Nocturnal enuresis is the medical term of bed wetting. It refers to the phenomenon of involuntary urination during sleep. This is a very common problem in children. Most children stop wetting the bed before they are five, but in some cases this condition persists until teenage. Below is the graph showing the approximate bedwetting rates at different ages.

Bedwetting children tend to suffer from more psychological burden and stress, for some parents blame their children without truly understanding the underlying reasons.  Bedwetting children may feel inferior, tend to become withdrawn, become difficult, and have low self-esteem.  Some even suffer serious psychological and behavioral problems. Parents should address the bedwetting problems to find out the best treatment for their children as early as possible.  Delay in undergoing treatment only worsens the situation.

Types of Nocturnal Enuresis

Primary nocturnal enuresis refers to a child who has never stopped wetting the bed for a long period of time (usually six months or more).

Secondary nocturnal enuresis refers to a child who had been able to control urination at night, but suddenly wets the bed again. This is usually due to pressure arising from some unexpected events, for example, birth of a brother/sister, the child's entering school or some family issues. In general, most secondary bed-wetting will go away as the environmental pressure is relieved or when there are some incentives. However, if the problem persists, you must consult a doctor to rule out a variety of physical problems.

Main Causes of Bedwetting

1. Genetic factor

Bedwetting appears to run in family. If both parents had bedwetting habit when they were children, the chance of their child being a bedwetter is higher.

2. Slower development of central nervous system

Some bedwetting children are simply slower in developing the ability to respond to the signal that the bladder is full.

3. Insufficient antidiuretic hormone (ADH) production

ADH is the hormone that reduces urine production during sleep. Children who have insufficient ADH produce more urine than the capacity of their bladders during sleep.

4. Infection and disease

Secondary nocturnal enuresis and daytime wetting can be related to infection and disease. In rare cases, it is caused by infection such as urinary tract infection.

Related Articles:

Nocturnal Enuresis - By Urology at UCLA
http://urology.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=146

Bedwetting - By University of Florida IFAS Extension
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/he794

Nocturnal enuresis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocturnal_enuresis

Bedwetting - By The Royal Childrens Hospital Melbourne
http://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/factsheets.cfm?doc_id=3716