Research has shown that children who snore are more likely to wet their bed than their peers. So what is the link?

There isn't one clear solution offered by the medical community. There are suggestions that the disrupted sleep causes the child to become over tired and they eventually fall into a deep sleep, too tired to wake. It has also been suggested the disordered breathing puts excess pressure on the bladder or maybe even leads to increased urine production or conversely doesn't allow the reduction of urine production through the night.

What is more difficult to pick up is disordered breathing. It is not a mainstream medical protocol to try and make sure the child is breathing correctly. Disordered breathing in children often presents as snoring, but other symptoms include orthodontic problems, ADHD like symptoms, asthma like symptoms such as a runny nose and shortness of breath, and also bed wetting. Disordered breathing can cause an imbalance in the hormones and other systems in the body that can lead to tightening of the smooth muscle tissue including the bladder. While a runny nose can be caused by infection or enlarged adnoids, a continuously runny nose is a sign of disordered breathing (breathing incorrectly).

The relationship between the different systems in the body is far from fully understood. But there are links between breathing, diet and exercise that have far reaching effects on our health. It is known and understood that addressing these three factors alone would eliminate much modern illness. There is not a breathing retraining course prescribed by the mainstream physicians but if you suspect your child may have a breathing problem over just a bed wetting problem then take a look at ways to retrain your child's breathing.

One breathing retraining program designed specifically for children with asthma but has had a positive effect on children's snoring and bed wetting is that designed and used by Buteyko practioners. Even if your child's not an asthmatic it may help!

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