Millions of kids and teenagers from every part of the world wet the
bed every single night. It’s so common that there are probably other
kids in the class who do it. Most kids don’t tell their friends,
so it’s easy to feel kind of alone, like you might be the only
one on the whole planet who wets the bed. But you are not alone.
The fancy name for bedwetting, or sleep-wetting, is nocturnal (nighttime)
enuresis (say: en-yuh-REE-sis). Enuresis runs in families. This means
that if you urinate, or pee, while you are asleep, there’s a good
chance that a close relative also did it when he or she was a kid. Just
like you may have inherited your mom’s blue eyes or your uncle’s
long legs, you probably inherited bedwetting, too.
The most important thing to remember is that no one wets the bed on
purpose. It doesn’t mean that you’re lazy or a slob. It’s
something you can’t help doing. For some reason, kids who wet the
bed are not able to feel that their bladder is full and don’t wake
up to pee in the toilet. Sometimes a kid who wets the bed will have a
realistic dream that he’s in the bathroom peeing — only to
wake up later and discover he’s all wet. Many kids who wet the bed
are very deep sleepers. Do your parents complain that it’s hard
to wake you up? Trying to wake up someone who wets the bed is often like
trying to wake a log — they just stay asleep.
Some kids who wet the bed do it every single night. Others wet some
nights and are dry on others. A lot of kids say that they seem to be
drier when they sleep at a friend’s or a relative’s house.
That’s because kids who are anxious about wetting the bed may not
sleep much or only very lightly. So the brain may be thinking, “Hey,
you! Don’t wet someone else’s bed!” This can help you
stay dry even if you’re not aware of it.
Good news
The good news is that almost all kids who wet the bed eventually stop.
Think back to those relatives who may have had enuresis as kids — as
adults, they have most likely stopped wetting their beds. So if you wet
every night, don’t be discouraged. And don’t worry that you’re
not normal, either physically or emotionally. Sleep-wetting is not
usually caused by a problem with your body or your feelings.
It’s likely that bedwetting will go away on its own. In fact, 15
out of 100 kids who wet the bed will stop every year without any treatment
at all. But if you have this problem it’s still a good idea for
you and your parents to talk to your doctor about it.
Your doctor will ask you some questions, and it’s important to
answer them truthfully and not feel embarrassed. Remember, bedwetting
is so common that your doctor probably treats a lot of kids who do it.
Your doctor will want to help you and make you feel good about yourself.
The doctor will examine you and probably ask for a urine sample to test.
Some kids who have other problems, like constipation (when you aren’t
pooping regularly), daytime wetting or urinary infections, may need
some extra tests.
If you wet the bed, there are some things you can do to stay dry. Try
not to drink anything after dinner and remember to go to the bathroom
before going to bed. If you do wet the bed, help with the cleanup by
pulling off the sheets and putting them in the laundry. Keep a chart
or calendar to keep track of your wet and dry nights, and talk to your
parents about getting rewards for staying dry. Maybe you can earn stickers
or points you can trade in for extra playtime, a trip to the movies,
or a new toy.
A lot of doctors think that the best treatment for enuresis is a program
that retrains your brain to either wake you up so you can go to the
bathroom or stay asleep and hold it until morning. This program includes
doing
bladder exercises, such as waiting a little longer to pee during
the day; reading about and imagining staying dry; or even using a tiny
alarm.
The alarm is connected to a pad placed in your underwear at night.
If you start to urinate, the pad senses the moisture and sets off the
alarm.
Different alarms buzz, vibrate, or do both, but they’re all
easy to use and can help wake even the deepest sleeper.
There are medicines that can help kids who wet the bed, including a
nose spray. This may temporarily help you out, but it really isn’t
a cure. Medicines to treat enuresis work best when combined with
the alarm or other training programs.
It may take some practice to retrain your brain, and you’ll need
to be patient. But eventually, you will stop wetting the bed. Then you
won’t have to worry about mentioning it in front of your friends.
