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Sleep and sleepiness in children with nocturnal enuresis

Vered Cohen-Zrubavel1, Baruch Kushnir, Jonathan Kushnir

  • 1The Adler Center for Research in Child Development and Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, Tel-Aviv University, Israel.

Sleep
|February 3, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Children with nocturnal enuresis (NE) experience fragmented sleep and increased daytime sleepiness. These sleep disturbances are linked to bedwetting episodes, suggesting potential management implications.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Urology
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Nocturnal enuresis (NE) is common in children, impacting their quality of life.
  • Sleep disturbances are suspected but not well-characterized in children with NE.
  • Understanding sleep patterns is crucial for effective NE management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare sleep patterns and daytime sleepiness in children with NE versus healthy controls.
  • To investigate the relationship between enuresis-related events and sleep quality.
  • To evaluate the clinical implications of sleep fragmentation in NE.

Main Methods:

  • Natural sleep patterns were assessed at home using actigraphy and daily logs over 3-5 nights.
  • Participants included 32 children with primary NE and 94 healthy controls (ages 5-9 years).
  • Daytime sleepiness and enuresis-related events were recorded via daily reports.

Main Results:

  • Children with NE exhibited significantly poorer sleep quality compared to controls.
  • NE group showed more nighttime awakenings, reduced motionless sleep, and increased sleep latency.
  • Children with NE reported higher levels of morning and evening sleepiness.

Conclusions:

  • Children with NE have significantly more fragmented sleep and higher daytime sleepiness than controls.
  • Sleep fragmentation in NE is associated with bedwetting episodes and efforts to maintain dryness.
  • Findings suggest sleep fragmentation may contribute to a higher arousal threshold in children with NE, with clinical relevance for management.
Abstract

Keywords:
Enuresisactigraphyalertnesssleepsleepiness

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