There are many theories about how to stop bed wetting, but few of them have any proven benefit. Only the well researched methods are going to be discussed here because you will be wanting answers that have a factual basis to them, not someone's unproven ideas.
To cope with Nocturnal Enuresis (a.k.a. "bed wetting") successfully you will first need to understand why it's happening, and the best way of doing that is to understand the causes of bed wetting, and more importantly, to know why it's happening to YOU (or to someone you know). For a step by step detailed explanation, then go to this guide on bed wetting for a complete coverage of Nocturnal Enuresis (why it happens, how to handle it, which bed wetting devices and remedies to use and under which circumstances, and more). It is written by Dr. Page a bedwetting treatment expert with over 25 years experience in stopping bedwetting worldwide.
Stop Bed Wetting In Children
Bed wetting in children varies in different age groups, but it is one of the most common concerns that parents have about their children. But the good news is that stopping bedwetting in children can be very successful when your child and yourself form a team to help stop bedwetting.
As already explained above, the first and most important step in helping your child stop bed wetting is to understand the underlying cause of bedwetting. Very briefly, it runs in families (but can miss generations) and is characterised by heavy sleeping and over production of urine.
It is not due to laziness, drinking too much, or a sleep disorder. And so the second part of handling the issue successfully is not to use punishment, depriving of drinks after a certain time at night, or having the child treated for a supposed "sleep disorder" (there are plenty of people who will want to take your money to treat this mythical sleep disorder).
The third step is to ensure that your child is drinking well during the day, and not limiting drinks in the late afternoon and evening. Drinks that do not contain caffeine are best (these have a urine producing effect) and while some suggest that milky drinks should be avoided, the underlying cause of bedwetting is not allergy based and so cutting out milk is not likely to have any effect one way or the other.
If you suspect that your child has a small bladder (i.e., appears to go to the bathroom more often than you would expect during the day) then you could encourage "holding on" for a few minutes and gradually extend that time. However this is best done after checking out with your doctor first.
If you feel ready to begin working actively on treating the bedwetting, then the most effective method, according to international research, is to use a bedwetting alarm which trains the brain to wake to the need to urinate. You may like to check out a quality bedwetting alarm like the Anzacare DRI Eclipse – a wireless bedwetting alarm system that is proven for stopping bedwetting for good.
Stop Bed Wetting In Teens
Teenage bed wetting is an issue that needs to be addressed at once. The impact enuresis has on teenagers is even greater than in children, because of the limits it puts in activities such as camps and sleepovers, and the debilitating effect on self confidence. A particularly distressing situation is when a teenager is about to go to college, he or she may be sharing a room, and suddenly the seriousness of not having fixed the problem begins to have impact.
If there is any advice that is important to heed it is this – do not leave the problem and hope it will go away, act now to get it solved. It is important to know that it responds well to treatment with a bedwetting alarm, but may take longer due to the problem having existed for a longer time.
Most likely you have already had your teenager checked out medically, but if not, then you are advised to have this done. Often medication will be suggested by a doctor as the first line of treatment, but this is not a good option, it may reduce wetting while the medication is being used, but there is scant evidence that it works long term or after the medication is stopped. Using medication as the only treatment runs the risk of simply covering the problem for it to reemerge when the medication is stopped.
Just as with younger bedwetters, brain training is required, but you need to allow time for the training (using a bedwetting alarm), and so don't leave it until there is a time urgency.
Bed Wetting In Adults
Adult bed wetting needs a medical exam, because with increasing age the likelihood of medical disorders underlying the condition increases. However the condition of never having been consistently dry may still have the same genetic basis as in childhood bedwetting and respond to the same treatment, but it will take longer.
Some medical conditions and post operative situations can result in a tendency to bed wet, and in that case using a proven bedwetting alarm system, sometimes together with an incontinence garment, can work well together to alert the user to the need to go to the bathroom.
Adults who have followed this strategy have reported that they sleep better knowing they will be aroused if they start to urinate, and have even been able to stop using the incontinence product. So, even when there is no cure, there are nonetheless ways of managing the situation more comfortably.
A Special Section for Caregivers of Patients Suffering Incontinence
There are situations where it is desirable for caregivers to be alerted to episodes of incontinence in their patients.
While incontinence garments can manage the incontinence itself, the comfort of the patient, or even the integrity of the skin under the incontinence garment, can suffer. In this situation a bedwetting alarm will not train the patient to reduce the incidence of incontinence, but it will ensure that the caregiver is aware of the incident and can attend to the comfort of the patient with little delay.
There are bedwetting alarms which have sensors that are formed into a "sensor mat" or sheet to lie under the patient, or with a sensor that can be placed inside the incontinence garment. A bedwetting alarm like the Anzacare DRI Eclipse is such an alarm system and can also be ordered with the sensor mat attachment.