Alternative Treatments for Adult Bedwetting

Adult bedwetting, or involuntary nighttime urination, is also known under the medical name of enuresis. The etiology of this condition is just partially explained, specialists assuming that it is a combination of psychological and urological predispositions combined with unfavorable environmental factors. This means that the causes of adult bedwetting present 2 different aspects: medical and psychological. The first range of cases is associated with urinary tract infections or even more serious conditions, prostate enlargement, bladder cancer, alcoholism and diabetes. Other causes that may be indicated are of neurological facture, stress, heavy sleep, diet (dairy products, sugars), and emotional problems. Also, specialists confirm the genetic factor as being relevant in some cases of adult bed wetting.

Enuresis affects mostly young adults between 20 and 40 years old, but it is also frequent in the elderly, particularly women. Adult bedwetting at night is surprisingly common, affecting about 1 to 3 persons in 100 throughout adult life, although the embarrassment and prejudice often stop people from mentioning it, even to their doctor.

First step in overcoming adult bedwetting without medical intervention is the strict supervision of the consumed liquids and the limitation of these before bedtime and also, it is a must to urinate before going to sleep. Patients might also train themselves to hold on and go to the toilet less frequently during the day, keeping a record chart that can stimulate them in this situation. The usage of a diary including all drank liquids and the times of urinating at day and nighttime can be useful for further visits to the doctor. The bed wetter can also get help from other family members, who can wake the patient up during the night sleep, based on a schedule, in order to urinate properly.

An efficient non-medical treatment of adult bedwetting, which is mostly applied on children, but gets results with adults, as well, is the usage of an alarm system when the bed gets wet. The alarm functions by sounding a buzzer or by vibrating, which is preferred in a shared bedroom. This system leads the patient to react in time to the urinating need and sensation during the night and gradually, the body learns to hold the urine or to wake up and empty the bladder properly. The alarms are different but some of small sizes and can be applied close to the body. The same procedure must go on another 3 or 4 weeks after the patient is cured, in order to have permanent results and it is most efficient with professional supervision.
 
Acupuncture has become a good solution in both child and adult bed wetting, even in cases where patients had not shown any improvement after psychotherapeutic treatment. This method is successfully combined with the administration of classic or herbal medicine and must be followed constantly on a period starting from 6 weeks to 8 weeks.
 
A tested method in adult bedwetting is psychotherapy, especially with the patients who suffer of anxiety, stress, trauma or emotional transitions.  Even hypnosis was tested nowadays as treatment for adult bedwetting by some psychologists who hypnotically suggest and further convince the patients that they would feel uncomfortable pain in their bladder when they have to urinate. Another unconventional treatment is the Pavlovian method, which consists in a punishment with a freezing shower right after the nocturnal accident, with the purpose of subconsciously conducting the patient to prevent getting punished.
  
The adult bedwetting caused by neurological and psychological factors can be successfully and completely treated without medical intervention, but the alternative treatments and self care also help in the cases of enuresis caused by more serious medical conditions.