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INTRODUCTION

It is quite a pity that nature in its beauty is engraved with a gamut of disorders. The social stigma faced by adults that bedwet can be depressing. In as much as it is socially unethical, is it their fault?
No, anyone can be a victim.

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BEDWETTING/ENURESIS

Bedwetting, also called enuresis is the voiding of urine during sleep. It usually occurs in children from birth until around 3 to 5yrs at which time, it is considered normal. When enuresis occurs from 8yrs and above, it could be a pointer to a malfunction in one's system. Basically, the urogenital system comprising the kidneys, ureter, bladder and urethra is in charge of urine production. This system is in turn, under the control of higher centres in the brain thus, they aren't solely independent. This is why any issue with the part of the nervous system concerned with the urogenital sytem can inevitably result in enuresis and other disorders.

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Micturition and its reflex.

Micturition is the emptying of the bladder into the urethra even when urination hasn't occurred. It is a reflex action and thus is not under voluntary control. You can control when to urinate but you can't decide when the urge comes, that's what micturition does. The micturition reflex will help us understand to a great extent the possible reasons adults bedwet, at least at this point, you can obviously see that no one decides to wet the bed; it just happens.

Micturition reflex involves the bladder, internal urethral sphincter, external urethral sphincter and the nerves supplying them. We can control the last one but the first two is involuntary. In extreme cases, we can also lose control over the last one as we'll see in a bit.

The micturition reflex
Distension of the bladder by urine causes signals to be sent to the spinal cord and back to the bladder to cause contraction of its walls and opening of the internal urethral sphincter. Once in the ureter, the stretching of the urethral wall causes signals to be sent to the sacral segments of spinal cord and back to the external urethral sphincter through the pudendal nerve. It is this sphincter that we can control. We can voluntarily constrict it to avoid urination when and where we want to.

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FACTORS CAUSING ENURESIS

1. A hormone called Antidiuretic hormone helps to lower the volume of urine produced by increasing water reabsorption by the kidneys. When we are asleep, this hormone is produced in less quantity thus causing the kidneys to produce excess urine than normal. If it happens that one drank too much water or alcohol before going to bed, it increases the chances of enuresis.

2. Sometimes the person's bladder may not have the capacity to contain the volume of urine produced at night and can cause frequent urination.

3. Damage to the nerves that tells the brain that the bladder is full can cause inability to control urination thus leading to unprecedented enuresis.

4. Postural defects like lordosis which affects the lumbar spine can also lead to compression of vital nerves in the pelvic region which can invariably cause enuresis.

5. An overactive bladder is one that causes the slightest volume of urine to be expeled once it enters. It results in an increased frequent urination and this condition can inevitably cause enuresis.

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POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

1. Accept the problem
2. See your doctor
3. Regulate your daily fluid intake
4. Practice good sleeping posture
5. Use an alarm to wake you up when necessary
6. Avoid stressful conditions and frequent anxiety
7. Confide in someone you trust to help you get through it

I believe that at this point, you'd treat anyone around you with wisdom if they have this issue. Don't add fuel to the flames.
Just like other health issues, enuresis is not an exception so let's try and change our orientation and perception of issues like this.

Acknowledgements;
@campusconnectng
@whitestallion