Why do adult women wet the bed?

"Enuresis" is also known as enuresis or urinary incontinence, which refers to the inability to leak urine independently when there is no urinary tract infection. The incidence of urinary incontinence in adulthood is actually not low. It is more common in women and the elderly. About 30% of elderly women and 15% of elderly men suffer from urinary incontinence. In some cases, urinary incontinence in adults may be a sign of a serious underlying disease (such as a central nervous system disease or malignant tumor) that requires attention.

Urinary incontinence or urinary incontinence can present in a variety of symptoms, the following three types are more common:

Stress incontinence: This type of incontinence causes urine to leak out when you laugh, cough, sneeze, or do anything that puts pressure on your abdomen. It is common in women, especially those who are pregnant.

Urge Incontinence: With urge incontinence, a person suddenly feels the need to urinate. Often, the urge is so severe that urine leakage occurs before you can get to the bathroom in time.

Mixed urinary incontinence: Patients with mixed urinary incontinence also have symptoms of stress and urge incontinence.

In the absence of urinary tract infection, the causes of urinary incontinence can be roughly divided into three situations:

1. Urinary tract diseases Urinary tract diseases in older women, such as: detrusor muscle failure or excessive activity, decreased detrusor muscle contraction, low estrogen levels, changes in fluid metabolism and decreased urethral closure pressure, etc., are physiological changes that can cause urinary incontinence. In addition, there are also some pathophysiological changes that can cause, for example, urogenital fistula, interstitial cystitis (bladder pain syndrome), and pelvic organ prolapse (eg, cystocele).

2. Organic diseases Many diseases can cause urinary incontinence, such as congestive heart failure, central nervous system diseases, diabetes, diabetes insipidus, bladder and urethral tumors. In addition, sleep disorders, depression and obesity may also cause urinary incontinence.

3. Cross-causes Potential cross-causes of urinary incontinence include: drugs (such as α-blockers, estrogen, etc.), reduced activity after surgery, changes in cognitive ability or mental state caused by sedatives, environmental factors, fecal impaction, and excessive intake of alcohol and caffeine.

What should I do if I have urinary incontinence?

If you have urinary incontinence, it is best to go to the hospital for examination as soon as possible. Doctors will classify patients with urinary incontinence according to their characteristics and identify overlapping or more serious underlying conditions that may manifest as urinary incontinence.

The typical initial assessment includes: a comprehensive medical history, a full physical examination, and a urinalysis.

When the condition is particularly complicated, further bladder stability test, residual urine test, and imaging examination of the urogenital system can be performed.

How to reduce urinary incontinence?

If you are often troubled by urinary incontinence, in addition to reasonable treatment, it is recommended to make the following changes in your daily life:

Reduce water intake, especially in the hours before bedtime;

Reduce the intake of alcohol, caffeine, spicy foods, or acidic foods, which may irritate the bladder;

If the weight exceeds the standard, it is recommended to actively reduce the weight;