Bedwetting: Does Your Child Still Wet The Bed?

What is Bedwetting?

Bedwetting or enuresis is one of the most common problems affecting children where the child passes urine involuntarily during sleep. As it happens mostly during nighttime sleep, it is also called nocturnal enuresis. Generally, a child gets control over the bladder by 4 years. After that age, the child is expected to stay dry at night. Although most children develop proper control over their bladder, for some, this might take a long time, becoming a cause for concern. It is not a cause for alarm because every child develops at their own rate. It may last until 10 years of age or even until puberty and is more frequent in boys than girls. Though it is not a serious issue, it can be challenging for the child and parents alike.

Types of bedwetting

There are two types of bedwetting

• Primary nocturnal enuresis: when a child is beyond the age at which bladder control would normally be expected.
• Secondary nocturnal enuresis: when a child experiences an extended period of dryness at night and again begins wetting the bed. It can be caused by any underlying medical condition or emotional trauma.

What causes bedwetting or enuresis?

In most cases, the cause is unknown. Other than developmental delay, family history and, so on, it can also be caused by certain medical conditions. The exact reason behind this condition is not known. Still, it can be an outcome of various factors such as delayed development, overproduction of urine at night, a lack of awareness of bladder filling during sleep and, various psychological reasons. It can also be an inherited pattern from parents to children.

Some of the causes for bedwetting are

• Hormonal Imbalance: A child is unable to produce enough antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which helps to reduce urine production.
• A small bladder: where the urinary bladder is not well developed.
• Nerve problem: the nerves that control the urinary bladder may not conduct the signals correctly and hence the child will not be able to recognize that the bladder is full.
• Urinary tract infection: it is one of the common causes of bedwetting in children.
• Sleep Apnea: bedwetting can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea.
• Diabetes: can be the reason for bedwetting in children who were not bedwetting previously.
• Constipation: chronic constipation can lead to bedwetting due to the pressure on the bladder.
• Psychological issues: like shocks, sexual abuse, bullying, corporal punishments can cause bedwetting.
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Heavy sleeping
• Improper toilet training
• Anxiety and Stress: it can be triggered following any stressful event such as a new sibling, moving to new places, being away from home or home, etc.

Also Read Mama Natura Range - Homeopathic Products for Children

How to manage bedwetting?

1. The first and foremost thing a parent should remember is that it is not your child’s fault. So it is essential to be supportive and encouraging towards your child.
2. Please do not punish or scold your child explain to the child about his/her problem and try to overcome it together. Also, explain that it is a normal thing and that he/she will get over it soon.
3. You can protect the bed by placing plastic covers or absorbent sheets under the bed sheets to protect the mattress.
4. Advise the siblings and family members not to tease or bully the child. Let them know that it’s not your child’s fault.
5. Stay positive and do not be discouraged if the treatment does not work. Each child will respond in a different way and will take different time periods to the given treatment. Also, there are various treatment options available in the present medical field.
6. Limit fluid intake before bedtime. But make sure that your child drinks plenty of liquids during the day.
7. Make sure that your child goes to the washroom before going to bed.
8. Parents can use an Enuresis alarm, a device that makes noise or vibrates to awaken the child when he/she begins to wet the bed. Over a time period, the child will learn learns to wake up when he/she feels the sensation of a full bladder.
9. Psychological counselling may be very useful in cases where the child has had a traumatic event, unexplained fear, constant bullying, sexual abuse, and if they are suffering from low self-esteem because of the bedwetting. It is important to make the child emotionally and mentally strong as much as possible.

Homeopathy treatment for Bedwetting

Homeopathic medicines are very safe to use especially in children without producing any harmful side effects. Homeopathic physicians try to find the underlying cause behind the problem and treat the patient as a whole entity. Homeopathic medicines for bedwetting basically act on the nerves and muscles and work on restoring the nerve control and tonicity of the weakened bladder and sphincter muscles.
A wide range of homeopathic medicinal products is available in the market for treating bedwetting or enuresis. Dr Wilmer Schwabe India has developed a special range of products, especially for kids called the Kindy range of products. Of those, Enukind is specially developed for treating bedwetting in children. It is indicated for children in cases of nocturnal enuresis that can be of the psychosomatic origin or due to any functional disturbances. One of the other products from Schwabe India for restoring bladder control is Causticum Pentarkan, which is imported from Germany. Other than these, there are many well-indicated homeopathic medicines for treating bedwetting that can be taken under the advice of a homeopathic physician.

Some of the most indicated homeopathic remedies for bedwetting are:

Belladonna: for involuntary urination during sleep, especially for those who frequently wet after midnight and toward the morning, have restless sleep with sudden starts, moaning and screaming while sleeping.
Causticum: for those who wet the bed during the first half of the night, or when coughing or sneezing. It is suited to kids when this problem is more frequent in winter and gets better during summer. The child usually wets the bed early in the night. There is little control over the bladder. Urine may escape even when the child coughs or sneezes or with the slightest excitement.
Kreosotum: for bedwetting in kids who are deep sleepers. It is used to treat bedwetting where the child passes urine while in a deep sleep, and it is tough to wake the child. The urine is offensive in odour. The child even has dreams of urinating. Frequent urination during daytime. The child is weak and has no control over the bladder and has to run when feels the urge to urinate.
Cina: for bedwetting due to worm infestation. Grinding of teeth during sleep, shrieking, crying or, being scared during sleep, irritable or obstinate behavior, rubbing of nostrils during sleep. The child is very irritable.
Acid Phosphoricum: for bedwetting where the child urinates profusely even while asleep. The child is otherwise weak and nervous.
Equisetum: for habitual bedwetting. The child urinates in bed more as a matter of habit than a loss of control over the bladder. Equisetum is used for irritable bladder with a frequent urge to urinate day and night.
Sepia: for children who are prone to bedwetting during the first sleep. Incontinence of urine at night especially in the first half of sleep.