Bed wetting is the common term for nocturnal enuresis or incontinence -- having a urinary accident during the night. Bed wetting is not just a child's predicament, and can stem from a number of causes, including an immature bladder in a small child, urinary tract infections or prostate inflammation. The foods you eat can affect the frequency of your bed wetting episodes.
Volume
The volume of fluids and foods with a high water content that you consume within the last few hours before bedtime can influence bed wetting. A small bladder or one that is weak may not be able to hold your urine overnight if you overload the organ throughout the evening. MayoClinic.com suggests limiting your fluid intake after 5 p.m. Try to drink 80 percent of your daily beverage intake in the earlier hours of the day.
Bladder Irritation
You can be prone to nocturnal enuresis because you have eaten foods during that day that irritate your bladder. Spicy and acidic foods like tacos, tomato sauces and citrus fruits, as well as carbonated and caffeinated beverages, can irritate the lining of your bladder, increasing your urge to urinate. Alcohol and artificial sweeteners may also affect your bed wetting experiences and should be avoided.
Food Intolerance
Food intolerance can affect bed wetting. Food intolerance is similar to a food allergy in terms of the symptoms you may experience, including urinary incontinence, rash, nausea and hives. The difference between a food intolerance and food allergy is that your immune system reacts to the offending item to signify an allergy. If you are intolerant to certain foods, you may suffer from symptoms but without immune system involvement. You could experience bed wetting after eating a certain food before you are aware of having an intolerance.
Elimination Diet
An elimination diet is a useful tool to determine how different foods affect your bed wetting. Remove foods from your diet that cause an increase in symptoms; keep track of your symptoms for at least a month. After the month is over, add the food back into your diet and assess if your bed wetting has increased.
