Analysis of sleep pattern in patients with nocturnal enuresis: A prospective, observational, pilot study

This study aimed to analyze the sleep patterns of patients with nocturnal enuresis (NE) using a wearable brain-wave-sensing device.

We prospectively analyzed 10 of the 14 patients who visited the hospital for NE between August 2023 and July 2024 and agreed to participate in the study. Four patients were excluded owing to pairing errors and loss to follow-up. Participants were instructed to maintain a frequency volume chart for 1 week and sleep while wearing MUSE-S™, a wearable brain-wave detection device. We monitored the arousal threshold state based on sleep patterns when NE occurred in all patients.

The median age of the patients was 8.7 years (interquartile range, 7.0-10.6), and 4 patients (40.0%) were male. In all participants, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) deep sleep was the dominant stage in the early part of sleep, whereas NREM light sleep was dominant in the middle part. The arousal threshold was high in the early part of sleep and decreased toward the end. A poor response to enuretic alarms was observed when NE occurred during the NREM deep-dominant period. In contrast, a good response was observed when NE occurred during the NREM light-dominant period.

Differences in sleep stages influence the arousal threshold more than individual characteristics. To effectively manage the NE, focusing on the timing of urination is important in the latter part of the sleep period.