The medical name for bedwetting is enuresis. After the age of four or five, when a person should be able to control the bladder, the involuntary peeing during sleep is the problem. Unintentional urination is more common in infants and young children. Many kids learn to regulate themselves during the day but not at night. Age affects how well a person can manage their bladder. Some parents anticipate dryness from a young age. Nocturnal enuresis is the term used when a youngster is capable of holding their bladder but yet needs to go while they are asleep.
Bedwetting
Prevalence
Enuresis is one of the most prevalent and frustrating disorders of childhood. A child expected to sleep dry at night time without making wetting the bed between the ages of 2 and 4. However, at age four, 25% of children still wet the bed; at age five, 20%; at age six, 15%; at age ten, 8%; at age fourteen, 4%; and at age eighteen and over, 2% of the population are still bed wetter’s.
Types of bed-wetting
There are two main types of nocturnal enuresis such as
Primary bedwetting: Bedwetting since from the early stages of the child. The child not yet achieved nighttime dryness over a period of six consecutive months.
Secondary bedwetting: bed wetting that begins after the child has been dry at night for a significant period of time, at least 6 months.
Risk factors
Risk factors for the cause of enuresis include:
Family history plays a role in enuresis
Chronic constipation
Sleep apnea
Urinary tract infection
Intake of excessive water content foods before bedtime
Medical conditions such as abnormal function of kidney or bladder or neurological system
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Some medications may trigger enuresis
Sexual abuse.
Causes of bed-wetting
Doctors do not know the actual cause for nocturnal enuresis. But there are various developmental conditions include:
Hormonal problem: A hormone called antidiuretic hormone causes the body to produce less urine at night time. In some cases, the human body does not produce the ADH hormone and results in the increased production of urine when the person is sleeping.
Genetics: Teens with enuresis often have a Parent who had the same problem at about the same age. scientifically identified the specific genes that cause enuresis.
Sleep problems: sometimes deep sleep may cause enuresis that they don’t wake up when they want to pee. Sometimes bedwetting is the sign of obstructive sleep apnea.
Bladder problem: Your child may have a small bladder or not developed properly. This cannot be able to hold urine which is produced during the night.
Caffeine: Caffeine can cause a person to urinate more.
Medical conditions: Some medical conditions may also cause secondary enuresis. Medical conditions include diabetes, urinary tract abnormalities (problems with the structure of a person’s urinary tract), constipation, and urinary tract infections (UTIs). Spinal cord injury may also play a role in enuresis. But it is rare.
Psychological problems: Some doctors believe that stress or tension can be associated with enuresis.
Symptoms
Many people will wet their bed only at night. They will not have other symptoms than bed wetting. But some physiological problems with nervous system or kidney may cause the signs and symptoms.
Bedwetting during the day
Frequency, urgency or burning during urination
Dribbling, straining or other unusual symptoms of urination
Being unable to control bowel movements
Constipation
Frequency of urination will vary from children to adult
While adults may urinate only three or four times in a day, children urinate frequently more than adults, in some cases, they may urinate 10 to 12 times a day
Complications of bed-wetting
Bedwetting can create some issues for your child including
A person cannot go to trip or stay outside home for social activities such as sleepover and camp
Rashes may occur in the bottom or in genital area due to sleep in wet underwear for a long time
Bedwetting can lead a person to feel low self-esteem, guilt, and embarrassment
Diagnosis and test
Your doctor may ask questions about your symptoms, your past health history, family history and other medical problems. A doctor may recommend the following to identify the cause of bed wetting.
Urine test to find any signs of an infection or diabetes
Physical exam
Discuss family history, symptoms, fluid intake, bowel and bladder habits, and problems associated with bedwetting
Imaging tests such as X-Ray or MRI of kidney or bladder to look at the structure of urinary tract
Treatment and medications
Your doctor can do several things to treat bedwetting based on what caused it. The most often treatment for enuresis is behavioral modifications.
Bedwetting alarms: To treat bed wetting in teens, various types of bedwetting alarms are available. Most of the persons respond to the alarms and make them go toilet. These alarms will go on when the person begins to wet on the bed. By this alarm, a person can sleep without wetting the bed too much. If it’s been doing for years, automatically you can train yourself to wake up or to hold your urine until morning.
Bedwetting alarm
Manage what you eat and drink before bed: People who with enuresis can manage their food and drinks before sleeping. By going toilet before going bedtime can reduce the bed wetting. Avoid certain foods in the evening which can irritate the bladder include such as tea, coffee, chocolate, sodas and other carbonated beverages containing caffeine.
Imagine yourself dry: Positive imagery can make you dry during the night, where you think about waking up dry before you go to sleep, can help some people stop bedwetting. Some people find that rewarding themselves for waking up dry also works.
Acutreatment: water imbalance can also cause the bed wetting. It can be balanced by doing acupressure treatment. Massaging the pressure points in the body that belongs to water balance points are shown in the figure.
Medical attention
By taking drugs, bedwetting caused by various medical disorders can be treated. The variation for whom bedwetting is a symptom can be treated with medication. For instance:
The output of urine at night is decreased by the medications desmopressin (DDAVP) and imipramine (Tofranil). Only kids older than 5 years old are allowed to get it orally or as a tablet.
An anticholinergic medication, such as oxybutynin (Ditropan XL), can be used to lessen bladder contractions and enhance bladder capacity if your bladder is smaller. When other therapies have failed, it is typically advised along with other drugs.
Bedwetting prevention
Parents should support their children by acting positively and explaining how bedwetting will impact the child's social life.
Wake up your child numerous times so they may use the bathroom to urinate.
Encourage your youngster to urinate frequently throughout the day and before bed so that it becomes a routine habit.
Before going to bed, stay away from caffeine-containing foods and beverages.
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