Bed Wetting Sleep Disorder

Bed wetting sleep disorder (also knows as sleep enuresis or nocturnal enuresis) is a fairly common pediatric sleep disorder... but that doesn't make it any less upsetting!

Research shows that toddler bed wetting occurs in about half of all children under 3 years old, decreasing to around 12% by the time they reach 6 year old. Only around 1% of adolescents are affected.

As in Sleep Terror Disorder, bed wetting sleep disorder is more common in boys than in girls, and definitely has a genetic/hereditary component.

A family history of bedwetting significantly increases a childs' chances of wetting the bed themselves.

What You Need to Know About Children And Bedwetting

As all parents know, every child is different and for some kids, this control takes longer to mature and they may continue to wet the bed for a longer-than-average amount of time.

There can also be physical reasons for a child to suffer from bed wetting sleep disorder. Some children sleep very deeply, and their brains simply don't register the 'I need to go to the bathroom' signals. Others may have smaller than average bladders, diabetes, or a urinary tract, bladder or kidney infection.

Too much liquid in the evenings, especially when they are caffeinated or diuretic is another common trigger. In some cases, severe emotional distress, such as that caused by a parents death/divorce, bullying or even sexual abuse can result in bedwetting.

If your little one has been wetting his bed every since he was a baby, patience and understanding are about all that are needed while you wait for him to outgrow this disorder (which eventually happens, although the waiting can seem interminable!).

Practical things, like getting him to wear pull-ups or absorbent pads, putting a plastic sheet over the mattress, limiting fluid intake in the evenings, and keeping pre-bedtime activities quiet and low-key can also help.

Don't shame or scold your child, this is something he simply can't help, and getting him upset or stressed over the situation will only make it worse, not better.

He probably already feels embarrassed and ashamed, so bolster his self confidence and down-play the problem as much as possible.

If your child has been dry at night for some time, and then starts to suffer bedwetting episodes, it's important to look for the reason behind this behavior.

This sort of bed wetting sleep disorder (or secondary enuresis) may be the result of infection as mentioned above (look for cloudy urine, a frequent and URGENT need to urinate - which is also present during waking hours - and/or pain on urination, or lower back pain/low grade fever).

However, there could also be an emotional reason behind children bedwetting in this way. Stress or anxiety over any number of life events may be the root cause and talking gently (and in a non-punitive way), may be very helpful.

So.....

If an underlying health issue is ruled out and you are confident that no undisclosed trauma is at the root of it all, simply waiting it out with loving patience is the best course of action.

By the time a child is 15 years old, only 1% to 2% still experience bed wetting problems.

However if the condition persists into adolescence it's very important to seek medical help to reduce the chances of this being a life-long problem.

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