Bedwetting

Bedwetting is also known as nighttime incontinence or nocturnal enuresis where there is an involuntary urination during sleep,. There are two types of bedwetting; primary enuresis, where the patient always woke up to a wet bed, and secondary enuresis, where bedwetting occurs every six months.

Symptoms
Most common cause is uncontrolled and unintentional urination while sleeping. Children ages 6-7 years old have trouble controlling their bladder activity at night, which results to a wet bed the next day.

Other symptoms include a feeling a burning sensation, straining, dribbling while urinating.

The patient also experiences soiling along with bedwetting.

Causes
Children may experience bedwetting due to underdeveloped nervous system, where the child fail to distinguish a full bladder and take immediate action in release uphold urine. In some cases, the size of the bladder may be too small to hold urine at night. In rare cases, it may be due to some defects in the urinary system itself.

Other medical conditions such as urinary tract infection, constipation, diabetes, sickle-cell anemia, epilepsy, lack of anti-diuretic hormone that reduces the amount of urine produced by the kidneys, spinal cord deformities may also cause the disorder.

However, there are also instances due to gene transfer or being a deep sleeper that causes bedwetting.

Remedies
- Drink 6-8 oz. of cranberry juice 1 hour before going to bed, or eat 2 teaspoon of walnut halves and 1 teaspoon of raisins.

- Herbs such as causticum, lycopodium, ursi, corn silk and pulsatilla, will help in achieving
bladder control.

- Drink tea made from herbs such as oak bark, horsetail, wormwood or bearberry.

-Use St. John’s wort oil when massaging the thighs of the patient.

-Practice retention control by delaying urination during the day. During the first try, hold urine for a few minutes, then gradually lengthen the time as it progresses. This exercise will help strengthen bladder muscles and will also help increase urine capacity.

-Avoid drinking any form of liquids before bedtime to empty the bladder.

Diet
Eat Healthy Diet:
Eat parsley and cinnamon bark. Eat fresh and natural foods like leafy vegetables, brown rice and so on. To prevent bedwetting due to constipation eat a fiber rich diet. Eat diet rich in silica, magnesium and calcium. Some of the rich sources of these nutrients are milk, banana, sesame, and almonds.

Have a healthy diet by eating fresh, leafy vegetables and natural foods such as brown rice, parsley and cinnamon bark. Eat foods such as almonds, bananas, milk and sesame that are rich in silica, magnesium and calcium.

For patients with constipation, it is advisable to undergo a fiber-rich diet.

Diet to avoid:
- Avoid apple, orange, grapes and pineapple juices.
- Avoid sweets, fruits, chocolates, meat and all processed and prepackaged foods, or anything that contains artificial additives.
- Stay away from food that causes allergies such as eggs, corn, tomatoes, soy, wheat and other dairy products.

Other Treatments
Holding urine for a few seconds will stretch the bladder, which allows it to store more urine later. The patient will then be able to hold it for much longer and will therefore slowly learn how to control it in their sleep.