
• Drugs to calm your irritable bladder.
• Desmopressin acetate to increase ADH levels to slow urine production.
• Medications to reduce prostate swelling.

It’s vital that you see your doctor about treatments, such as bedwetting medicine, if you’re waking up wet at night. This is a problem — one that doesn’t only happen to children —  that can be fixed, leaving you to lead a normal and happy life.