Nocturnal enuresis or easier: bedwetting is unconscious and unintended urination during the sleep of a child if it has already reached the age that the bladder should work.
The bladder contains nerves that send a signal to the brain when the bladder is full and needs to be emptied. However, when a child is asleep it can sometimes happen that the brain does not hear this signal. This can be because a child sleeps too deep, although doctors believe that this can never be the only reason.
Other possible causes can be:
1. Psychological and social factors
2. Certain foods such as chocolate, citrus fruits, sweetener and foods with a lot of coloring.
3. Problems with the anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) so that urine production is not slowed down at night.
4. Genetic factors: children of parents who used to water themselves in the past are more likely to do so.
5. Bladder or kidney infection
6. Too small bladder
7. Constipation
8. In limited cases, another disease can be the cause (eg diabetes)
There are 2 types of nocturnal enuresis: primary and secondary nocturnal enuresis.
In the first case, the child has not yet learned to exercise control of the bladder at night. In secondary nocturnal enuresis, the child can manage the bladder for 6 or more months, but suddenly urinates in bed. The cause of this is often stress, fear or sadness.
If your child is still a toddler, it is normal for your child to urinate in bed. After all, a child has not yet learned how to control urination. 15% of five-year-olds suffer from bed-wetting. At the age of 15, only 3% has to do with this. Especially boys suffer from it. It is not dangerous, but annoying. Children are ashamed of it and can be bullied with it. That is why you can best treat your child if it still urinates in bed after the age of six to seven years. It is not necessary to intervene earlier because the problem often resolves itself.
There are different methods for treating bedwetting. One of them is the bedwetting alarm. This is a device connected to a special pants. As soon as the device detects one drop, the device will sound an alarm so that the child can go to the bathroom. Furthermore, one can take preventive measures such as peeing before sleeping and not drinking until 2 to 3 hours before bedtime.
What causes bed wetting (Nocturnal Enuresis) ?
The bladder contains nerves that send a signal to the brain when the bladder is full and needs to be emptied. However, when a child is asleep it can sometimes happen that the brain does not hear this signal. This can be because a child sleeps too deep, although doctors believe that this can never be the only reason.
Other possible causes can be:
1. Psychological and social factors
2. Certain foods such as chocolate, citrus fruits, sweetener and foods with a lot of coloring.
3. Problems with the anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) so that urine production is not slowed down at night.
4. Genetic factors: children of parents who used to water themselves in the past are more likely to do so.
5. Bladder or kidney infection
6. Too small bladder
7. Constipation
8. In limited cases, another disease can be the cause (eg diabetes)
Primary and secondary nocturnal enuresis
There are 2 types of nocturnal enuresis: primary and secondary nocturnal enuresis.
In the first case, the child has not yet learned to exercise control of the bladder at night. In secondary nocturnal enuresis, the child can manage the bladder for 6 or more months, but suddenly urinates in bed. The cause of this is often stress, fear or sadness.
Is it abnormal that your child pees in bed?
If your child is still a toddler, it is normal for your child to urinate in bed. After all, a child has not yet learned how to control urination. 15% of five-year-olds suffer from bed-wetting. At the age of 15, only 3% has to do with this. Especially boys suffer from it. It is not dangerous, but annoying. Children are ashamed of it and can be bullied with it. That is why you can best treat your child if it still urinates in bed after the age of six to seven years. It is not necessary to intervene earlier because the problem often resolves itself.
How to stop bedwetting?
There are different methods for treating bedwetting. One of them is the bedwetting alarm. This is a device connected to a special pants. As soon as the device detects one drop, the device will sound an alarm so that the child can go to the bathroom. Furthermore, one can take preventive measures such as peeing before sleeping and not drinking until 2 to 3 hours before bedtime.