Is Bedwetting Considered a Sleep Disorder?

Researchers generally agree that wetting the bed an average of two or more times per week can be a sign of a sleep disorder. Keep in mind that this applies only for patients older than 5 years, the age at which full bladder control should typically be established. Among children and adults, bedwetting on occasion is not a considered a huge problem, although it may imply a more serious underlying condition and should be checked out by a doctor.

When you go to see a doctor, it’s important to note whether you have primary or secondary bedwetting. Primary bedwetting refers to patients who have been wetting the bed for their entire lives. Secondary bedwetting refers to patients who had achieved full bladder control at one point in their lives and then suddenly lost it. The latter is usually a sign of temporary stress or a bladder condition.

Bedwetting is considered a type of sleep disorder called a parasomnia. Parasomnia disorders cause those affected to behave abnormally while they sleep. This can include other sleep disorders like sleepwalking and sleeptalking. In the case of bedwetting, uncontrolled urination is triggered by the parasomnia. The disorder causes a lot of distress and sometimes trauma for patients, so it is important that family and friends of bedwetters remain supportive and understanding of the problem while he or she seeks out help.

Shedding Pounds Helps You Hold Your Pee

If you are overweight or obese, you are prone to many different health problems, including a leaky bladder. Carrying all that extra weight around also puts you at risk of diabetes, another risk factor for urine leakage.

Overweight women with diabetes may prevent a leaky bladder if they lose weight.Obesity puts people at risk of a leaky bladder - also known as urinary incontinence. Research has shown that weight loss can reduce urine leakage.

Obesity also puts people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, suggesting that weight loss could be especially beneficial for overweight women with diabetes.

Lead researcher Suzanne Phelan, Ph.D., of California Polytechnic State University, and her colleagues wanted to see if an intensive weight loss intervention would reduce the risk of urine leakage among heavy women with diabetes.

Are little urine leaks a big problem? How to talk to your doctor

Your friend tells you a funny joke, and then it happens. You start pedaling during your spinning class, and it happens again. You hear water running and oops, you know you will also be wet. You might feel frustrated and embarrassed, but you are not alone. In fact, these types of urine leaks are quite common. Up to 50 percent of all women have occasional urine leaks and up to 10 percent have them frequently, according to the MedlinePlus Encyclopedia.

Leaking small amounts of urine when you do little things like laugh, sneeze or get up quickly are symptoms of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). What causes SUI? Leaks happen when the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body, doesn't get enough support or isn't able to close properly. Childbirth, injury to the urethra area, weak muscles, some medications, being overweight and surgery in the pelvic area are all things that can contribute to SUI. Women can experience SUI at any age starting in their 20s, with most common occurrences in women 30 or older. Incontinence is not a normal part of aging, so don't assume that your condition just happens to "women my age."

If you're like most women who experience these little leaks, your first instinct will be to reach for a box of panty liners. When these unpredictable leaks continue to cause frustration or embarrassment, you owe it to yourself to talk to your doctor about the cause and treatment. Be the one to bring up this issue as many doctors will not ask you directly.

More people struggling with bladder control: study

(Reuters Health) - An increasing number of people say they are dealing with incontinence, according to a new survey of nearly 20,000 U.S. adults.

In particular, the number of women over age 20 who reported leaking urine during the previous 12 months increased from less than 50 percent of those surveyed in 2001 to more than 53 percent several years later.

Incontinence is incredibly common among women -- largely because the biggest risk factor is vaginal childbirth, explained study researcher Dr. Holly Richter of the University of Alabama at Birmingham's division of women's pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery.

In addition, hormonal changes, weight gain and conditions that affect the pelvic floor such as chronic cough can all lead to problems with bladder control.

"The main issue is that the normal support to the urethra, the tube leading from the bladder, is impaired," explained Richter, "and with increases in bladder pressure, the urethra is not able to 'hold back' urine."

Looking more closely at the results, Richter and her colleagues found that the increase in urinary incontinence (UI) among women is partially explained by the fact that more women are older and have chronic illnesses that increase their risk, such as diabetes and obesity.

As a result, even if UI has become a problem for more people, there is something they can do about it, Richter told Reuters Health. Specifically, she said in an email, preventing obesity and diabetes, or managing diabetes once it occurs, "can be implemented to help decrease the risk of UI occurrence, thus decreasing its significant negative impact on quality of life."

Even men experienced an increase in UI during the study period -- from 12 percent to more than 15 percent.

However, the researchers found that the increases among men are not entirely a result of concurrent increases in obesity, diabetes, and prostate disease. Instead, male changes in UI "may be due to other factors that were not identified in this study including other medical (conditions) or lifestyle factors," Richter explained.

During the study, reported in the Journal of Urology, Richter and her team reviewed information collected from 17,850 adults 20 and older during national surveys conducted in 2001-2002 and then again in 2007-2008.

People were considered to have incontinence if they said within the last 12 months they had leaked urine while coughing, lifting, or during any type of activity, or when they could not reach the toilet fast enough.

It's quite possible, Richter acknowledged, that the rate of UI is actually much higher than that reported in the study. "This along with bowel incontinence can be a very embarrassing issue for women and result in the patient denying its existence to friends, family and healthcare providers."

In the published report, Richter acknowledged affiliations with Astellas, IDEO, Pfizer and Uromedica, companies behind drugs that treat bladder conditions.

My doctor told me I have incontinence... now what?

"You have urinary incontinence."

Hearing these words from your doctor can bring out all kinds of feelings and questions. You may be feeling embarrassed, angry, afraid, and alone. You may also have questions about incontinence, how it will affect your work and social life, and where to go for help.

It may help to know that you're not alone: over 3 million Canadians of all ages have incontinence. But you may feel alone because most people are too embarrassed to talk about it - only 26% of people with incontinence ask their doctor for help. So congratulate yourself on having the courage to speak up! By talking to your doctor and getting a diagnosis, you're on the road to taking control of your incontinence.

Here are a few "next steps" to help you cope with your diagnosis and get your life back.

Educate yourself. Learn all you can about urinary incontinence and the management options available to you.

Here are the answers to frequently asked questions for people newly diagnosed with urinary incontinence:

Can it be treated? Yes. There are many treatments available to help manage your incontinence so that you can get on with your life.
Will everybody know? No. With the new discreet treatment and management options available, no one will know about your incontinence unless you decide to tell them.
Is this the end of my social life? Definitely not! You can still enjoy an active social life. Just be prepared: follow your treatment plan, consider using absorbent products for leakage protection, and have an emergency kit (containing extra clothes and absorbent products) to deal with leaks.
How will this affect my relationship with my partner? Your relationship could become stronger than ever as you work together to cope with incontinence. The first step is to share your feelings and concerns with your partner.
Will it be an issue at work? With a proper management plan, it shouldn't be. As with social occasions, it's all a matter of being prepared.
Where can I get help? Talk to your doctor about available support groups and consider confiding in trusted friends and family so they can offer their support.

Talk to your doctor about your treatment plan. Discuss your treatment and management options with your doctor and work with your doctor to choose a treatment plan that will work for your lifestyle.

Get back to your usual activities. When you first found out you had urinary incontinence, you may have scaled back on your social life and physical activities. But incontinence shouldn't get in the way of the things you enjoy. Once you have a treatment plan in place, you can go back to your usual activities.

Find support. Talk to your partner or a trusted friend about what you're going through. You can also join an incontinence support group or online community.

GoodNites Brand Launches New Marketing Program to Help Moms Keep Their 4-6 Year Olds Dry at Night

Kimberly-Clark’s GoodNites brand announced today the launch of a new integrated marketing program to educate moms of 4-6 year olds on the benefits of switching from training pants to GoodNites brand underwear to meet their children’s nighttime needs.

With approximately one million potty-trained kids among this age group still wearing training pants at night to help manage bedwetting, the focus of the new GoodNites brand marketing program aims to raise awareness among moms about a product specially designed for her growing child’s needs.

“In our ongoing partnership with mom, we’ve gained new insight into the needs of those with younger children. We learned many 4-6 year olds are wearing training pants instead of GoodNites Underwear to provide protection against nighttime accidents,” said Tim Abate, marketing director, GoodNites.

“It was through our conversations with these moms that we realized they were looking for a better solution for nighttime wetting.” Abate went on to explain. “The GoodNites brand can give them that solution. At this age, GoodNites Underwear provides an outstanding fit and more absorbency than the leading training pant – helping keep the sheets dry, and the kids confident.”

For more than 17 years, the GoodNites brand’s mission has been to provide advice, resources and product solutions to parents with children who suffer from bedwetting (clinically known as “nighttime enuresis”), to help enable an easy night’s sleep. The new marketing program continues to deliver on this mission, but will also focus on reaching moms of kids 4 and up and arming them with better bedtime solutions.

Day and night incontinence may be inherited

Both daytime and night-time urinary incontinence may have a genetic component, according to a large new study.

While nocturnal enuresis has been known to be somewhat hereditary, little research had previously linked genes with daytime bladder control.

The new study, published online April 21 in The Journal of Urology, suggests that the odds of a child having severe daytime incontinence is 3 to 10 times greater if either parent had suffered the same

Very high caffeine intake linked to leaky bladder

Women who consume a lot of caffeinated beverages may have a slightly increased risk of urinary incontinence, a new study suggests. The results add to conflicting evidence on whether caffeine worsens a common condition.

Researchers found that of more than 65,000 US women, those with the highest caffeine intake - roughly equivalent to four or more cups of coffee per day or 10 cans of soda - were more likely than the less-caffeinated to develop urinary incontinence over 4 years.

Compared with women who got the least caffeine, those with the highest intake were 19% more likely to develop frequent problems with bladder control (at least once a week).

Mums Keep Mum When It Comes To Bedwetting

New survey reveals bedwetting is still a taboo

A survey released today by DryNites® reveals that mums whose children wet the bed fear judgment and embarrassment from other parents. 75% of the 1,513 mums polled agreed that bedwetting was viewed as an embarrassing condition, despite it being almost as common as asthma or eczema*.
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Almost 4 out of 10 of parents polled, whose children wet the bed, admitted not discussing their situation with other parents for fear of being judged as a bad parent of having their child labeled because of it.

Tech venture develops wetness sensor for adult diapers

AKITA -- A technology venture firm here has developed sensors for adult diapers and absorptive pads which informs care workers when a change is needed.

The sensor tapes created by Akita Techno Design are also disposable, and company President Takeshi Ito says sensor-equipped diapers "will reduce the load on both care workers and those they care for."

The new device, dubbed "Oshiri Kaiteki" (Comfy Bottom), is made of carbon material printed on a 50-micrometer-thick sensor tape that is run along the inside of an adult diaper or absorptive pad and connected to a small transmitter. The sensor does not respond to sweat or very small amounts of urine, but will pick up large volume emissions, and send a signal to a wireless receiver.