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Soggy nights, damp beds, and dampened spirits
are common concerns for parents of small
children who wet the bed. Bedwetting, also
called nocturnal enuresis, is very common
among children under the age of six. Boys
are about three times as likely as girls
to have bedwetting problems. Deciding how
to treat bedwetting has a lot to do with
what is causing the bedwetting to happen.
Treatment, with or without medication, is
available to children to reduce the likelihood
of wetting the bed.
Reasons
for bedwetting
Why a child wets the bed is linked to many
factors. Although the exact cause of bedwetting
remains unknown, family history appears
to play an important role. If one or both
parents had bedwetting problems when they
were children, their child's chances of
wetting the bed increase. In the case where
both parents wet the bed as children, their
child has a 77% chance of also wetting the
bed. It also appears that if the father
of the child wet the bed as a child, his
child's chance of nocturnal enuresis is
higher than if the mother wet the bed. Other
key factors that may play a role include:
- smaller bladders: Your child may not
be able to hold the urine that is made
during the night because their bladders
have not developed enough.
- imbalance of a hormone: A hormone called
argentine vasopressin (also known as antidiuretic
hormone) may not be produced in high enough
amounts in children who wet the bed. This
hormone helps the body reduce how much
urine is produced at night.
- underdeveloped bladder: Some children
may have an underdeveloped bladder and
may not be able to sense when they have
a full bladder and thus will not awaken
during the night. This may be especially
true if your child is a heavy sleeper.
- stress: Stressful situations or events
such as starting a new school or being
away from home may trigger bedwetting
in some children.
- urinary tract infection: Although they
are commonly associated with pain, a urinary
tract infection can cause frequent urges
to urinate.
- sleep apnea: ASleep apnea is a condition
where your child experiences interruptions
in their breathing while they sleep. It
may cause bedwetting.
- constipation: A child with constipation
problems may also have a build-up of urine
that is released at night.
- diabetes: If a child who normally does
not wet the bed has bedwetting episodes,
talk to your doctor about diabetes and
its link to bedwetting.
What
you can do to help
Solving the mystery of why your child wets
the bed requires some time and investigation.
Although most children outgrow the condition
without treatment, resolving an underlying
medical condition (e.g., type 1 diabetes
or urinary tract infection) is important.
For those children who do not have an underlying
condition, deciding on treatment is often
the next step.
In the meantime, your child can reduce
the chance of a wet night by following a
good bedtime routine:
- Limit the amount of fluids before bedtime.
Try not to drink anything after dinner.
- Urinate twice before bedtime, once at
the start of the usual bedtime routine
and again just before lying down in bed.
- Go to bed earlier. An extra 30 minutes
of sleep at night may yield surprising
results.
Avoid punishing or teasing your child for
wetting the bed; instead, celebrate and
encourage their efforts to stay dry overnight.
Using a plastic cover on the bed can help
to make clean-up easier on you and your
child. Involve your child - ask them to
be a part of the clean-up process by putting
away their wet cloths.
Wetting the bed is not something that your
child is doing on purpose. With patience
and understanding, you and your child can
work together to get through bedwetting.
Talk to your doctor or Shoppers Drug Mart Pharmacist for more information about bedwetting.
Ask your Shoppers Drug Mart Pharmacist about the
available treatment options that are available
to help your child stay dry overnight.
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