The answer is no. That is a myth but can become a fact only if you let that happen. Confusing? Wearing a diaper is a compulsion for many, in case they are incontinent or on their way to become incontinent. But not all cases are alike. For many, it is a choice, for different reasons of course. Some chose to wear diapers as they fantasize themselves in diapers and some wear them simply as a precaution for they fear their bladder might leak.
How one becomes incontinent?
You may have heard ‘Out of sight means out of mind’. This phrase explains how that initial ‘no’ turns into a ‘yes’. As for peeing is just out of the list of our to-do body processes, our mind just forgets to register that action. To understand how we can eventually become incontinent wearing a diaper consistently, we will understand the functioning of three main areas involved in an individuals’ urinary response system. They are:
- Bladder - It sends the first signal to the brain when it is full and needs to be emptied. If a normal person wears a diaper and his bladder is full, his bladder will send a signal to the brain to release the pee.
- Nervous System - It is that part of the brain that receives the messages from other parts of the body to carry on the smooth functioning of the organs. Hence, it also receives the signal from the bladder regarding the urge to urinate.
- Sphincter Muscles - These are the muscles under voluntary control, and are responsible for ultimately peeing or pooping when the brain sends it the message to do so. It controls the constrictions or muscle movements involved in urinating or passing stool.
Now, fault in any of the above three will lead to a broken circuit in the urinary response path and hence, involuntary leakage. When the bladder is full, it will send a signal to the brain and one goes to the restroom to empty the bladder. But what if that signal path breaks down somewhere in the middle? This can happen in case our motor and sensory neurons stop working properly.
The weakening of the Autonomous Nervous System
If one is wearing a diaper, he’ll no longer be bothered to find a restroom nearby and will pee there only. With time, the brain stops registering this signal of voluntary control over the action of peeing and this is how a healthy person loses control to hold the pee. Till now, the bladder is sending the signal properly to the brain but the signal coming back from the brain to the bladder to release or wait has weakened over a while.
Now, even after becoming a little incontinent, the third area, i.e., the Sphincter Muscles are still working fine and one hasn’t become completely incontinent. But one is on his way to becoming a complete incontinent if let loose. You can find yourself in two possible situations if your automatic brain response has weakened:
Strong Sphincter Muscles - The Sphincter muscles, on receiving a signal from the brain, are voluntarily expanded by our sensory nerves to release the pee or poop. And when it is done, you must have noticed the relaxing muscle movement near your pelvic area, it is the contraction of those muscles on having completely released the pee.
These voluntary movements are still under your control as soon as you realize you are peeing in your diaper. And this is possible even after the nervous system has failed to register the action. So, you haven’t become completely incontinent but surely on the path towards it.
Weakened or Non-functional Sphincter Muscles - This is the stage where you become incontinent in real sense by wearing a diaper though not immediately but eventually. The Sphincter muscles would properly function only as long as you control them while releasing the pee because their movement is voluntary. But a time comes when one gets too comfortable and starts depending on the diaper completely to free himself from the botheration of controlling these muscles. One doesn’t want to expand or contract these muscles in the middle of an important meeting or a date night. This slowly becomes a habit. This is where complete incontinence takes its charge and you no longer can control the otherwise voluntary Sphincter muscles even if you want to.
Can you become continent again?
In case you have become incontinent not because of any medical condition but because of your habit of wearing a diaper, there are chances to become continent again. No doubt the path is tough but as many says ‘it’s impossible to attain continency again’, that certainly is untrue.
In the case where one’s Sphincter muscles are still under voluntary control, one can certainly go back from here by training his brain to send signals back to the bladder to control the releasing action of the muscles. It will take some time but can be achieved successfully with practice.
In the case where one’s Sphincter muscles have weakened or have become completely dysfunctional, continency still is achievable. One, undoubtedly, needs to work hard to get back the control of these muscles. The most effective way which has proved to be a boon for many in this regard is Kegel. It strengthens the pelvic muscles and helps one regain the lost control, slowly but effectively. You only need to take each day it comes.
“I wear Diaper” anybody making this statement way past his toddlerhood days face shame and humiliation by others. The first phase will probably be them disgusting you for having used a diaper at such an age as diapers are supposed to be worn only by infants or toddlers. And then comes the second phase of making you understand the supposed fact that wearing diapers could make you incontinent.