Poor grades in a school, a move to a new town, rejection from a team or club, or an unexpected illness in the family are just some of the major stressors children may experience growing up. These situations may affect how kids feel about themselves and how they cope on a day to day basis.

I'm often asked by parents of children who still wet the bed if stress is what's causing their child's bedwetting. According to medical journals and urologists, that's probably not the cause. The feeling seems to be that bedwetting is genetic (it runs in families) and that the signals between the brain, nerves and muscles of the bladder haven't matured yet. Over time as the bladder grows and muscles strengthen, bedwetting most often resolves on its own. Stress and anxiety in and of itself will not cause a child who never wet the bed to start bedwetting. However, stress can contribute indirectly to bedwetting.

Emotional and psychological stress can cause a child to behave or act differently, which can lead to bedwetting. It's the change in the child's behavior caused by stress and not the actual stress that contributes to bedwetting.

So if your child is mostly dry at night but then starts experiencing more frequent bedwetting, not only check if a medical reasons such as an infection or diabetes is the culprit but also if their behaviors have changed due to a new stress in their life.

For example, children when under a lot of stress may not sleep well. They may have difficulty falling asleep, resulting in less hours of sleep at night. Because of this, they may fall into a deeper sleep, which can result in bedwetting.

It's not just sleep patterns that get disturbed when your child is stressed, but also their daytime routines such as eating and bathroom habits get thrown off. A stressed or emotional child may be less likely to follow the house rules such as using the toilet before going to sleep or to stop drinking fluids before bed. In addition kids may be more prone to eating sugary or salty foods in an effort to soothe themselves from whatever may be bothering them. This unhealthy coping strategy can lead to more thirst, more fluid intake, fluid retention and ultimately more nighttime accidents.

As a parent, it is really important to deal with the underlying cause of your child's stress in an understanding and supportive way. You should also help your child to maintain their daily habits and routines even if they are resistant. In addition it may be helpful to connect with others families in the same situation. You can find helpful online support at GoodNites.com, where you can submit your bedwetting question to the GoodNites® NiteLite™ panel.