I am EXCITED that I have you thinking about the why's! There are several causes of bed wetting - but why would allergies be a cause? --- because allergies cause inflammation and swelling of the tissue lining the airway - thus reducing the size of the airway - thus making it more difficult to breathe - and more prone to closure and causing an obstruction. Don't people have a tendency to snore or have more trouble breathing when they have allergies, colds, or hay fever? People also snore more after a night of partying - why? Same reasons - alcohol can cause slight swelling of the tissue (my wife blocks up just after a small drink), and it can cause muscle tone to decrease or become atonic - when on your back gravity takes over and the muscles (mainly tongue) rolls back like jelly and obstructs (blocks) or narrows the airway. "Narrowed" airways cause the vibration that you hear as snoring - the "snort" you hear is a person unblocking their airway. If anyone knows someone who has long "pauses" and then "snorts" while sleeping - please encourage them to be evaluated by a physician trained in sleep apnea - it is a deadly medical condition. My brother has been in a coma in a hospital for over a year - obstructive sleep apnea was ONE of the contributing causes! Putting it simply - when people obstruct (have an apneic event) they have to "snort" or force air past the closure to open it. I know many of you have elbowed your husbands when he makes all that noise (don't laugh - some of you ladies get elbowed too!). All kinds of chemical things can happen, but again to keep it simple, the abdominal pressure for that "snort" can put pressure on the bladder and cause it to release. Factors include: development and strength of sphincter, fullness of bladder, medications, degree of sleepiness, etc. I know some adults who have "accidents" when they sneeze or cough because they still have a weak sphincter. Brian Palmer DDS, ILCA member as well as member of 2 hospital sleep teams. eMail - [log in to unmask]