Bedwetting and Hot Summer Nights – Part 2

Summer has finally arrived to where I live, and this means hot, sweaty nights. This can be annoying for anyone, but it can be particularly problematic for those of us who wet the bed, wear protection at night, and/or protect our mattresses with various waterproof pads and covers. Waterproof things like diapers, pads, and mattress covers do not breathe like fabric, and as such tend to increase sweating and discomfort on hot nights.

I covered mattress covers in Part 1, here I explore diapers and pads.

Diapers

Now these are even more sweaty than mattress covers, as the encase warm sweaty parts of the body in waterproof material. Here are a couple of tips I’ve found helpful when wearing diapers in warm situations:

• Use baby powder – You probably already do, but this will really absorb moisture and helds keep your skin dry. Find a brand that works well for you and bring it with you. I’ve found that I can’t always rely on finding the brands I like while travelling abroad. Pro-tip: Buy the biggest bottles you can find and one smaller travel-sized bottle. When the smaller one runs out, simply re-fill it from the larger bulk bottle.
• Wear cloth-backed – They may be a little less reliable, but the breath way better, and the cloth backing prevents plastic from the diaper from coming into contact with your inner thighs and other parts of your body, which increases sweating. If you already have a pair that works for you, try a similar variety from the same company, but just a cloth-backed version.
• Wear smaller diapers, like cloth-backed pull-ups – Ok, so this is the riskier recommendation. I don’t know about you, but I take as many measures as possible to prevent getting the mattress of a hotel bed wet. My mattress at home is already pretty stained; one more little circular patch isn’t going to make much of a difference. But I’d rather not damage a hotel’s mattress. I know this is also the case for many of my readers with whom I’ve talked with. As such, I tend to wear better protection (premium diapers, slightly more absorbent diaper) when traveling. These are unfortunately also the kind of diapers that are the sweatiest. If you have reliable mattress protection, you can consider wearing a more breathable pull-up, like one of these Tranquility pull-ups. Pull-ups have come a long way and can be much more breathable than tabbed diapers. You can even roll down the waistband (or even trim it with scissors) to decrease the surface area, and increase the comfort.
• Go without protection – Again, this is riskier, but if you have a reliable mattress cover (like your own Goodnite’s Bed Mat), you may just want to forgo the diaper. Wet underwear can always be washed in the sink and hung up to dry, or transported home in a zip-lock bag, or go without.

Pads

Other than diapers, several readers have suggested that they wear pads at night to catch leaks. While my experience with pads is that they are less reliable and don’t have the standing gathers that catch leaks (I’m a side-sleeper mostly), these can be a great option for keeping cool. After all, underwear with a pad in them breath way better than a full diaper or pull-up. If you are selecting a pad for the first time, try one that is specifically meant for nighttime use. These ones have larger sections in the back and standing gathers. Daytime pads (and pull-ups and diapers for that matter) are meant to typically catch leaks and accidents from a person who is upright.

One system I tried out in my youth was a ‘belt and pad system,’ like this one:

I found them less comfortable as compared with Goodnites and so I abandoned them, but they are very breathable. They work with two elastic sections with buttons on either end, which fasten into islets in the pad.

Another option is a ‘mesh pants and pad system.’ These work like your typical pad that sticks into your underwear, but rather than a sticky pad, they rely on a close fitting but very breathable mesh set of underwear to hold the pad in place. Like this:

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We all have our own techniques, and I would love to hear yours. The number of nights I’ve tossed and turned and sweated this summer alone demonstrates that I am far from an expert when it comes to bedwetting and warm weather. What works for you? Add it in the comments or send me an email at bedwettingtraveller@gmail.com.

Bedwetting and Hot Summer Nights – Part 1

Summer has finally arrived to where I live, and this means hot, sweaty nights. This can be annoying for anyone, but it can be particularly problematic for those of us who wet the bed, wear protection at night, and/or protect our mattresses with various waterproof pads and covers. Waterproof things like diapers, pads, and mattress covers do not breathe like fabric, and as such tend to increase sweating and discomfort on hot nights.

I remember growing up with by bed protected by a (noisy) plastic mattress cover and dreading hot summer nights. Some morning the sheets would be soaked through with sweat and I slept very poorly. Wearing Goodnites on a cold winter night was not all that uncomfortable, and could be rather cozy, but in the summer this meant clammy sweaty skin and even rashes.

There were quite a few summer nights when I would forgo the Goodnites and just resign myself to waking up in wet sheets; at least I would manage to get to sleep. Going without protection is fine if you are at home and trust your mattress protection (or have a comfortable sleeping mat/pad), and if you share a bed with a partner who is understanding and very accommodating. However, this is not an option when you are on the road. Even with an accommodating hotel that supplies a mattress cover, I would still be nervous about going without any protection. Mattress covers are not entirely reliable and damaged mattress fees can be steep.

This post explores a couple of options to help those who wet the bed deal with the heat. I suppose it applies equally to those traveling to hotter climates, as well as those simply trying to get a comfortable sleep at home in the height of summer. I will primarily be orienting it around those travelling.

First things first, I do not have an air conditioner at home, but I find that most of the decent hotels I visit whilst travelling do. This is a big relief and has made me a little lazy when it comes to devising techniques to beat the heat.

Mattress Protection

Waterproof mattress covers come in a wide range of materials. I’m lucky that I didn’t have to experience rubber sheets while growing up, but I did have a noisy plastic mattress cover on my bed all the way up until high school. At which point I finally got a quieter cover, though it still seemed obvious to me.

Modern mattress protectors are often design to breath and are made from some very reliable and breathable materials. For example, the SafeRest, advertises itself as being waterproof with a breathable membrane. I’ve used one of these fitted-sheet-style covers on my bed before but found it leaked after about a year of wear and tear.

I then ‘upgraded’ to something similar to this Millano SilverClear Terry Waterproof Mattress Cover. This cover entirely encases your mattress, which is great for preventing some kinds of leaks, but can be a hassle when it comes to changing it, as you need to lift up the entire mattress and unzip it, and it’s a lot of moving heavy mattresses about. The one I use is pretty decent, though my last serious leak did find a hole and soak through to my mattress. I have yet to replace this one, and instead have just thrown down a Peapod Mat. It’s great and never leaks, but is not totally ‘summer friendly’ and can get a little warm (it’s a terrycloth towel-like surface).

While searching online, I did find this cover, the Tempur-Pedic Performance Luxury Cooling Waterproof Mattress Protector, which advertises itself as cooling, which might be ideal for summer. I’ve not tried this before and would love to hear from someone who has.

You will have likely experimented with different covers at home, and hopefully have found one that is comfortable. However, when you are on the road, we must take what we can get. So far, only a handful of hotels offer mattress protectors, and when they do, we don’t get a choice in the brand or materials.

So how does one beat the heat in these cases? If you get a mattress cover that doesn’t breath, I recommend requesting a couple of additional sets of sheets. Having additional layers between you and say a horrible plastic cover will help reduce sweating and discomfort.

Adding a couple of layers of towels is a less ideal but still workable solution, so long as they are underneath the sheet. I find this is a little frustrating, as the towels can bunch and be difficult to keep smooth. Likewise they can make things warmer.

If there is no mattress cover, or even if there is and you don’t trust it, and you are considering going without protection or perhaps wearing something a little more breathable but less reliable, you may want to bring a disposable bed mat, like a Goodnites Bed Mat, and put it underneath a couple of layers of sheets.

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We all have our own techniques, and I would love to hear yours. The number of nights I’ve tossed and turned and sweated this summer alone demonstrates that I am far from an expert when it comes to bedwetting and warm weather. What works for you? Add it in the comments or send me an email at bedwettingtraveller@gmail.com.

For more, see Part 2, coming soon!

Finding a Bedwetter-Friendly Hotel in Kyoto

Next month I will be off to Japan for a weeklong work trip, and this time I was given the freedom to find my own accommodation (within reason and my per diem). So I set about reaching out to hotels in my price range to see how accommodating they might be. I thought I’d do what this helpful reader did when looking for an accommodating hotel in Johannesburg, namely, make a table and contact a bunch of places in order to find the best one.

I thought this would be a relatively easy task, but it soon proved challenging for a number of reasons. First, there was a language barrier – some hotels did not have easily identifiable English web pages, and other that did, had forms which refused to translate. On some hotel websites I couldn’t even locate a way to contact them other than by phone. Given the likely language barrier and time zones, I opted to only reach out to hotels with emails, online forms, or online chat features. If I was unable to contact the hotel, I marked down ‘N/A.’ If I was able to contact the hotel but did not hear from them within a week, I marked down a ‘?’

I was pleasantly surprised at the number of hotels that had online chat bots, which directed you to a human if you question strayed from conventional questions (which mine clearly did). The people on these were EXTREMELY polite, and took a variable amount of time to get back to me to inform me that they did not have any waterproof mattress covers.

As you can see from the table below, I ended up contacting a bunch of different hotels spread out across the city. I did this over the course of three nights, and was impressed that all but a handful got back to me within 24 hours, usually sooner. In total I looked at over 44 hotel websites, and contacted a good number of these. I kept at it because I found so few hotels that actually had waterproof mattress covers.

While I did not stay at any of these hotels (or haven’t yet), I did give those that responded a rating, given the nature of their response. Most, as you can see, fall into the 2 category – a polite decline to help. I will highlight the very odd few that offered positive responses at the bottom of the page.

Hotel	Contact Method	Response	Rating
Kyoto Inn Gion	Could not identify contact method.	N/A	N/A
Daiwa Royal Hotel Grande	Hard to understand contact form.	“We regret to inform you that we do not have proof mattress or other similar kind at our property. We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause.”	2
Rihga Royal Hotel Kyoto	Needed to sign up for mailing list to submit contact form.	“Regarding your question, we have a waterproof mattress protector. However, we do not know the reason why you need, so that we are not sure whether this is useful or not. If you let us know for the reason, we can figure out this is better or not.” “Actually, our waterproof mattress protector is for children, so it may be small for adult use. We appreciate if you could bring the waterproof mattress with you. We are sorry for this inconvenience and thank you very much for your understanding.”	3
Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Kyoto	Online chat feature.	Unfortunately we do not have any waterproof mattress covers. We will change the bed sheet for you if needed please feel free to contact our front desk.	2.5
Daiwa Roynet Hotel, Kyoto-Ekimae	Online chat feature.	Unfortunately we do not have any waterproof mattress covers. Sorry for the inconvenience caused. You may contact the front desk if you need to change the bed sheet.	2
Hotel Vista Premio Kyoto	Could not figure out how to contact.	N/A	N/A
Hotel Keihan Kyoto Grande	Very prompt response to online form.	“Thank you very much for your inquiry. We are sorry, but there is no mattress cover for waterproofing. Instead, it is possible to place and prepare multiple towels.”	3
Hotel Intergate Kyoto Shijo Shinmachi	Online chat feature.	“I am sorry that we do not have waterproof mattress/cover, please bring your own waterproof cover. Thank you for your understanding.”	2
Granbell Hotel Kyoto	Online chat feature.	“Hi. Thank you for your patience. We have checked with our related department and unfortunately we don’t provide any waterproof mattress cover or bed sheets in our hotel. It is ok for you to bring a waterproof bed sheets yourself to use on the bed. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.”	2
Hotel Gran Ms Kyoto	Easy online form. Very prompt response.	“Thank you for your inquiry. Regarding your request, we are afraid that we don’t have any waterproof mattress or alternative things. We appreciate your kind understanding.”	2
Citadines Karasuma-Gojo Kyoto	Online chat feature.	“Hi, apologies as they do not provide waterproof mattress.”	2
Prince Hotels & Resorts	No discernible contact method.	N/A	N/A
Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura – Urushitei	Online form.	?	?
Sakura Terrace – Kyoto	No form or email.	N/A	N/A
Hotel Resol Kyoto Kawaramachi Sanjo	Email.	“Unfortunately, we don’t have waterproof mattress. We have just usual mattress. We’re sorry.”	2
Karaksa Hotel Kyoto	Online form.	“Unfortunately, We don’t have any waterproof mattress in hotel. If the mattress were wet, we will change to new sheet.”	2
Village Kyoto	Online chat feature.	“We apologize for taking your precious time. In regards to this matter, we will have to confirm it with our related department before giving you a correct answer. Thank you for your patience. We have checked with our related department and unfortunately, we don’t provide any waterproof mattress cover or bed sheets in our hotel. It is ok for you to bring a waterproof bed sheet yourself to use on the bed. If the sheet was getting wet or dirty during your stay, you are welcome to let our front desk know, they will help you to change the sheets. (No an additional fee will be charged).”	2.5
Kyoto Itoya Hotel	Email.	“We are afraid but we don’t have any waterproof matters.”	2
Garnet Hotel Kyoto	Online form.	“We are afraid that we only provide normal bedding without waterproof. But we can provide one more mattress cover for you.”	3
Villa Sanjo Muromachi – Kyoto	No email or form.	N/A	N/A
Kyoto Century Hotel	Online form.	“We are afraid we do not have waterproof mattress covers or something similar.”	2
The Share Hotels Rakuro	Email.	“We are sorry, we don’t have a waterproof mattress.”	2
Apa Hotel Kyoto Ekimae	No contact information found.	N/A	N/A
Hotel Ethnography Gion Shinmonzen	No contact information found.	N/A	N/A
Comicap Kyoto	Hotel? Incomprehensible website.	N/A	N/A
New Miyako Hotel	Online chat feature.	“I’m afraid we do not have waterproof mattress. Thank you for your understanding.”	2
Tazuru Tyokan, Kyoto	No contact information found.	N/A	N/A
Hotel Gimmond Kyoto	Online form.	?	?
Hotel Mume	Online form.	“However, we are afraid that we do not have any waterproof mattress or something to cover the bed. We are sorry for the disappointing information.”	2
Kyoto Ryokan Gion Sano	Email	?	?
Gion Hanna Stay	Confusing non-English form.	?	?
Yutaka	Online form.	“The beds are good at water absorbency but not sure if the guest can satisfied with our beds. Actually, since we are providing apartment styled hotel, we won’t clean your room during your stay. However, we can put more towels in your room.” “We are so sorry to tell you that we don’t provide the waterproof mattress cover.”	2
Almont Hotel Kyoto	Online chat feature.	“I’m afraid we do not have waterproof mattress, you are welcome to contact our staff in the hotel if you’d like to exchange the bed sheet.”	2
Hotel Gracery Kyoto Sanjo South	Online chat feature.	“Unfortunately we do not have any waterproof mattress covers and you are welcome to contact our front desk for bed sheets change if needed.”	2
The B – Kyoto Sanjo	Online form.	?	?
Lake Biwa Otsu Prince Hotel	Can’t find contact form.	N/A	N/A
Kyoto Brighton Hotel	No contact email found.	N/A	N/A
Hotel Alza Kyoto	Auto-play movie and no contact email found.	N/A	N/A
The Machiya Hotel Kyoto	Email.	“We appreciate for being interested in our hotel. We can provide the waterproof mattress cover for you. If you would like to book our hotel, please let us know how many covers do you need. For your information, there are two twin sized beds in the western bedrooms, and we can also set the Futon (Japanese bedding) in the Japanese bed rooms as needed.”	4.5
Dozen Ryokan	Email.	“At the moment, our guest house does not offer such service, but we would gladly prepare a waterproof sheet to place on top of the mattress. We kindly ask, however, for the guest to also wear some type of diaper or extra layer in case the waterproof sheet is not sufficient.”   “Please mention the information when booking so that we know the booking is made by you.”	4.5
Kyoto Plaza Hotel	Email.	?	?
Kyoto Izutsu Hotel	Online form.	“We are very sorry to tell that our hotel does not have waterproof mattress covers.”	2
Hotel Kuu Kyoto	Broken online form.	N/A	N/A
Hotel Grand Bach Kyoto Select	No contact email found.	N/A	N/A

Of all of these various hotels, only two replied that they did in fact have waterproof mattress covers, or could get some for me. The top hotel out of all of these, and the one I will likely book, is the The Machiya Hotel Kyoto, which responded to my email promptly in the affirmative, and even asked how many I might need. My email was rather vague and in the third person (one of the guests wets the bed), something I do to avoid embarrassment I suppose. This hotel even provided details on the kinds of beds they had. I rare breath of fresh air in a table filled with disappointments.

The second hotel, the Dozen Ryokan replied to my email to inform me that while they did not currently have any waterproof mattress covers, they would gladly procure one for me if I booked with them. I appreciated this attitude, and was only a little embarrassed when they added the following to their message: “We kindly ask, however, for the guest to also wear some type of diaper or extra layer in case the waterproof sheet is not sufficient.”

So I will be picking one of these two hotels, unless I hear back from any of the others in the meantime.