Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Preventing Nocturnal Enuresis in Children
• Method 2 of 2: Preventing nocturnal enuresis in adolescents and adults
• Tips
• Warnings

Urinary control during sleep develops in children in different ways, and some get rid of bedwetting earlier than their peers. At the same time, it is very important to help the child and consolidate the first successes, reducing the likelihood of urination during sleep (also called nocturnal enuresis) in the future. But it's not just children who suffer from bedwetting. Patience and persistence can help you cope with nocturnal enuresis in yourself or your child.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Preventing Nocturnal Enuresis in Children

1. 1 Don't panic. About 15% of children still wet bed after age five. Although their number decreases with age, it is okay if a child continues to wet the bed until the age of seven. Until about this age, children continue to develop and control their bladder.
2. 2 Make sure your child drinks less in the evening. Try to reduce the amount of fluids your child drinks a few hours before bed. This does not mean that you should limit your fluid intake throughout the day. On the contrary, try to get the child to drink more in the morning and afternoon, as this will reduce his thirst in the evening. If the child still wants to drink shortly before bedtime, especially after sports or other physical activity, necessarily offer him water.
   • Give your child a bottle of water with you when equipping your child for school in the morning to reduce fluid intake in the afternoon and evening.
3. 3 Do not give your child drinks that contain caffeine. They can provoke urination because caffeine is a diuretic. In general, you should not give your child caffeinated drinks, especially if you are trying to relieve him of bedwetting.
4. 4 Limit food that irritates your bladder. In addition to caffeine, foods that irritate the bladder, that is, promote urination, should be excluded from the child's evening diet. These include citrus juices, food colors (especially those found in red juices), various sugar substitutes, artificial flavors and flavor enhancers.
5. 5 Teach your child to use the bathroom regularly. In the afternoon and evening, you should use the restroom about once every two hours. This will help unload the bladder before bed.
6. 6 Before going to bed, use the “double evacuation” method. Many children visit the bathroom at the beginning of bedtime, before putting on their pajamas, brushing their teeth, and so on. The “double emptying” method is to go to the bathroom before these preparations, and then again after them, just before going to bed.
7. 7 Deliver the child from constipation. Nocturnal enuresis can result from constipation, which puts pressure on the bladder from the rectum. The situation is often complicated by the fact that children are embarrassed to admit that they have constipation. Constipation is responsible for up to a third of all cases of nocturnal enuresis in children who are able to control the bladder during sleep.
   • If you find your child is constipated, try putting him on a high fiber diet for a few days. If that doesn't work, see your pediatrician. There are many surefire ways to help a constipated child.
8. 8 Do not punish the child under any circumstances. Even though it can be very frustrating for your child to wet the bed, never punish him for it. The child is as upset as you are and also wants to get rid of his lack. Instead of punishing, reward your child when his bed is dry the next morning.
   • You can reward your child with anything: play together, new stickers, favorite food. Choose what he loves the most.
9. 9 Use a bedwetting alarm if necessary. Waking your child up to go to the bathroom again will interrupt his sleep and he will not sleep well. You should not wake your child up unless absolutely necessary. Try using a bedwetting alarm instead. This device attaches to pajamas or bedclothes and immediately gives an alarm when moisture is detected; this way, the child will wake up at the right time and can go to the restroom.
10. 10 Visit the pediatrician with your child. In some rare cases, nocturnal enuresis may indicate more serious health problems. To rule out this, visit your pediatrician to check if bedwetting is caused by the following conditions:
    • Apnea (sudden stopping of breathing) during sleep
    • Urinary tract infection
    • Diabetes
    • Disorders in the urinary organs or nervous system
11. 11 Ask your pediatrician about medications. Because babies tend to stop wetting the bed with age, most pediatricians do not recommend any medication. However, there are drugs that can achieve quick results. These tools include:
    • Desmopressin, which increases the production of a natural antidiuretic hormone that decreases urinary output at night. However, this drug has side effects and can affect the sodium concentration in the body, therefore, when taking it, you should monitor the amount of fluid consumed by the child.
    • Oxybutynin (Ditropan) helps reduce bladder contractions and increase bladder capacity.

Method 2 of 2: Preventing nocturnal enuresis in adolescents and adults

1. 1 Limit fluid intake in the evening. If you reduce the amount of fluids you drink a few hours before bedtime, your body will produce less urine during sleep, and the likelihood of nocturnal enuresis will decrease.
   • This does not mean that you need to reduce your fluid intake throughout the day. You should still drink about eight glasses of water daily. Just try to do it mostly in the morning and afternoon. It is important that the body does not experience a lack of fluid, as dehydration can also lead to nocturnal enuresis in adults.
2. 2 Don't drink too much caffeine and alcohol. Both caffeine and alcohol are diuretic, meaning they increase urine production in the body. In addition, alcohol dulls the ability to wake up in time to use the bathroom, thereby increasing the likelihood of bed wetting. Avoid drinking caffeinated or alcoholic beverages at night.
3. 3 Get rid of constipation. Constipation, by increasing pressure on the bladder, increases the likelihood of bedwetting. If nocturnal enuresis occurs at the same time as constipation, you should increase the proportion of fiber-rich foods in your diet - these are green leafy vegetables, legumes, and other plant foods.
   • For more information on how to get rid of constipation, see How to regulate stool.
4. 4 Use a bedwetting alarm. This device helps to develop the habit of waking up on time not only in children, but also in adolescents and adults.An enuresis alarm clock is attached to pajamas or bedding and, at the first appearance of moisture, gives a signal, as a result of which you wake up and do not have time to soak the bed.
5. 5 Check the side effects of any medications you are taking. Various medications can cause nocturnal enuresis. Check your medications for these drugs. Always check with your doctor before changing your prescribed medication. Here are just some of the drugs that can help you bedwet:
   • Clozapine
   • Risperidone
   • Olanzapine
   • Quetiapine
6. 6 Look for signs of sleep apnea. If you snore loudly and wake up in the morning and experience chest pain, headache, and sore throat, you may be suffering from sudden respiratory arrest during sleep. Nocturnal enuresis is another symptom of this condition in adults with no previous bladder problems.
   • If you suspect that you are having sleep apnea, you should see a doctor who can make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment.
7. 7 See a doctor. If the occurrence of nocturnal enuresis is not accompanied by excessive drinking or constipation, you should see a doctor. Secondary enuresis (urinary incontinence in those who have not previously complained of bladder problems) is usually a symptom of another condition. The doctor will conduct an examination to rule out the likelihood of the following diseases:
   • Diabetes
   • Neurological disorders
   • Urinary tract infection
   • Stones in the urinary tract
   • Prostatitis or prostate cancer
   • Bladder cancer
   • Anxiety neurosis or other emotional disorders
8. 8 Talk to your doctor about medications. There are various medications that can help you get rid of bedwetting. Ask your doctor for advice on the best remedies for your case. These can be the following drugs:
   • Desmopressin, which reduces the amount of urine produced by the kidneys.
   • Imipramine, which has been shown to be effective in about 40 percent of cases.
   • Anticholinergics that normalize the detrusor (muscular membrane) of the bladder; these drugs include drugs such as Darifenacin, Oxybutynin, Trospia chloride.
9. 9 Ask your doctor about the possibility of surgery. Surgical intervention is undertaken only in cases of overactive bladder detrusor, in which urinary incontinence is usually observed not only at night, but also in the daytime. Surgery is a last resort. Your doctor may recommend the following methods for you:
   • Clam cystoplasty. This operation consists of increasing the capacity of the bladder by cutting it and connecting it to the intestine.
   • Detrusor myoectomy. This operation removes a portion of the muscle membrane of the bladder, which strengthens the muscle and reduces the number of bladder contractions.
   • Sacral nerve stimulation. This operation reduces the activity of the bladder muscle membrane by altering the activity of the nerves that control it.

Tips

• Observe the regime. If you go to bed at 7:30 pm one day and at 1 am the next, your body (and your bladder) will be confused.
• If you are trying to wean your child from wetting the bed, mark the time of nighttime enuresis (this will help in the future if any disease is detected). Watch by his bed or sleep beside him. When the child has soaked the laundry, he will move out of the wet place or even try to leave the bed. By these signs, you will determine that the child has urinated: gently wake him up, calm him down and change the bedding together (ask the child to help you). Then put the baby back to bed.This can happen several times a night, so don't leave your baby unattended after the first time! After a few night shifts, you can leave your child on his own - first he will learn to wake up on his own after urinating in bed, and will ask you to help change the bedding, and then he will start waking up before urinating in bed. Be patient, and you will be rewarded more than once with a childish smile in the morning, after a normally past night!
• Go to the restroom regularly. Remember to use the restroom every time you go to bed.
• Place a plastic, waterproof film under the sheet to avoid staining the mattress.
• Use Goodnites underwear to avoid getting your bed wet. This linen can be used regularly and changed periodically.
• If an adolescent or adult is suffering from nocturnal enuresis, oversized diapers and sheet pads can be used to protect the mattress.

Warnings

• See your doctor right away if bed-wetting is accompanied by other symptoms such as red (or other unusual color) urine, pain when urinating, fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, or involuntary bowel movements.
• If your child has a rash due to frequent urine spraying, use a diaper cream or antibacterial ointment over the counter to relieve skin irritation; If the rash persists after a few days, see your doctor.