Bedwetting Facts

'Let's go back to school' - How the body works

All the blood circulating in our bodies goes through the kidneys for filtering. Some fluid and nutrients are re-absorbed back into the blood, while excess water and waste products are concentrated to form urine.

The urine passes down tubes called ureters to the bladder, which is a muscular stretchy bag (like a balloon) and has two functions: the first is to store urine, and the second is to expel it via another tube called the urethra.

Nighttime

At night, the pituitary gland produces antidiuretic hormone (ADH) which tells the kidneys to slow down the production of urine. As we've mentioned, some children don't yet make enough of this hormone. This means their kidneys continue to produce urine at the same rate as during the day, which could be one reason why they wet the bed.

It might also be because their brain isn't responding to signals from the bladder or they may be in a very deep sleep. Either way, the child doesn't recognise that the bladder is full, stays asleep and involuntarily releases urine from the bladder.

What's important to remember is that bedwetting is a phase that most children grow out of.

Further Reading

• Childhood Baby Blues: The Effect of a New Baby on Bedwetting
• Eating and Enuresis: How Foods Affect Bedwetting