|
|
STUFF KIDS REALLY
REALLY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WETTING
from the Nemours Foundation
Millions of kids and teenagers from
every part of the world wet the bed every single
night. It's so common that there are probably
other kids in your class who do it. But most
kids don't tell their friends. So it's easy to feel kind of alone,
like you might be the only one
on the whole planet who wets the bed. But you are not alone.
The fancy name for sleep-wetting is enuresis
(say: en-yer-ee-sis). Enuresis runs
in
families. This means that if you wet the bed, there's a good
chance that a close relative wet
the bed when he or she was a kid. Just like you may have
inherited your mom's blue eyes or
your uncle's long legs,
you probably inherited sleep-wetting, too.
The most important thing to remember is that no one wets the bed on purpose. It doesn't
mean that you're lazy or a slob - it's something you can't help
doing. Most kids who wet the
bed are very deep sleepers. Do your parents complain that it's
hard to wake you up? Could
you sleep through a marching
band parading outside your bedroom door? Or a pack of dogs
howling at the moon?
Trying to wake up a sleep wetter is like trying to wake a log -
they just stay asleep.
Sometimes a kid who's a sleep wetter will have a realistic dream
that he's in the bathroom
urinating - only to wake up later and discover he's all wet. Most
kids who sleep-wet do it
every single night. Some wet the bed more than once a night. A
lot of kids say that they
seem to be drier when they sleep at a friend's or relative's
house. This means that the brain
may be thinking, "Hey, you! Don't wet someone else's bed!"
This can help you stay dry even
if you're not aware of it.
The good news is that almost all sleep
wetters eventually stop. Think back to those
relatives who may have had enuresis as kids - as adults, they
have most likely stopped
wetting their beds. And most kids who are cured are the ones who
were sleep-wetting
every single night. So if you wet every night, don't be
discouraged. And don't worry that
you're not "normal," either physically or emotionally.
Sleep-wetting is not usually caused by a
"plumbing" or psychological problem. It's likely that
sleep-wetting will go away on its own.
In fact, fifteen percent of sleep wetters become dry every year
without any treatment at all. But it's still a good idea for you
and your parents to talk to your
doctor about it. Your doctor will ask you some questions, and it's
important to answer them
truthfully and not feel embarrassed -remember, sleep-wetting is
so common that your doctor
probably treats a lot of patients who have it. He or she will
also do a physical exam, and
you'll probably take a urine test. Some kids who have other
problems, like constipation,
frequent daytime wetting, or urine infections may need some extra
tests.