The Frustration of Bedwetting
Imagine this you put your child to bed, hoping for a dry night. But by morning, the sheets are wet again. You’ve tried everything limiting fluids, waking them in the night, reward charts—but nothing works. It’s frustrating, exhausting, and heartbreaking. And yet, what if bedwetting wasn’t about the bladder at all? What if the real cause was something no one was talking about?
For so many parents, bedwetting feels like an unsolvable mystery. You follow all the advice, you listen to the doctors who say, “They’ll grow out of it,” and yet nothing changes. But what if the problem isn’t in the bladder at all? What if the issue is actually rooted in something much bigger something happening while your child sleeps?
The Science: Why Bedwetting Isn’t About the Bladder
For years, bedwetting has been treated as a bladder control issue. Pediatricians often assure parents that kids will simply grow out of it. But when bedwetting persists beyond the typical age range, it’s time to look beyond the bladder.
The reality is that bedwetting is often a symptom of sleep-disordered breathing. When a child breathes through their mouth instead of their nose, their body struggles to reach deep, restorative sleep. Instead of entering a relaxed state, their nervous system remains in fight-or-flight mode, prioritizing survival over everything else—including waking up when their bladder is full. In this heightened state, the brain misinterprets signals from the bladder and triggers urination even when it isn’t full.
And this is why the traditional approaches don’t work. Bedwetting alarms, medication, restricting fluids none of them address the root cause: an overstressed nervous system caused by poor breathing during sleep.
The ADHD Connection: How Sleep Disruptions Mimic Attention Issues
Many children who struggle with bedwetting also exhibit signs of ADHD difficulty focusing, impulsivity, hyperactivity, and emotional regulation challenges.
The link? Sleep deprivation. Research shows that up to 50% of children diagnosed with ADHD actually have an undiagnosed sleep disorder. And the symptoms of chronic sleep deprivation? They look almost identical to ADHD.
When the body isn’t getting enough oxygen during sleep due to mouth breathing or airway obstruction, the brain remains in a stressed survival state. This impacts everything from emotional regulation to focus and even a child’s ability to wake up to use the bathroom at night.
If your child has been labeled as inattentive, defiant, or hyperactive you might want to take a closer look at their sleep first.
A Real Story: A Mother’s Search for Answers
As a mother, I was desperate for answers and spent years struggling with my daughter’s nightly accidents. I followed all the advice cutting fluids before bed, waking her up multiple times a night, even trying medication but nothing worked. I started watching her at night, which was when I noticed something was off. Along with the bedwetting, she was having night terrors, tossing and turning, grinding her teeth, and snoring.
Her mouth hung open while she slept, and she often woke up tired despite getting what should have been enough sleep. After learning about the link between mouth breathing and bedwetting, I sought out a specialist. I was still told she would outgrow it. So I researched on my own and found myofunctional therapy. Within weeks of addressing her airway issues and retraining her breathing, the bedwetting stopped completely. It wasn’t about her bladder. It was about her ability to breathe properly while she slept.
Why Traditional Treatments Fail
So why aren’t more parents being told about this? Because for years, bedwetting has been treated as an isolated issue rather than a symptom of a bigger problem.
Many doctors, parents, and even sleep specialists overlook one of the most critical aspects of a child’s health: airway function. When a child’s tongue rests too low in their mouth, or their oral muscles are weak, it can lead to poor breathing habits. Instead of breathing through the nose—which naturally filters and humidifies air—children become habitual mouth breathers.
This not only impacts sleep quality but can also lead to:
✔️ Long-term issues with jaw development
✔️ Increased risk of speech delays
✔️ Poor focus and learning challenges
✔️ Chronic fatigue and behavioral struggles
This is why the typical solutions fail. Because the real problem isn’t the bladder, it’s the airway.
How Myofunctional Therapy Can Help
Myofunctional therapy is like personal training but for the muscles in the mouth and face. Just like you would strengthen your arms or legs with exercise, myofunctional therapy strengthens the tongue, lips, and jaw to help improve breathing and sleep.
For a child who breathes through their mouth, snores, or struggles with bedwetting, these exercises can make a huge difference. When the tongue is weak or sits too low in the mouth, it can block the airway during sleep, keeping the body in a stressed state. By retraining these muscles, children can learn to breathe properly through their nose, which helps calm their nervous system and improve sleep quality.
A typical myofunctional therapy program includes simple, fun exercises that kids can do at home. These might involve:
✔️ Practicing holding the tongue in the correct position at the roof of the mouth
✔️ Strengthening the lips by using a straw or blowing bubbles
✔️ Doing gentle facial stretches to improve muscle tone
It’s important to know that myofunctional therapy is not a quick fix, it’s a commitment. Just like learning to play an instrument or a sport, results take time and practice. But for many families, the benefits are life-changing. If a child is struggling with bedwetting, restless sleep, or ADHD-like symptoms, addressing how they breathe and sleep can be a game-changer.
What Parents Can Do Today
So what can you do if your child struggles with bedwetting, restless sleep, or ADHD-like symptoms? The key is to address the root cause: airway health and breathing patterns.
✔️ Observe Your Child’s Sleep – Does your child snore, breathe through their mouth, or toss and turn all night? Do they wake up groggy despite sleeping for 10 hours? These are signs of sleep-disordered breathing.
✔️ Strengthen Airway Muscles – Myofunctional therapy can help retrain the tongue and facial muscles to improve nasal breathing and support the airway.
✔️ Consult an Airway-Focused Specialist – Pediatric dentists, myofunctional therapists, and airway-centered sleep specialists can help assess your child’s breathing and offer real solutions.
✔️ Encourage Nasal Breathing During the Day – Teach your child to keep their lips closed and breathe through their nose whenever possible.
If your child struggles with bedwetting, ADHD symptoms, or restless sleep, don’t just assume they’ll grow out of it. Look deeper.
🔹 Check for mouth breathing, snoring, or restless sleep
🔹 Rule out sleep-disordered breathing before exploring ADHD medications
🔹 Consider myofunctional therapy for long-term improvement
The good news? There are solutions. Your child doesn’t have to struggle. And neither do you.
When we change the way a child breathes, we change the way they sleep. And when we change the way they sleep, we change their life.
