Bedwetting - how to help a child?

Permanent washing of bed linen and feelingshame - that's what memories remain for people who have been enuresis as a child (bedwetting). This painful problem of children and parents is quite widespread. In the US alone, this unpleasant illness affects about five million children. Despite the fact that very serious research work is carried out and even there are centers for rendering assistance, bedwetting continues to spoil the lives of families. What can be done? How can we help children and adults overcome this disorder?

What is this ailment?

Involuntary night flow of urine in such aage, when the child is quite able to control the process of urination (usually over 3 years), is observed in every fifth child, after 5 years - every 10th, and after 14 years this affects every 35th child. You can conclude: over time, bedwetting passes. Therefore, the most acceptable way of parents' behavior is waiting. If you have enough patience, then one day you will suddenly find that the child is no longer urinating in bed!

As a rule, boys are more often sick with enuresis thangirls. In addition, it is established that this disorder is hereditary in nature - it often happens that bedwetting is peculiar to someone else from the children, or one of the parents suffered from it.

Probable causes of the disease

Rarely, the cause can be organic disease:

• diabetes;

• infection or anomaly of the genitourinary system;

• food allergy;

• failure of the nervous system.

Usually an organic disease is diagnosed if:

• enuresis is observed in the child and after 6 years;

• the child urinates involuntarily not only at night, but also during the day;

• some period of improvement may again be replaced by a relapse.

In these cases it is necessary to examine the child in order to establish the cause of the violation.

In other cases, doctors believe that bedwetting is not caused by a mental abnormality and occurs unintentionally. This is not even considered a nervous disease.

There is no one opinion on the reasons. Some believe that the blame for everything is a small amount of the bladder, sometimes - the belated development of reflexes controlling the work of the bladder, sleep disturbances, heredity. Sometimes these are affected by several of these factors.

If parents notice that within half a yearthe child was all right, and then suddenly this condition appeared again, which means that the fault may be emotional disorder or some kind of disease. The catalyst may be moving, the appearance of stepfather or stepmother, the divorce of parents or some other family event.

However, contrary to popular belief, suchemotional causes like guilt, inferiority, fear, loss of self-esteem often arise as a consequence of enuresis, and are not the cause of this disorder.

How to behave to parents?

Bedwetting in children is a process,which the child can not regulate in any way. Therefore it is completely useless to be angry with him, let alone threaten or punish. The best that can be done is, on the contrary, try to reduce the emotional burden on the child's psyche. Be attentive to it and do everything possible to make it less shy. Do not tell others about his troubles, adding to his suffering. Believe that eventually this condition will cease, and you will again live a normal life.

What are the methods for treating bedwetting?

There are some types of treatment that are quite effective in a number of cases, although doctors advise starting it no earlier than 6 years.

You can take some precautions, including before bedtime:

• Reducing the amount of fluid, especially containing caffeine;

• alarm system, when a child is woken up on an alarm clock so that he goes to the toilet;

• during the day, to teach the child gradually in the bladder to keep an increasing volume of urine;

• acupuncture;

• Herbal treatment;

• drug treatment (should be used with great care and only under medical supervision);

• praise of parents, if the child does not wet, relieves emotional tension and leads to recovery.

Be a friend to your child at this difficult time for him, and the ailment will necessarily recede.

Bedwetting in women is also quite common.

The following factors may be the cause:

• Pregnancy, when the fetus can put pressure on the bladder of a future mother;
• intense physical activity, for example in athletes;
• climax;
• obesity;
• diabetes;
• inflammatory processes in the genitourinary system;
• transferred surgical operations.

It is noted that this disorder worries women more often after 40 years.