Causes
Bedwetting causes can be a single or a combination of reasons 4
Watch a few short videos that will explain the causes of bedwetting.
Difficult to rouse from sleep
Children who wet the bed have great difficulty rousing from sleep when
their bladder is full. The bladder and the brain do not communicate
properly so that when the child is sleeping, the brain doesn't get the message that
the bladder is full and needs to be emptied.
Overactive or "twitchy" bladder
The bladder muscle becomes twitchy and can only hold small amounts of
urine. The twitchy bladder may spontaneously contract during sleep
which can result in wetting.
Overproduction of urine during the night
Children who wet the bed may have a low level of a naturally occurring
hormone which the brain normally produces
during the night to reduce the amount of urine produced and allow an uninterrupted
night's sleep. If the child has low levels of this hormone
at night, they may produce more urine than their bladder can hold and, if they do
not wake up, they wet the bed.
Reference: 4. Butler RJ and Holland P. Scand J Urol Nephrol. 2000;34:270-277.