Many kids have the habit of wetting their bed in sleep. This problem is naturally rectified as they age. But this problem is not unique to kids; even some adults and old age people are victims of this problem. So what is the reason behind this problem and how to cure it?
Urination process
Urine is collected in the urinary bladder through kidneys. Once the bladder is filled with urine, the message is passed on to the brain. Brian lets us know by giving us the feeling to urinate. Urinary bladder works involuntarily for kids younger than 2 years.
Meaning, the urinary bladder contracts itself automatically when it’s full, to expel the urine. As kids grow old this job is taken over by the brain. It’s only then kids will start to inform us about the need to urinate.
Bed Wetting
When kids or adults urinate in bed during night sleep, we call this as bed-wetting. This is quite normal among kids. It can happen to adults and old age people due to some diseases. Bed-wetting is also called as “Nighttime incontinence” and “Noctural enuresis”.
Why this problem occurs?
Kids older than 3 years of age can have this problem when their parents do not train them properly to use toilets.
There are two categories of people who wet their beds. People who are wetting their bed right from their birth. Another category is where adults, old age people, and even kids start to urinate in their sleep all of a sudden.
The first category of people is mostly young kids who are not trained well to use toilets or kids who lack normal brain development (Special kids).
People in the second category could urinate in their sleep due to stress, fear, and anxiety. This problem can happen to anyone irrespective of his or her age.
This problem can happen to kids when they change places. Like changing schools or admission to a new school can create a sort of stress and fear in them. This could make them wet their beds. Some kids have the habit of holding on to their urine due to various reasons. This could lead to problems in their kidneys and they end up urinating in sleep.
Some kids wet their beds right from their birth; this may be due to contracted urinary bladder right from their birth. Additionally, it could also be due to constipation, urinary infections, and lack of sense for urinary bladder, nervous disorders, sleep apnea and tonsillitis. Parents need to be watchful of these problems and consult a doctor to treat them.
Ways to cure
- Avoiding liquid foods or juices in the night
- Urinating before going to sleep
- Training kids to use toilets properly
- When women start to develop this problem, they need to consult a gynecologist and get proper treatment to cure it.
Available treatments
When kids urinate in their sleep even after proper training to use toilets, they need to be consulted with a child specialist and appropriate medical tests need to be taken.
Usually, this would involve urine test, ultrasound test, and psychological tests. When a kid passes all these tests, the problem can easily be rectified with right food habits.
There are two types of medicines that are usually prescribed for this problem. One is imipramine, which is a medicinal tonic. Second medicine is Desmopressin which is a spray-type medicine that will be administered through nostrils. These medicines will hold the urine in the urinary bladder. Due to this bed wetting problem will be kept under control. These medicines must be used one hour prior to sleep. This will bring immediate relief to kids aged between 4 to 14 years of age.
Training the kids to use toilets to urinate at the right age is the best solution to this problem.