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Info for Teens

Teenage Bedwetting

Bedwetting happens when the bladder empties during sleep. The medical name for bedwetting is nocturnal enuresis.

Many teenagers who wet the bed feel very alone with the problem. The fact that no one seems to talk about the issues and the embarrassment of having to ask for help all add to feelings of having secrets and being different. But, you are not alone; there are lots of other people of your age with exactly the same sort of problems.

Bedwetting is much more common than you might think; in the UK there are about half a million young people who are affected.

Although the causes of bedwetting are not fully understood, it is known that it’s not due to laziness or a lack of will power. Indeed research has found a tendency for bedwetting to run in families.

What causes bedwetting?

Bedwetting occurs when the bladder is full and the signal to wake up and hold on doesn’t get through to the brain, so your full bladder empties whilst you are asleep.

Here are some reasons why bedwetting happens:

You may not be producing enough of a hormone called vasopressin which slows down urine production at night. You therefore have to cope with making the same amount of urine overnight as during the day and the bladder can’t hold it.

Your bladder might be overactive and send a strong signal to empty before it is full. Symptoms of an overactive bladder are a sudden and urgent need to wee during the day and going to wee 8 or more times a day.

You may have difficulty waking at night to the signal from your full bladder which then empties whilst you are asleep.

What can you do?

Make an appointment to see your doctor, clinic or school nurse to discuss the options available. These may include medication, a bed alarm or advice on how to cope.

Every night go to the toilet before you go to bed and if you read or watch TV before sleeping always get up and go again even if you really don’t want to get out of bed. This ensures your bladder is completely empty before you sleep.

If you know you wet the bed at the same sort of time each night, you could try setting your phone or an alarm to wake you 15 minutes earlier. Getting up to use the toilet in the night may help you manage to stay dry.

drip of water Drink throughout the day – water based drinks are best. If you don’t drink enough in the day you may not be filling your bladder properly and this can mean it isn’t big enough to hold all the wee you make overnight. But don’t suddenly increase how much you drink too much at once or you’ll find you need to go to the toilet all the time.

Suggested daily fluid intake:

	Female	Male
9 - 13 years	1200 - 2100 ml	1400 - 2300 ml
14 - 18 years	1400 - 2500 ml	2100 - 3200 ml

NICE clinical guideline 111

Sometimes bedwetting happens only after drinking alcohol, this is because alcohol has two effects - it makes you less aware and it makes you need to wee more.

Try not to drink alcohol or drinks containing caffeine –including tea, coffee, hot chocolate and fizzy drinks including coke, especially later in the day. All of these are diuretics which mean they cause your kidneys to produce more wee and can sometimes make your bladder overactive. If you suspect a drink is making things worse, try cutting it out for a couple of weeks and see if it makes a difference at night.

Constipation can cause bedwetting. Drinking through the day, exercise and eating a good variety of food are good things to do anyway, but can often help with constipation. If you are constipated seek advice from your doctor who may prescribe medication to clear your bowel and keep things moving.

Treatments

Alarms

body worn alarm An alarm trains your brain to respond to the full bladder signal, helping you learn to wake up and hold on. You should see little signs that an alarm is working quite soon. These include waking more quickly to the alarm, a slightly smaller puddle in the bed and keeping some wee in the bladder after the alarm has gone off.

Download ERIC's Dry Nights Chart to record your progress with a bedwetting alarm.

What can you do?

Make an appointment to see your doctor, clinic or school nurse to discuss the options available. These may include medication, a bed alarm or advice on how to cope.

Drink throughout the day – water based drinks are best. If you don’t drink enough in the day you may not be filling your bladder properly and this can mean it isn’t big enough to hold all the wee you make overnight. But don’t suddenly increase how much you drink too much at once or you’ll find you need to go to the toilet all the time.

Suggested daily fluid intake:

	Female	Male
9-13 years	1200 – 2100 ml	1400 – 2300 ml
14 -18 years	1400 – 2500 ml	2100 – 3200 ml

NICE clinical guideline 111

Sometimes bedwetting happens only after drinking alcohol, this is because alcohol has two effects - it makes you less aware and it makes you need to wee more.

Treatments

Alarms

An alarm trains your brain to respond to the full bladder signal, helping you learn to wake up and hold on. You should see little signs that an alarm is working quite soon. These include waking more quickly to the alarm, a slightly smaller puddle in the bed and keeping some wee in the bladder after the alarm has gone off.

Medicines

Desmopressin is the most commonly prescribed medication to help stop bedwetting. It doesn’t work for everyone but if you are making a lot of wee at night because you’re lacking the hormone vasopressin then desmopressin may help you become dry.

If you have an overactive bladder a medicine can sometimes be prescribed to stop your bladder muscles from contracting strongly. This can also help with bedwetting.