Wake Up to a BedWetting Alarm and a Drier Bed!

Bedwetting can be a humiliating experience–and the source of countless ill-placed jokes.

Man has, from time immemorial, devised ways to help the poor bladder-challenged individual rise up to the challenge. For who could bear the shame of waking up in a soaked and odorous bed?

Believe it or not, the tribal Africans devised a pretty clever way to deal with bedwetting. In this method, they strap a frog – yes, a frog – to the child (or adult if that is the case) to act as a natural alarm. The poor animal would squirm and croak whenever a trickle would come. And from this struggle the patient would naturally wake up and continue relieving himself or herself at the proper area.

Today, with the sophistry of modern technology, such methods need not be employed – much to the rejoicing of the frog population.

The method the Africans used is actually a very effective one. Having something to alarm you or wake you up just about when you are about to urinate helps in the training of the bladder, and the reprogramming of one’s urinating pattern.

Hence the invention of the bedwetting alarm.

A bedwetting alarm is one of the safest and most effective of the remedies available for enuresis (which is the scientific term for bedwetting). It is a moisture sensor which gives off a shrill alarm when one begins to urinate in bed. The sound alone is enough to induce the patient to reflexively stop the bedwetting. This is basically assured unless the patient is a deep sleeper, in which case a guardian is needed to assist the patient to the toilet room.

The sensor is usually snapped unto the patient’s pajamas via a Velcro attachment. Users of the device report that it is not at all inconvenient.

The patient is conditioned to wake up as he begins to pass urine – more specifically, when his or her bladder is full. With the help of the bed wetting alarm, one will slowly but surely rid the habit of wetting the bed.

The bedwetting alarm is used every night until the patient has had at least 14 consecutive dry nights. Usually, this process takes 3 to 5 months.

And in the case of deep sleepers, it would be best that a guardian sleep in the same room as the patient – to wake him or her up with whatever means possible to help reinforce the routine. Also the patient must take charge of resetting the alarm after it goes off, and changing the sheets if they are soiled in the process.

Working with these alarms sometimes have snags that must be avoided. The most common problem is when the patient becomes accustomed to the bedwetting alarm and is able to ignore the warning signals. This is pretty much like hitting the snooze button on our alarms.

However, when the patient gets used to the alarm, he or she should take responsibility for getting up when the alarm goes off. In time, the patient should also be given responsibility for re-setting the alarm after getting up, and for changing any wet sheets or bedding.

A patient should not be punished if he or she breaks a chain of consecutive dry nights. The guardian should take note of improvement and problems. As with most problems, if symptoms persist consult your doctor.

Bedwetting alarms are relatively inexpensive and are very handy in teaching bladder control. And with the help of these alarms, in a few months, the patient can kiss waking up to a wet bed goodbye for good.