Curious Parents Parenting Resources

Family Health

Waking Up To A Wet Blanket
By Dr. Nicole Muschett

 

Every child who experiences it knows the shame, the embarrassment and the frustration of not being able to control it. Bedwetting. It erodes a child’s self-esteem and keeps them from participating in the sleepovers that are part of every young child’s social scene.     
            Children achieve bladder control at different ages, so bedwetting under the age of 5 is fairly common and rarely a cause for concern. It affects more boys than girls and bedwetting episodes may go on into adolescence. Causes include an inability to awaken from sound sleep, heredity, hormonal problems, and nervous system compromise from subluxations of one or more of the bones of the spine that affects the child’s ability to keep the bladder from emptying while asleep.      
            The shame your child feels as a bedwetter could lead to emotional or behavior problems, particularly if your child is older. Your child should never be made to feel guilty about betwetting since it is something that is beyond his or her control. Any form of punishment does nothing to solve the problem and can actually make it worse.
            If a child, who had been dry at night for a period of time—weeks or months—suddenly starts bedwetting again, this may be a sign that something is wrong.  Most often this happens when some form of stress is in the child's life: a new baby in the home, moving to a new neighborhood, or a divorce. Bedwetting may also be a sign of physical or sexual abuse or some other disease process. If your child wets the bed after having been dry at night in the past, it is important that they be seen by a doctor. The bedwetting may be a sign that stress or a disease is causing the problem
            But what can a parent do to help their child? Most simply take a “wait and see” approach until the child grows out of it. But several studies documented in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics show promising results using chiropractic care to help these children.
            One study included 171 children who wet the bed seven nights a week. After some initial chiropractic care, the average child wet the bed only four nights. Twenty five percent saw a 50 percent reduction in “wet” nights and 15 percent were considered “dry,” compared to only 1 percent prior to the study. Chiropractic can help by removing any irritation that may be affecting the nerves that control bladder function. 
            But that’s just one possible cause. The best thing to do is to take your child to the pediatrician or family doctor right away. Even if he’s embarrassed by admitting to the problem, he’ll thank you later when he wakes up to dry sheets and a new day where he doesn’t need an excuse why he can’t attend the sleepover.

Dr. Nicole Muschett, DC treats many conditions ranging from bedwetting to sports injuries. For additional information or if you have any questions, contact her at 610.216.0790.