Bedwetting
1 medicine
Bedwetting (nocturnal enuresis) is involuntary urination during sleep, most common in children, and sometimes treated with the hormone-based medicine desmopressin.
Key facts
- Bedwetting, or nocturnal enuresis, means involuntary urination during sleep; it is very common in young children and usually resolves on its own.
- The main driver is often a night-time mismatch: the kidneys produce more urine than the bladder can hold, or sleep is too deep to wake for a full bladder. A relative shortage of the hormone desmopressin often plays a role, and family history matters too.
- Most children under seven do not need treatment; when the pattern is persistent, hormone therapy with desmopressin can help.
- New bedwetting in an adult, or a previously dry child who suddenly starts again, always warrants medical evaluation.
What causes it
The most common underlying factor is a temporary mismatch between the kidneys and the brain overnight: the kidneys produce more urine than the bladder can comfortably hold, or the child sleeps too deeply to wake when the bladder is full. A relative shortage of desmopressin, a naturally occurring hormone that tells the kidneys to slow urine output at night, often sits at the root of this. Family history plays a role too; if both parents wet the bed as children, the chance their child will is meaningfully higher.
When to seek help
Most children under seven do not need medical attention for bedwetting; it commonly resolves as the bladder and nervous system mature. A doctor's review is worth seeking if the child is older than seven and still wetting most nights, if a previously dry child suddenly starts again, or if there are other urinary symptoms such as pain or daytime leaks. In adults, new-onset bedwetting always warrants evaluation to rule out an underlying cause such as a urinary tract problem or diabetes.
How it is treated
When the pattern is persistent, hormone therapy with desmopressin, which replaces the night-time dip in the body's own hormone, can make a meaningful difference by reducing urine output overnight. Bedwetting alarms, which wake the child at the first sign of moisture, are another established option and can be used alongside or instead of medicine. Simple habits help too: limiting fluids in the hour or two before bed and making sure the bladder is fully emptied at bedtime.
This page is educational and does not replace advice from a doctor or pharmacist who knows your health history.