Causes

When children are sleeping, the bladder may signal the brain that it is full. But the brain must return a signal for the bladder not to empty. Then the child must wake up and go to the bathroom.

Causes of bed-wetting are varied and may overlap. Contributing factors include:

• Bladder control that develops more slowly than normal
• Greater than average urine production at night
• Genetic predisposition
• A sleep disorder, sometimes related to enlarged tonsils or adenoids

Urinary System in Child

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In rare cases, bed-wetting may indicate a physical problem. Usually if a physical problem is responsible, daytime urinary patterns will change as well. Physical conditions that may cause the condition include those in which either excess urine is produced or the bladder does not empty properly:

• Kidney or bladder infections
• Kidney disease
• Diabetes mellitus
• Diabetes insipidus (a very rare disorder in which sugar is normal but excess water is excreted by the kidney)
• Congenital bladder, kidney, or neurological abnormality

Unless a child has one of the conditions listed above, virtually all will stop bed-wetting by the time they reach puberty. However, bed-wetting remains a problem for up to 1% of adults.

Risk Factors

A risk factor is something that increases your chance of getting a disease or condition.

Risk factors include:

• Family members with a history of bed-wetting
• Significant psychosocial stressors, such as:
  • Moving to a new home
  • Loss of a loved one
  • A new baby in the home
  • Initial toilet training that was too stressful
  • Physical or sexual abuse