Bed wetting, also known as enuresis in the medical world, is a common problem that exists more than you might think. It happens with both adults and children behind closed doors because it is often seen as embarrassing and people feel very alone with it. With children, it is a stage of development that is often outgrown, although it can occur at different ages with each child. Bedwetting is more common among boys than among girls.
A common misconception about bedwetting is that bedwetters are lazy and need to straighten out their behavior. There are a multitude of factors that cause bedwetting. If you wet the bed as a child, then your own children have a higher chance of having bedwetting problems later than expected.
Some of them include difficulty waking from sleep, genetic factors, as they can run in families, and slower development in the central nervous system. These children’s systems have not reached the rest of their bodies, and as a result, they are unable to stop the flow of urine while they sleep. Hormonal problems can also cause bed wetting. A hormone that regulates and slows the production of urine at night, called antidiuretics, may be missing in the body. These are typical causes if the problem is ongoing and has never been resolved.
Problems in the body, such as urinary tract infections that are temporary, can also cause sudden bedwetting. If a bed-wetting problem occurs out of the blue, then an illness such as a urinary tract infection may be the root of the problem. Constipation has been considered as another cause of sudden bedwetting. Another problem that is not always identified is stress. If a big life event occurs, such as a new addition to the family, a change in schools, or a big move, the child may have an adjustment period and bedwetting may be involved.
Bladder control is not always achieved as soon as parents want. Many parents are frustrated because they feel that children should be able to control their bladders at night as soon as they are potty trained, which is two years old. Most parents don’t know that the age at which bladder control is most developed and complete is six years of age. Medical intervention is generally not used until the age of seven. If your child has a bedwetting problem before, time is often the main tool to stop it. It is estimated that approximately thirteen percent of six-year-olds wet the bed and five percent are still bedwetters at age ten.
Children should not be embarrassed if they have trouble wetting the bed. The best thing that parents can do is support their children and let them know that they are there for them. They need to know that they are not alone in this and that eventually the problem will be resolved. Patience is key when it comes to children’s bedwetting problems.