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Urology (Expert Forum)
Enuresis
Questions in the Urology forum are answered by Dr. Stephen Liroff, affiliated with the Henry Ford Hospital. Topics covered include benign prostate disease, penis curvature, cystisis, kidney stones, pediatric urology, prostate, sexual dysfunction, urinary tract infections (UTI), and urological cancers.
Enuresis
by maggie, Aug 31, 1999 12:00AM
I am a 47 year old woman. Just recently I have not been able to wake up when I need to urinate. I DREAM about urinating and then DO. It seems to happen at the same time on nights that it happens. I have been under a lot of stress lately and have been short on sleep. Could it be that I'm just sleeping too deeply for the signals to get through? It only happens between 1:00 and 1:30 and not every night, but once is too often. I have had my blood sugar checked, and I am not diabetic. I have experienced stress incontinence at other times like when I cough too hard, etc., but it is not a serious problem. Any suggestions?
Doctor's Answer
by HFHS M.D.-BE, Sep 03, 1999 12:00AM
==========================================
Dear Maggie,
It is understandable that you would say that "once is too often" about waking up to a wet bed. Any time an adult has an experience like this, out of the blue, s/he would feel concerned. Because you do not provide any additional information, like whether you are taking sleep agents, or are on any other medications, or if you have any voiding changes during the daytime, I have to answer this question based solely on the limited information you provided.
Two of the potential organic causes of urinary incontinence at night (nocturnal enuresis) are hyperactive/unstable bladder and obstructive sleep apnea. Adult onset enuresis is seldom a solitary finding, and a complete anatomic evaluation may be indicated to discover the cause. Certainly psychological and emotional stress play a big role in our health, but it is still wise to make sure that there are no underlying physical conditions that are causing the problem. I would suggest that you make an appointment with a urologist as soon as possible if this condition continues. Medications can often help.
In the meantime, a couple things you could do that may alleviate the problem somewhat would be to decrease fluid intake several hours before bed. In other words, don't have anything to drink after dinner time. Curb your alcohol intake, if any, since alcohol acts as a diuretic. Make sure you empty your bladder before bedtime. Try double voiding (empty the bladder twice in a several minute period) just before bed, if you feel there is still some urine left after the first time.
This information is provided for general medical educational purposes only
Dear Maggie,
It is understandable that you would say that "once is too often" about waking up to a wet bed. Any time an adult has an experience like this, out of the blue, s/he would feel concerned. Because you do not provide any additional information, like whether you are taking sleep agents, or are on any other medications, or if you have any voiding changes during the daytime, I have to answer this question based solely on the limited information you provided.
Two of the potential organic causes of urinary incontinence at night (nocturnal enuresis) are hyperactive/unstable bladder and obstructive sleep apnea. Adult onset enuresis is seldom a solitary finding, and a complete anatomic evaluation may be indicated to discover the cause. Certainly psychological and emotional stress play a big role in our health, but it is still wise to make sure that there are no underlying physical conditions that are causing the problem. I would suggest that you make an appointment with a urologist as soon as possible if this condition continues. Medications can often help.
In the meantime, a couple things you could do that may alleviate the problem somewhat would be to decrease fluid intake several hours before bed. In other words, don't have anything to drink after dinner time. Curb your alcohol intake, if any, since alcohol acts as a diuretic. Make sure you empty your bladder before bedtime. Try double voiding (empty the bladder twice in a several minute period) just before bed, if you feel there is still some urine left after the first time.
This information is provided for general medical educational purposes only
Member Comments
by nett64, Mar 10, 2008 01:23PM
A related discussion, Nocturnal Enuresis was started.
