www.incontinentsupport.org

I have general questions about sleeping through the night. Sometime back I switched over the cloth 24/7 I must say it has been a much better fit for me. The comfort and peace of mind can not be beat. My habits have been changing and I am unsure if it due to the switch. Growing up I am unsure if I wet bed if so it was not a regular thing. A normal (for me) was getting up at least three times during the night to pee. I always wake up when I started to pee or not made it to the bathroom in time. I noticed with cloth I rarely wake up I sleep right through all my wetting. At first I was surprised in the mornings to find myself soaked not knowing I had wet during the night. Is it solid sleep very rested, but I am concerned I no longer wake up. Is this a normal habit to develop? I do love the fact I can sleep anyway I wish stomach, side, and etc.
Not sure if I am getting lazy accustom or what. I started doubling up my night time diaper due to increased wetting worried about leaks with not getting up. Over night the wettings have become extremely heavy. I through the added bulk would bother me which it was in the beginning, but now I just get up without thinking about it. I do a lot of work around the house. On the weekends I do so much I am waiting a long time before hoping in the shower. It seems strange that I would have grown accustom to the bulk. Logic says this should bother me, but I am not depressed or upset about this. I know I need the protection maybe it is just acceptance setting in completely in my mind and body. I was wondering if I should not do the doubling and maybe set an alarm at mid point (12:00 am) for the bathroom? Or is it best I just go with my current path and stop over thinking all this so much?
My later night thoughts while sitting in bed hope no one minds my rambling. Thanks

I to wear double overnight cloth diapers to bed. It really is great to be able to get a good nights sleep and wake up in a dry bed. Every morning my diapers are soaked but the did their job. I wear diapers 24/7 due to an accident several years ago. It took time getting used to wearing diapers but they really help make life a lot easier to deal with.

Hi Steph_39

I think anyone would be happy to be able to sleep thru the night without getting up to pee. Men with prostate enlargement find they can no longer sleep thru the night.

As to whether you should worry about not noticing your wetting and not getting up in the night depends on how you are managing your incontinence. If you are on any programs or therapy intended to reduce or cure your incontinence, then you need to follow the dictates of such a program.

But if your incon is not cureable and there is nothing to be done for it, and you are wearing diapers to bed anyway, there is nothing wrong with using the diapers as a means of getting an uninterupted night's sleep. We often lay guilt trips on ourselves for no reason.

On a bit of different note, I notice the difference overnight between disposables and cloth. I routinely wear cloth and am never aware of wetting and get up refreshed having slept all night.

I wear disposables when travelling so I am in a strange bed that I don't want to get wet. I sleep on a disposable bed pad on top of the bed sheet but the worry remains. I find myself waking with the feel of warm pee trickling over my skin.....common with disposables and never seems to happen with cloth. That wakes me up with the fear that I'm getting the bed wet and I am feeling under me to see if everything is dry and then go back to sleep....which takes a while. A couple of such episodes makes for a poor night's sleep, let me tell you!

As for your other question about getting up and staying in a wet overnight diaper while you do chores and stuff around the house, well, that comes down to personal preferance and comfort level. Myself, I don't find that heavy wet overnight diaper comfortable for doing anything other than sitting at the computer for the morning mail and news while I have my coffee. Then it is into the shower and dressing, starting with a clean diaper, to face the days activities.

That's my two cents worth!

Hi Steph. I usually am wearing Tranquility overnight diapers with a booster pad. My husband normally gets up and checks on me late at night. If I'm sleeping he won't wake me unless I have had a bowel event. If I wake and I'm uncomfortably wet we will just change the booster and thats normally enough to get me through the night. I sleep on a disposable underpad in case of leaks.

Steph, I have found that when I wear cloth diapers at night - which is almost every night except when traveling, I never wake with the feeling i have to go. I believe I have that feeling with disposables because they are tighter and create a sort of blockage. The cloth diapers are loose and therefore I believe it is why I just wet without knowing. Just my thoughts. Maybe we sleep better because we are more comfortable also in cotton -not paper. Papa

thanks for replies,
Papa, I think I must agree with your assessment. I could not get comfortable in disposable over night therefore could not completly rested. Always trying to avoid a leak and sleeping on my back. The comfort level of the cloth must be allowing me to fall into deep sleep, and I can sleep on my stomach. Take care

Hi Steph and all my incontinence is due to prostate enlargement so was able to get up at frist then fell into period would just about wake then dose back real wet the next moring so have let it not bother as much now.The sleep is more important.

I think most continent people assume being wet is the most horrible sensation and imagine if they got three drops on their underwear they'd stop everything and go change it. When you're wet all the time, it just doesn't matter that much. I admit it really feels good to shower and powder myself all up and enjoy the dryness until the drips and dribbles quickly restore my normal state of dampness, but I don't jump up and change the moment a bit of wetness occurs. That could get expensive.

On the weekends I get up about 5:30 and hit the road on my bike by 5:45 or so. I put my bike shorts on over my nighttime diaper, since I know it's gonna get a little wet and I don't want to waste things. Then I shower and resume the day dry, at least for a while. So no, I don't think keeping a wet diaper on for a while until it really needs changing is weird or anything.

_________________
Fred

Steph,
The same thing started happening to me when I began wearing cloth. I started wetting at night alot more. I used to only wet occasionally at night. I usually rotate between the cloth and abena xplus. I have severe urge incontinence during the day and have to wear a diaper anyway, so wearing them at night is no big deal. And like the other users have stated, changing a diaper everytime it gets a wet is expensive. I try to change whenever the breif gets close to its absorption limit. So no, I don't think walking around in a wet breif/diaper is weird. I just think its being more economical and getting the most use out of them.

Hi Steph, I think everyone on here that used disposables at night, THEN changed over to cloth have a similar story/situsation. I have been using cloth now for just around a month, after 15 years of disposables at night, and daytime. I slept VERY poorly in a disposable, waking frequently to check fo leaks if I had an "episode". Now night wetting has become much more frequent, and with cloth, I do not even realize I have gone, I just wake up to it and a wet diaper. No big deal, but with disposables I woke almost right during or after it occurred. A better, restful sleep is what matters to me, not running to the bathroom to "try and make it" every hour or two, or to wash up, I just take care of that in the morning. I have had enough nights of broken sleep, and days when I was so exhausted I was no good for anything, that I don't get up anymore, I need the rest more. In the morning I rarely stay in a wet diaper, I would rather wash up, get the laundry started, and get on with my day. I also don't enjoy dealing with a rash, so a quicker change is beneficial to avoiding that too. Take care, Puffy