A recent study suggests that elderly women who have urinary incontinence during the day are at increased risk of falls at night, if they also wet the bed.

The reason may be that women who wet the bed are frailer or in poorer physical or mental health than their peers who don’t have a bedwetting problem, researchers note in the Journal of Urology.

“The study data suggested that poorer overall physical functioning was associated with falls and that incontinence was a marker for poor physical functioning,” said Glenn Brassington, a researcher at Sonoma State University who wasn’t involved in the study.

While not surprising, the results add to a growing body of evidence supporting efforts to reduce nighttime awakening and improve patients’ ability to safely navigate from bed to bathroom and back, Brassington said by email.

“The take-home message for me is that a multi-pronged approach including medical management, strengthening, health behaviors, and creating a safe environment will reduce falls and promote independent living and quality of life of older adults – women and men,” Brassington added.