‘Daddy Must Have Wet the Bed Not Me!’

Teacher’s Diary

It appears nowadays that there are too many issues that children are prematurely privy of. Parents seem to be less careful to conceal what they discuss, explore and experience in the presence of their children. He wet the bed.

Consequently, children immaturely handle much information to the shame, embarrassment and oftentimes downfall of their parents or in extreme cases, their family. As you know, information that is moulded by experience and maturity produces stability, order, consolidation, progress and dignity.

“Your daddy wets the bed?” asked a child who could not be more than nine years old. “Yes he does, he has diabetes and says that’s why!” “Adults don’t wet the bed, that’s disgraceful!” countered the other boy.

Oh, yes! Some adults wet the bed and no, it is not disgraceful. It is however a frustrating medical condition that can damage an individual’s emotional wellbeing and exclude them socially. In America, as by the National Association for Continence, 42 million America adults are affected by bedwetting and nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting at night). In the UK, bedwetting affects about one in 100 people, mainly men. More than 100,000 teenagers in the UK wet the bed, some occasionally while others develop nightly. Some adults have been wetting the bed since childhood while others develop the problem during adulthood. Bedwetting in adults is usually treatable and can be caused by a number of reasons including physical injuries, medication, surgery, weak pelvic floor muscles and genetics. Adults who wet the bed at night often have problems in the daytime as well. You may find many of them having to rush to the toilet urgently.

More specific causes of nocturnal enuresis are:

Poor bladder control where there is a lack of the necessary muscle and nerve control. A tendency to produce a lot of urine at night.

Urine infection (for recent starters) – A urine infection can irritate the bladder and make it more difficult to hold urine.

Alcohol, coffee, tea and diuretic medication- Diuretics are medications that are used to treat high blood pressure and some heart problems. They encourage the kidneys to make more urine. The listed beverages have a similar effect. It’s best to avoid drinking them for at least three hours before going to bed.

Sleeping tablets: These may make the individual sleep so soundly that they do not wake up when the bladder is full.

Diabetes: In diabetes, the blood sugar is too high; the kidneys rise to the rescue and try to lower the sugar by making lots of sugary urine. Diabetics tend to pass more urine day and night. They are also usually thirsty.

Emotional stress and anxiety:

Other conditions such as the expansion of the prostate glands, neurological problems and sleep apnoea can result in bedwetting.

A change will happen with diligence! What you can do:

Do not blame yourself or feel guilty and dirty. Resolve to work diligently at resolving your problem.

Monitor your fluid intake: Try limiting your fluid intake a few hours before bed.

Cut down on alcohol and avoid drinking caffeinated and carbonated fluids at night.

Set an alarm clock to wake you two hours into bed time and a couple of hours before your usual waking time. Completely empty your bladder before going to bed. Frequent urination during the day, caused by an overactive bladder can carry over into night time bedwetting in adults.

Retain your bladder by gradually increasing your bladder’s capacity. You could start by emptying your bladder every hour throughout the day and resist the urge when you are not scheduled to go. Gradually increase the time interval between toilet breaks as you regain bladder control.

Change your bed. Some people have found that sleeping in a different bed, moving to a different room or even just moving their bed into a different position helps. Stay dry by using absorbent undergarments, incontinent pads and beddings.

See a doctor- For a fortnight or more before you do so, keep a diary detailing when you wet the bed. This information will help the doctor in his recommendation and prescription. Beware of how and when you discuss this kind of issues with your children.

Omoru writes from the UK

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