People who regularly wet the bed during childhood may be more likely to wake up during the night to visit the toilet or experience intermittent night-time urinary incontinence or 'enuresis', a study has found.

Researchers carried out an internet survey of more than 1,200 over-18s in Germany.

Participants completed 30 questions about their bladder habits, lower urinary tract symptoms, quality of life and family history of urinary problems.

Analysis revealed that 53.4 per cent of respondents were affected by nocturia - waking up during the night to urinate - while a further 18.1 per cent reported enuresis.

The remaining participants were not affected by night-time adult incontinence or nocturia and acted as a control group.

According to the researchers, who presented their findings at the International Continence Society annual meeting in Glasgow, people who wet the bed during childhood were more likely to have night-time incontinence or nocturia in adulthood than those who did not.

Many people with enuresis commonly reported restricting their fluid intake in the evenings to help manage their condition.

The study authors concluded that bedwetting in childhood appears to be a "strong indicator of persisting enuresis in adulthood".

They added: "These results call for the prompt and targeted treatment of enuresis, which might not only reduce the rate of adults with this condition but also the number of people with nocturia."

There are plenty of products available for those who need to manage night-time incontinence.

In addition to wearing incontinence pads or incontinence pants, some people achieve greater peace of mind by using bed protection products.

For instance, mattress covers - such as the Total Enclosure Waterproof Mattress Cover - can be used to cover the entire mattress and are ideal for those with heavy incontinence.

Alternatively, people can try disposable absorbent bed pads, such as Tena Bed Super pads, which come in a range of sizes and absorbency levels.