Bedwetting can be frustrating and confusing to a parent. Knowing the causes and available treatments will help you make an informed decision about your options.
Enuresis is the medical term for bedwetting. Recently, support groups have renamed the age old label as nightwetting. Regardless of the name, children who wet the bed at night continue to suffer from the stigma attached to enuresis.
About 15% of children wet the bed up to age six, and 5% up to age ten. A larger number of boys wet the bed than girls. Until recently, bedwetting was thought to be a result of emotional problems in children and worse, a cause of laziness. Parents and physicians alike thought children wet the bed on purpose. We now know that this is simply not the case.
Causes of Enuresis
Genetics- A child who wets the bed most likely has a relative who has had a bedwetting problem. Sometimes, because bedwetting is not a problem most people admit to, it is difficult to discern whether genetics play a part in your child’s enuresis or not.
Kidney or bladder infection- Occasionally a child will be found to have a kidney or bladder infection. If the urine has a very strong odor, the child complains of burning with urination or has other urinary tract symptoms it is possible he has a UTI (urinary tract infection). Making this diagnosis is relatively easy. Your doctor will ask for a urine sample and can test it to identify an infection.
Slow bladder control and development- In some children, the muscle that contracts to squeeze urine out of the bladder is more developed than the muscle that holds the urine in.
Some children make more urine than their little bladders can hold.
Occasionally, diabetes, medication, allergies, and cola or chocolate (diuretics) can be causing enuresis. Your physician can evaluate your child for the above conditions. Diuretics cause you to urinate more and get rid of more fluid. Some parents have noted that taking milk and dairy products out of the child’s diet cures the bedwetting.
If a child has been dry for over six months and starts wetting the bed, a visit to your doctor is recommended. It is possible that the child is experiencing stress or physical problems.
ADH- Studies have shown that most people have an increase in ADH (antidiuretic hormone) at night. Studies on children who wet the bed consistently show that they do not have this increase. This means that urine is not slowed down at night; they make more urine than a child who does not wet the bed.
Deep Sleeper- Research shows that the EEG patterns of children who wet the bed are no different than children who do not wet the bed; however, a common statement parents make to their doctors is that the child is a “very heavy sleeper”. Although there are no EEG (test done to study brainwaves) changes in these children, it has been noted during studies that children who wet the bed have been considerably more difficult to awaken.
The cause, for many children who have enuresis can not be found.