What is Bed-Wetting (Nocturnal Enuresis) in children?

Bed-wetting is also called night-time incontinence or nocturnal enuresis. These are terms referring to urination of involuntary urine release while asleep. It occurs after the age when nocturnal control can be considered reasonably obtained.

Many times, it's a very familiar scene: soggy sheets and pajamas and an embarrassed child. But don't be alarmed if your child wets the bed. Bed-wetting is not in any way a sign of toilet training failure. Often, it's just a normal phase in the development of most children.

Generally speaking, Most experts consider bed-wetting until the age of 7 as normal. Until then, nighttime bladder control may not yet be fully developed in your child.

If your child has not yet overcome bed-wetting, address the problem with empathy and understanding. Lifestyle alterations, bladder training, moisture alarm, and in some cases medicine can minimize the bedwetting condition.

What are the different types of Nocturnal Enuresis?

Two main categories exist for bed-wetting conditions:

• Primary Nocturnal Enuresis: An individual who possesses primary nocturnal enuresis, he or she has always wet the bed since a baby. In fact this is the commonest type of enuresis.
• Secondary nocturnal enuresis: This is the condition in which a person starts bedwetting after being dry for six months or more. It usually occurs as an aftermath of a medical or psychological disorder.

Who suffers from bedwetting (nocturnal enuresis)?

Bedwetting may be experienced at any age by children to adults. The bladder-controlling abilities of children have not yet developed; the condition occurs mostly before age 6. A medical or psychological condition will cause bedwetting in adults who have nocturnal enuresis. Most cases of nocturnal bedwetting affect male children or children assigned male at birth. You are at higher risk if you sustain more severe emotional trauma and stress. This condition can also be hereditary, where it begins in a family if a parent or sibling also experienced or is experiencing the same condition.

What are symptoms of nocturnal enuresis in children?

Waking up with wet pajamas or sheets from pee is the main symptom of bedwetting. You won't likely be aware that you wet the bed until it's too late.

Although bedwetting is a physical condition, it can really take a terrible emotional toll on anyone who has ever experienced it. You could feel embarrassed or ashamed. You could avoid others from seeing your wet clothes or sheets. You could also avoid having a sleep-over with friends or going to summer camps. These are the bad repercussions that already result from bedwetting but can critically affect you when it starts happening.

What causes bedwetting, or nocturnal enuresis in children?

Doctors do not always know the cause of nocturnal enuresis. However they believe these factors may be involved:

• Hormonal problems: A hormone called antidiuretic hormone or ADH regulates the body to make less pee at night. Some people's bodies do not manufacture enough ADH, so their bodies may make too much pee while sleeping.
• Bladder problems: In some people who have enuresis, too many contractions make it hard for the bladder to hold a normal amount of urine. Some teenagers and adults also have rather small bladders that cannot hold much urine.
• Genetics: Many teenagers with enuresis have a parent who experienced the same problem at roughly the same age. Researchers have identified particular genes that cause enuresis.
• Sleep disorders: Some teenagers sleep so soundly that they do not wake up at the time they feel the urge to pee.
• Caffeine: Caffeine makes the person using it pee more often.
• Diseases: The following can cause secondary enuresis; diabetes, anomalies in a person's urinary tract, constipation, and UTI.
• Psychological disorders: Stress has been said by some experts to be one of the factors that relate to enuresis.

Doctors aren't sure why, but twice as many boys as girls are victims of enuresis.

How Is Enuresis Diagnosed?

If you cannot hold your urine at night, consult your doctor to learn more about nocturnal enuresis and to rule out an illness.

The doctor will perform an examination, inquire about all of your concerns and symptoms, past health, family history, medications you take, allergies, and other topics. This is referred to as a medical history. They will ask questions pertaining to your sleep habits, bowel habits, and even urinary symptoms, including increased frequency, pain, and burning while urinating. Your doctor may also discuss any possible causes of stress that may be a factor in this problem.

The initial evaluation will typically include urinalysis and urine culture. In these tests, urine is screened for signs of infection. Most often in the case of nocturnal enuresis, the results are entirely within normal limits.

How is bedwetting (nocturnal enuresis) treated?

Depending on what is causing it, there are several things doctors can do to treat bedwetting. If an illness is responsible, which is not very common, it will be treated.

If the history and physical exam do not find a medical problem and the urine tests are negative, several behavioral approaches can be used for treatment:

Control what you drink and eat at bedtime. There are some basic precautions a person with nocturnal enuresis can take against an overly full bladder: decreasing fluids before bed time, or you may try to decrease the chance of your wetting the bed by visiting the toilet immediately before you go to bed.

It may be helpful to avoid foods that might irritate the bladder. These include coffee, tea, chocolate, and sodas or other carbonated beverages with caffeine.

Imagine yourself as dry. Using a technique called positive imagery, where you think about waking up dry before you go to sleep can help some people stop bedwetting. Some people find that rewarding themselves for waking up dry also works.

Use bedwetting alarms. Doctors and nurses sometimes prescribe bedwetting alarms to treat teens with enuresis. These alarms are attached to the diaper or underwear and produce a bell or buzzer noise when a person starts wetting the bed. You can then switch off the alarm, race to the toilet, and lie down again, sleeping without wetting the bed much. It may take months for the body to forget something that it has practiced for years. But you can train yourself to wake up before your alarm goes off or hold your urine through the night.

People who sleep very heavily may need a member of their household to wake them up if they don't wake with the alarm. The magic of the bedwetting alarms is waking quickly-the quicker you wake, the better the behavior modification for teaching the brain to wake or to send signals to the bladder to hold the pee until morning.

Doctors sometimes treat enuresis with medication. No medicine, however, has ever been shown to permanently cure bedwetting, and the problem generally recurs when the medicine is withdrawn. Doctors sometimes prescribe a synthetic form of ADH to reduce the buildup of pee during the night. Other medicines relax the bladder so it can hold more pee.

But when bothered by enuresis, the best step is probably for you to consult your doctor to get suggestions on better ways to handle it. Perhaps one who can also give helpful advice is your mom or dad, especially if she/he used to have such experience when he/she was in the same stage as yours.

Fortunately, bedwetting very often works itself out.

Bedwetting is common and normal. Accidents are normal, too. Though you can't prevent all cases of bedwetting, some risks associated with it can be decreased by:

• Not drinking large volumes of fluids two hours prior to bedtime or consuming caffeinated beverages.
• Going to the bathroom before bedtime.
• Wearing absorbent pants or underwear at night.
• Ensuring that the bathroom or toilet is easily accessible.
• Using positive reinforcement or affirmations when your child wakes up dry.
• Do not embarrass a family member or friend who develops nocturnal enuresis.

How long does bedwetting last?

Bedwetting is normal and usually stops eventually. Children outgrow this condition once they can control their bladders. If an underlying medical cause caused the bedwetting, that condition will heal, stop, or otherwise improve bedwetting. Nocturnal enuresis can take some time to control, but this is a treatable disorder.

It can be a very trying matter for anyone who suffers from night time incontinence, never mind parents or caregivers. Some people feel better speaking to a mental health professional. Please do not forget your medical team is there for support and to help guide you through this. Reach out to discuss any questions you may have.

When to see a doctor?

Most children outgrow bed-wetting on their own-but some need a little help. Sometimes, bed-wetting is an early indication of another condition that needs medical care.

Talk to your child's doctor or other health care professional if:

• Your child still wets the bed after age 7.
• Your child starts to wet the bed after a few months of being dry at night.
• This child also faces pains while urinating; is typically thirstier, besides having reddish or even pink-colored urine, as well as hard stools, which makes this child snore.

Why Choose Tender Palm Super Speciality Hospital for Bed Wetting or Nocturnal Enuresis treatment in Children in Lucknow, India?

Tender Palm Super-Speciality Hospital has the most trusted team of Pediatric Urologists with advanced diagnostic equipment and child-friendly care for Pediatric Bed Wetting or Nocturnal Enuresis treatment in Lucknow, India. Our Pediatric Urology department follows international safety standards and has years of experience in successfully managing children's Urological diseases.

To Seek an Expert Consultation for Nocturnal Enuresis or Bed Wetting Treatment in children in Lucknow, India:

Call us at +91-9076972161
Email at care@tenderpalm.com

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