Bedwetting

The medical term for bedwetting is nocturnal enuresis. This is common among children of age seven and below. This happens when the children sleep. This is prevalent more in boys, when compared to girls. Mostly, the bedwetting stops on its own when the children the age of seven. Some children, even after attaining seven years, have this problem. You can consult your physician if this is the case, without punishing the child and making them feel guilty about it.

What are the causes of bedwetting

This could be an inherited one. Apparently, there are no causes. There could be some problem in brain to bladder communication. If the children recognise the feeling or urge for urination, they naturally will go to the toilet for urination. If the bladder is weak, or if it has not grown well, this can become the cause for bedwetting. Therefore, you have to train the child to avoid bedwetting. During their sound sleep, children bed wet involuntarily. Fear, anxiety or upset of the mind in children can cause bedwetting. You should encourage your children to openly talk to a person they trust, about their worries.

Sometimes, sinus cause breathing difficulty during sleep, resulting in bedwetting. Lack of ADH, a hormone, can cause bedwetting, as this hormone is responsible for controlling the production of urine. Besides the above, a diabetic patient may bed wet. Urinary tract infection or constipation can cause bedwetting. However, these cases are rare.

What are the symptoms of bedwetting

Children achieve control on urination in the night times only after they attain two years, or five years as maximum. After five years of age, the bedwetting can only be occasional. This also goes up to ten years only. Therefore, when the frequency of bedwetting is not significant, the parents need not worry about it. In boys of ages five to fourteen, bedwetting is common. After fourteen years, the children normally do not have this problem. Very rarely, it happens in adults.

How to treat bedwetting

If your child is above seven years, you can consult your doctor. They doctor may order urine test to rule out any infection. Sometimes the doctor may require the abdomen to be scanned. The doctor may also refer to a continence advisor. The school nurse may enlighten you more on the causes. The continence advisor educates the child on controlling the urge. In the course of time the child recognises the feeling and avoids bedwetting. An alarm is useful in alerting the child. After using the alarm technique routinely for a specific period, the child becomes aware of the urge during the night times. Drugs are available to prevent bedwetting, but they do not provide permanent solution. They have side effects too. Some have belief in hypnosis. Some people have trust in acupuncture. However, you have to consult your physician before taking a decision on alternative treatments.

Tips for preventing bedwetting

• Train your child to go to toilet and try for urination, before going to bed.
• Do not allow the children to sleep in utter darkness.
• You can keep a potty near the cot for their immediate usage.
• You can encourage the child by giving gifts, if they use toilet in the night times.
• You can train your child to stop taking fluid intake after dusk.
• Encourage them to take fluids during daytime, so that you can also train them on holding urine in the bladder, during daytime.