Nocturnal Enuresis (Bed Wetting): causes and natural remedies

Nocturnal Enuresis or Bed Wetting is very common in children. Enuresis is uncontrolled urination past the age of 4 or 5 years.  This condition can also happen during the day, but for now, we’ll focus solely on nocturnal enuresis.  Normally, controlling the sphincter (controlling urination) is a process related to the development of the central nervous system, which depends on learning and conditioning.  This development generally begins to take place between 15 and 18 months of age, during which time the child still can’t control when they go “potty”, but is already being educated about it by his/her parents or people surrounding them.  A lot of times parents use training diapers or even take the diaper off and let the child feel the effects of wet clothes, and just how uncomfortable this is.  This alternative is much better than using training diapers, because the child will learn more quickly through the latter method.  

If learning and maturation are successful, the child will slowly acquire the sense to anticipating urination, and will communicate this to the adults before urinating inside clothes, or even training diapers.  They will let them know they have to “potty“, and the adults will then take them to the bathroom.  This is how a child normally learns to control their sphincters.  After three, four, and even five years of age, a child can now control this physiological need on his/her own.  They are virtually independent in the bathroom.

And when a child doesn’t learn?…

A lot of times, the process of controlling urine doesn’t fully mature completely.  A lot of times bed wetting can continue after four or five years of age, or even older.  This problem can even reach or pass adolescence, and can be either continuous or intermittent (for periods of time).  This is a very frequent affliction, and occurs more regularly than one would think.  There are several remedies to fight it, the principal of which would be to understand very well what takes place, and later take action.

Treatments:

There are several ways to treat the bed wetting.  A lot of times people resort to medication or treatments like “potty-stopping alarms”, or other medical alternatives.  In truth, however, the problem can have a very easy solution.  The most important thing is that neither the mother nor father looses their cool.  The parents’ anger, desperation, and even stress can weight the child down, and can further retard the process of controlling their sphincter.  So you must practice patience and a lot of understanding.  Understand your options very well, to later be able to choose the most appropriate alternative.

Probable causes of bed wetting:

• Not enough entertainment in using the bathroom.
• Small bladder (frequently the cause of children with daytime urination).
• Beginning education too soon, or too late.
• Constant stress, anxiety, nervousness in the child.

Things to consider

GIVE THEM TIME: If your child is older than 5 years of age and still wets to bet, it’s best to wait until they reach 7 or 8 years for the child to reach proper maturity.  You should never pressure your child, nor show anger or make fun of them for what happens.  If your child wakes up wet, it might be a good alternative to make them responsible for cleaning up their sheets or clothes, for example, rather than getting mad, or punishing them, or making them feel guilty.  You are thereby sending the message of cause and effect, and responsibility, and you free your child of the guilt of nervous tension that could be accompanied by punishment, reproach, or other emotions, or whatever is causing this affliction.

Do not give them diapers: this will make the child get used to the problem, and they will not understand it.  It is best to cover the mattress with some sort of impermeable fabric, with sheets on top.

Avoid preventing them from drinking water: the child will not learn this way, but only through correct sphincter and nervous system maturation.

Do not wake them up at night to go to the bathroom.  If they don’t feel the urge to go, you will only be interrupting their sleep, which won’t help anything.  You must wait for the message to urinate to arrive naturally, even during deep sleep.

KEY POINT: THE CHILD’S EMOTIONS

I think this is the key point to the problem.  In energetic medicine, one of the probably causes of  bed wetting exists in the child’s fear of one of the parents.  It could be that the child perceives their father or mother as a strong and intolerant authoritative figure, that does not allow them to express or free their emotions, or how they think or feel frankly and spontaneously about a certain situation.  This perceived adult severity could be in some way altering the child’s nervous system, which prevents him/her from “urinating emotionally” when they should, and when they feel the urge.  This urge then needs to be postponed for a time when the child feels free from the tension or callousness of the parent or the authority figure responsible for the child (this could be a grandparent, a teacher, a nanny, etc.).

Enuresis, bed wetting, is incontinence, and it is curious to note that in energetic medicine, incontinence is caused by excessively controlling emotions.  This is very logical, as the process of physical liberation in the body is associated with emotional liberation as well.  And if this natural liberation is halted in the appropriate time, this will be reflected in the body.

It is important that the parent begins to self-observe, and has the humility to recognize if they are exercising an excessively imposing influence on the child.  Keep in mind that other children, like siblings or cousins, would also react in the same way to their character.  All children have different sensitivities, and ways of understanding and perceiving things.  If the parent begins to observe, they might begin to understand the child, and could even become their friend and help the child to express what they feel and think, without needing to be judged.

ADOLESCENTS

If this condition continues into adolescence, you could also consider these probable emotional causes.  They could undoubtedly prevent having to use more severe, harmful, and less effective remedies, like medication, and other things.  An adolescent can still have the sensation of being severely judged by an authoritative figure.  I am nearly certain that if the child pays attention to him/herself emotionally, before taking any other measure, and if they begin to observe themselves so as to recover their interior security, and to value that they can express and let their emotions flow creatively, they might be surprised at how this condition simply disappears from whence it came.  An adolescent can gain confidence by participating in activities that are athletic or artistic.  They should never loose understanding of moments when they feel anxiety, tension, or when they feel any sort of demand to control emotions.

Visualization is a powerful tool.  If you are an adolescent and want to rid yourself of this affliction, you could try visualizing waking up dry, every night, and going to study or work.  Try to talk to yourself throughout the day with words that inspire you, and avoid judging or severely criticizing yourself.  Give yourself a sense of security in who you are and what you feel, and learn creative ways to liberate your emotions and to share them with others. 

Revised by: Dra. Loredana Lunadei on 02/25/2019

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