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Last Updated: Jul 11, 2022
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Adult Bedwetting - Know Reasons Behind It!

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Dr. Nikhil SharmaUrologist • 22 Years Exp.MBBS, MS - General Surgery, DNB (Urology)
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Bedwetting is a common problem among children who are yet to learn how to control their bladder but bedwetting can also be a problem for adults. Adult bedwetting is known as secondary enuresis. It is a condition that develops at least six months or much later after a person has learnt to control over their bladder.

Adult bedwetting can occur due to several reasons that are listed below:

  1. Sleeping problems can be a major reason for bedwetting at night. Sometimes one might be in a deep slumber to and wakes up to the sensation of a full bladder and the urge to urinate. Also, many suffer from another sleeping disorder- night terror. One wakes up partially from their sleep frightened which may cause them to lose control on of their nerves and wet the bed.
  2. Stress and anxiety is another major cause of adult bedwetting. Adults have busy schedules these days and the stress and anxiety levels are high in them. Extreme stress and frustration can make one nervous as a result the person may find it difficult to control his nerves and thus lose control over the bladder.
  3. Medical conditions in a person or a person who suffers from neurological disorders are prone to lose control over their bladder. Patients who have suffered a stroke often face difficulties in responding to signals send sent by the body and the sensation of a full bladder is one of them. Often as a side effect of medication one may face this problem.
  4. One may have a small bladder that may not be able to hold the large volume of urine that the body produces. Maybe during the day, the person may not face a problem but at night this can be a reason for bedwetting. A person's bladder can also become hyperactive during the night which leads to the inability to hold the urine in during sleep.
  5. Diabetes is a very common reason for bedwetting among adults, especially among elderly people. In the case of type 1 diabetes, the extra glucose that is stored in the liver and muscle tissues are released between meals or during exercise or at night during sleep.
  6. Urinary tract infection caused by microbes can cause one to lose control over the infection bladder. Infection in the bladder or the kidneys or ureters and the urethra are termed as UTI.
  7. An obstruction in part of the urinary tract, such as from a bladder stone or kidney stone can cause a person to face this the problem of bedwetting.

Other than these major reasons, a few others can be an enlarged prostate, obstructive sleep apnea, hormonal problems or genetics can contribute to the problem of bedwetting. Bedwetting may not stay the entire life but in adults, it causes other problems like such as embarrassment or lack of confidence. Bedwetting, however, should not be neglected and one should visit a doctor lest it should lead to other health problems.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult a specialist & get answers to your questions!
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