Bedwetting: Growing Pains

Bedwetting is urinating in bed while asleep. For the millions of kids suffering from this condition, they may feel very embarrassed and feel very helpless about it, but one thing to keep in mind by these kids and their families is that bedwetting is normal. Although in rare cases it may be a symptom to an underlying disease.

Studies have shown that bedwetting does not happen by any conscious effort of children not to get out of bed and go to the bathroom to relieve themselves when they feel the urge to pee. A common story among kids suffering from bedwetting is that they have actually dreamed of going to the bathroom and doing their thing just to wake up in the morning with bed sheets soaking wet. But most of the time they never recall an instance in the night wherein they had a full bladder and had the urge to pee.

Bedwetting is also hereditary. It does run in families. Children who are greatly affected by this condition can find comfort knowing that their favorite uncle, grouchy aunt or mean cousin has the same condition or had the condition once and had ultimately been cured.

Nocturnal enuresis, the medical term for this condition, usually begins when kids were just babies. Statistics show that 15% of children aged 6 and 5% of children aged 10 and above suffer from wetting their beds at night.
 
Children generally outgrow this condition before turning teenagers. But while they still wet their beds, they need assurance and support from their families. Letting them help take out the soiled sheets  is one way of making them feel that they have a certain kind of control over the matter.

It can fall into two categories: primary and secondary bedwetting. Primary bedwetting states that the condition has been regularly happening since early childhood. Secondary bedwetting is when the condition arises intermittently for months.

Primary bedwetting is what most children with bedwetting problems suffer from. There are several ways that families can help out. One way is to remind the children to take a pee before going to sleep. Another is to discourage them from ignoring their urge to urinate.

Secondary bedwetting may be a symptom to a more serious medical condition like urinary tract infection, diabetes, organ abnormality or neurological malfunction. Children can also get this when they suffer from emotional stress.

It may not be solved by trying to wake children at a designated time at night to make them pee. This might only disrupt their biological clocks and make them loose precious sleep.

In the past years bedwetting alarms have become popular. Bedwetting alarms are placed under the bed sheets or strapped into the kid's pajamas and are triggered when the child starts to urinate unconsciously. This moment might be the practical time to wake the child up to go to the bathroom and pee. The child would then feel vibrations or movements from the alarm and would be aware of what is going on.

Bedwetting usually goes away as the child ages. Family support and morale boosting activities is the best way to deal with this condition. But sometimes bedwetting should be considered as an indication of another medical condition being present in the child. This usually happens with children having irregular bedwetting schedule. A doctor must be consulted first before any action is taken.