How can I stop my son wetting the bed

asks H Gray:
A. Bedwetting - or nocturnal enuresis - is very common. Half a million children between five and 11 in the UK wet their beds regularly. However, it's an embarrassing problem so most families don't like to ask for help in dealing with it.

�

Q. How does it happen
A. It's an involuntary discharge of urine - i.e. they can't help it. It's often hereditary. It can be triggered by stress, but� may continue long after the stressful event is over. There are physical reasons for it, too, such as an unstable bladder or hormonal problems. See your doctor if your child has difficulty weeing, or is wet during the day as well as the night, or if the urine has a 'fishy' smell.

�

Q. How does bedwetting affect children
A. It's known that children who wet the bed suffer from low self-esteem. It also isolates them from their friends because they feel different: they can't stay at friends' houses, for example,�and may�not want anyone to stay with them.

�

Q. How does it affect the parents
A. They can often be irritated by the problem because of the extra work of washing and drying bedding - and the smell. This can lead to the parents punishing the bedwetter, which just makes things worse.

�

Q. How
A. If the bedwetting becomes an issue, it can create a vicious circle. Making a child feel guilty for something they can't control doesn't help. Bedwetting is a problem which takes time to treat, and needs a lot of care and understanding.

�

Q. How can it be treated
A. A course of treatment for bedwetting takes four to six months to get rid of the problem. Parents can help by stopping their child drinking too much in the evening, and waking them for a wee before they go to bed themselves. A useful device is a system which detects when the child starts to wee and sets off a buzzer to wake them up. And there's a drug called Desmopressin, which reduces the amount of urine produced overnight.

�

Q. Where can I go for help
A. To find out more, click here for the UK Enuresis Resource and Information Centre (ERIC) �website, or call its helpline on 0117 960 3060. Or you can call Bedwetting Education on 0800 085 8189.

�

Do you have a question for Body & Soul Post it here

�

By Sheena Miller