Teenage Bedwetting: A More Common Problem Than You Think

"He is too old to be wetting the bed." "I thought she would have grown out of it by now." These are common things that parents say in regards to their teenage children who are still wetting the bed. What they do not realize is that teenage bedwetting is actually a common problem.

According to an article titled, "Children Grown Up: Teenage and Adolescent bedwetting," bedwetting is very common because the body is still adapting from being potty trained. Not to mention, it is still under development. Sometimes, when the human body is growing, the hormones may not be as regulated, hence the reason teenage bedwetting exists. It is very common knowledge that during the teen years, the hormones are not completely stable and regulated, and sometimes, it takes longer for some kids to develop the necessary hormones for maturity. The same goes for the body's antidiaretic hormone that controls the body's ability to hold the urine during the night (Our good Health.) While this article is correct in stating these facts, it is incorrect in stating that this problem is rare and that teenage bedwetting is a sign of a physical problem with the body. Teenage bedwetting is actually very common.

According to an article written by the BBC, one out of every fifty teenagers wet the bed (BBC News). In normal children who do not have any underlying medical conditions, it will stop on its own without the help of drugs. Of course, you will need to take your child to the doctor to rule out any medical problems that could be causing the bedwetting to determine that he is, in fact, just going through normal stages, as sometimes, bedwetting can be caused by underlying medical conditions.

While the first article, "Children Grown Up: Teenage and Adolescent bedwetting," strongly recommends drugs as the all time solution, these drugs have potentially serious side effects. Concerning these side effects, an article found on Dr. Green's website states that "Your doctor may recommend a medication such as the DDAVP tablet. The DDAVP tablet can help achieve dryness in some children with PNE. However, it also has the potential for serious side effects and should be used with caution and only under close supervision by a physician. The FDA has recently placed a ban on treating PNE with DDAVP in the nasal spray form." (Dr. Green) Anything that could alter one's hormones is not always the safest route to take. Not to mention, it is not good to put a child at risk like this just so he can conform to social norms and so you can live with yourself as a parent. To make you feel better, bedwetting has nothing to do with you. Your child is not wetting the bed because you failed as a parent, which is how some parents actually think. The statistics mentioned above should help you see that you are in no way at fault and that this is a common stage that will pass. Good Nights are the safest alternative to treating bedwetting in teenagers, as there are no drugs used to alter nature's course, and there are no serious health risks imposed on your child. Just as you'd have to let a flu run its course, the same goes in this case. There is no need to pump your child's body with drugs and hurry up the things that are natural only because you feel ashamed of him or feel like he is bad for wetting the bed. Good Nights will ease your frustration and will make your teen feel better about himself because they not only look like boxers and not diapers, you will not have to be washing laundry, if you are the one responsible for washing the clothes for the entire family, which is the case in some households.

The "Children Grown Up: Teenage and Adolescent bedwetting" article also recommends bedwetting alarms. I discourage these, as they are loud and may deeply frighten a child out of sleep, which is hardly helpful at all, as the fear of being startled in itself may cause him to finish what the alarm was trying to prevent him from doing-wetting the bed. Not to mention, the alarm disrupts sleep cycles. While our society is so bent on keeping our children out of diapers and good Nights at all costs, and while our society has a very unenlightened view about the use of diapers and Good Nights to manage any condition, especially when it comes to children, perhaps it would be best to set your own trends in this case and be a leader and not a follower. Just because something is popular does not mean that it is the right route to take. Remember, you want to make the situation as least stressful as possible. Trying to make your child conform because you feel ashamed or trying to make him utilize every cure in the book to hurry up and put an end to what is natural in order to get him to fit in with the rest of so called normal society will only make matters worse.

In the meantime, just sit back and relax. When your child's body is ready and when the hormones are fully balanced, the bedwetting will end. Time is the best cure. If he is twenty one and still wetting the bed, then it is time to worry. Until then, let things be.

Sources:

BBC News, "One in 50 Teenagers 'Wet the Bed'." 06 March 2003. 28 Jun 2009 .

Dr. Green, "Bedwetting (Enuresis) in Adolescents." Drgreen.com. 2009. 28 Jun 2009 .

Our Good Health, "Children Grown Up: Teenage and Adolescent Bedwetting." Ourgoodhealth.org. 2006. 28 Jun 2009 .