Research suggests bed-wetting occurs in 1 to 2 percent of adults. However, the number may be higher. Some adults are likely embarrassed or unwilling to talk with their doctor about the problem. If you experience occasional or one-time bed-wetting as an adult, you likely have nothing to worry about.
The medical name for not being able to control your pee is enuresis (pronounced: en-yuh-REE-sis). Sometimes enuresis is also called involuntary urination. Nocturnal enuresis is involuntary urination that happens at night while sleeping, after the age when a person should be able to control his or her bladder.
“Sleeping in a wet bed could engender the dream, just like—as we often assume—a dream of urinating could trigger the bed wetting.” He explained that enuresis can occur at any stage of sleep, not just REM sleep, “when the more vivid and elaborate dreams occur.”
Psychological or emotional problems: Emotional stress caused by traumatic events or disruptions in a child's normal routine can cause bedwetting. For example, moving to a new home, enrolling in a new school, or the death of a loved one may cause bedwetting episodes that become less frequent over time.
Beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages can act as a bladder stimulant and lead to incontinence. Alcohol can also work as a diuretic and result in both more urine production and the need to go more often. Drinking to the point of blackouts can cause a loss of bladder control as well.
How Do You Treat Bed-Wetting?
- Don't drink right before bed. That way, you won't make as much urine.
- Use an alarm clock. Set it to wake you up at regular times during the night so you can use the bathroom.
- Try a bed-wetting alarm system.
- Take medicines.
- Bladder augmentation.
- Sacral nerve stimulation.
- Detrusor myectomy.
Urinary urgency is the sudden urge to urinate, due to involuntary contractions of the bladder muscle. Urinary urgency is one of the hallmark symptoms of urinary tract infection (UTI) and can be related to other conditions, as well. Certain medications, like diuretics, can also cause urinary urgency.
A urinary tract infection (UTI)
Besides frequent urination, signs of a UTI include a burning feeling when you pee, discolored urine and constantly feeling like you have to pee (even after peeing). You may also feel bladder pressure or discomfort in your back or around your pelvis. Fever is another symptom of a UTI.Frequent urination can be a symptom of many different problems from kidney disease to simply drinking too much fluid. When frequent urination is accompanied by fever, an urgent need to urinate, and pain or discomfort in the abdomen, you may have a urinary tract infection.
Other treatments and prevention
- Wear loose-fitting clothing, especially pants and underwear.
- Take warm baths to soothe the sensation of needing to pee.
- Drink more fluids.
- Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and other diuretics.
- For women: Urinate before and after sexual activity to decrease risks of a UTI.
For most people, the normal number of times to urinate per day is between 6 – 7 in a 24 hour period. Between 4 and 10 times a day can also be normal if that person is healthy and happy with the number of times they visit the toilet.
If you do have to force yourself, here are 10 strategies that may work:
- Run the water. Turn on the faucet in your sink.
- Rinse your perineum.
- Hold your hands in warm or cold water.
- Go for a walk.
- Sniff peppermint oil.
- Bend forward.
- Try the Valsalva maneuver.
- Try the subrapubic tap.
Dehydration. Dehydration is the most common cause of decreased urine output. Typically, dehydration occurs when you're ill with diarrhea, vomiting, or another illness, and can't replace the fluids that you're losing. When this happens, your kidneys retain as much fluid as possible.
Compared to drinking water during a meal or after a meal, it could take the same amount of water anywhere from 45-120 minutes to absorb! No matter what, all the water you drink won't be fully absorbed, as some will pass with urine and stool.
It increases sexual desire — sort ofDrinking alcohol increases testosterone levels in females. This male sex hormone plays a role in sexual desire. It may be a factor in females reporting more sexual desire when drinking.
Pee also is a way for your body to keep the right amount of water. Did you ever notice that if you drink a lot, you pee more and the pee is pale yellow? That's because your body is getting rid of extra water and your pee has more water in it than usual.
In addition to liver processing, about 10% of alcohol is eliminated through sweat, breath, and urine.
Because alcohol is a liquid, it tips the osmolality in favor of more fluid. As a result, you'll ultimately pee out the equivalent of what you drink (assuming your kidneys are working well).
After two weeks off alcohol, you will continue to reap the benefits of better sleep and hydration. As alcohol is an irritant to the stomach lining, after a fortnight you will also see a reduction in symptoms such as reflux where the stomach acid burns your throat.
Drinks with a higher alcohol content — and therefore more potential to dry you out — include vodka, gin, rum, and whisky. Diluting a vodka with soda will also mean it's more hydrating overall, though it'll still have diuretic effects. Some cocktails can take a toll on your hydration because of additional ingredients.
Follow these 13 tips to keep your bladder healthy.
- Drink enough fluids, especially water.
- Limit alcohol and caffeine.
- Quit smoking.
- Avoid constipation.
- Keep a healthy weight.
- Exercise regularly.
- Do pelvic floor muscle exercises.
- Use the bathroom often and when needed.
Sandip Vasavada, MD, urologist with Cleveland Clinic, told the Healthy that if you're prone to leaking, it's okay for preventative peeing, especially for a long stretch of time like a road trip. Going to the bathroom “just in case†every so often won't cause any issues unless it's becoming a daily occurrence.
How to do Kegel Exercises
- Make sure your bladder is empty, then sit or lie down.
- Tighten your pelvic floor muscles. Hold tight and count 3 to 5 seconds.
- Relax the muscles and count 3 to 5 seconds.
- Repeat 10 times, 3 times a day (morning, afternoon, and night).
Those with nocturnal polyuria experience a high urine volume only at night. Their urine volume during the day is normal or reduced. This is usually due to fluid retention during the day that often accumulated in the feet or legs. Once you lie down to sleep, gravity no longer holds the fluid in your legs.
Kidney stones
Holding in pee may cause kidney stones to form in people with a history of the condition, or people who have a high mineral content in their urine. Pee often contains minerals such as uric acid and calcium oxalate.In rare and serious situations, holding urine for too long can lead to a bladder rupture. “We have seen patients who haven't urinated in about a week, and they'll have over 2 liters of urine in their bladder,” Dr. Bandukwala says. “If too much pressure builds up in the bladder, it can rupture.
The bladder is lined by layers of muscle tissue that stretch to hold urine. The normal capacity of the bladder is 400-600 mL.
