Most children acquire the capability to control their bladders while asleep by the time they're five, but about twenty percent of children that age still suffer from bedwetting ("nocturnal enuresis"). This relatively simple condition isn't well-understood, unfortunately, and youngsters and their families suffer stress, financial problems, shame, self-esteem problems, and in some cases longer-term behavioral problems.
A bedwetter, technically, is somebody who wets the bed more than twice in a month.
Many different causes have been identified for bedwetting, yet the most prevalent is simply delayed development: some children don't acquire the bladder control necessary for a "dry night" until some time after they reach age five. Children have no control over this; neither do their parents. Other reasons include such things as infection or disease, physical abnormalities, a delay in the onset of the production of a hormone that reduces nighttime urine production, constipation, caffeine and/or alcohol consumption, ADHD, sleep apnea and psychological problems. A child cannot control these things, and most can't be controlled by parents or caregivers, either.Some suggested causes of bedwetting that haven't been proven are heavy sleeping, allergies, strain, improper toilet training, and even dandelions (which are reputed to be a powerful diuretic!)
If neither parent was a bedwetter, the chances are slim (15%) that their child will be, but if both parents were, then the chances are great (77%) that the child will be a bedwetter, demonstrating that genetics plays a key role in bedwetting.
Bedwetting is a problem that leads to other problems. Obviously, the night's sleep has been disrupted. Other problems arise, though: bedwetters are frequently shamed or punished, leading to low self-esteem, which can then be further damaged by other factors such as how the child is treated by his peers, if parents react negatively, and how long the bedwetting's been going on.
Parents and caregivers try to encourage their children not to wet their beds, by positive and/or negative reinforcement, and also through medical or quasi-medical approaches. Punishment for bedwetting accomplishes nothing, because the causes of bedwetting are beyond the child's control. Punishment for bedwetting, in fact, generally causes more problems for the child's self-esteem and emotional development. A better approach would be to reassure a youngster that it's a part of growing up that it'll go away.
Waiting is the most effective solution to bedwetting, surprising as that may sound. The fact is, most children will simply outgrow the problem.Most doctors won't recommend medical treatment for bedwetting until age seven at the earliest for this reason - the incidence of bedwetting reduces by more than half (from 20% to 7%) by age seven.
Responsible parents will take some commonsense measures to help their bedwetting children. For instance, they can get waterproof mattress covers and special absorbent underwear. In addition, they can monitor and restrict their youngsters's liquid intake during the few hours before bedtime, and make sure they use the toilet just before going to bed. If a child is still a bedwetter at age seven, medical treatments are available based on a doctor's diagnosis of the cause. A pediatrician might recommend a "bedwetting alarm," which wakes the child up when it senses moisture, or he might prescribe one of a number of different specialized medications.
Bedwetting is a frustrating problem for parents and children, but it'll go away on its own over time. Too often, unfortunately, parents don't understand the condition and shame or even punish their children, resulting in hosts of other problems in both the short- and long-term.
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