Bed Wetting and Sleep Apnea
Is Sleep Apnea A Possible Cause of Bed-Wetting?
Recent studies have shown that bed wetting and sleep apnea are possibly linked. To be more precise, there have been evidence showing that sleep apnea may actually be a cause of bed-wetting. Bed-wetting among children is not such an uncommon problem. Oftentimes, the child will outgrow it on his own but there are also cases where it can only get worse when not dealt with right away.
Basics of Bed Wetting and Sleep Apnea
In order to fully comprehend the link between bed wetting and sleep apnea, it would be a good idea to learn a thing or two about both of these conditions. Bed-wetting, as we all know, is the failure to control urination while sleeping. The medical term for this common problem is enuresis. According to studies, 16% of children younger than 5 will wet the bed, but 10% of these will outgrow the condition over time. Boys are also more likely to be bed-wetters than girls. The most common reason for bed-wetting is a small bladder, which can hold less urine than normal.
There are several remedies to bed-wetting but the one most often used is a moisture-detecting alarm system. Once moisture is detected, an alarm goes off, waking up the child and alerting him of the need to go to the bathroom. However, if snoring is also experienced along with bed-wetting, the problem may actually be an offshoot of sleep apnea.
How Are They Related?
A child who is suffering from sleep apnea finds it hard to sleep well at night because of the obstructions in his throat that are restricting his breathing. Thus, he feels fatigue in the daytime even though he did not do any physically strenuous activities. Regular bodily functions may eventually be affected, and chemical imbalances may occur in the brain. Such changes increase the likelihood of the child wetting the bed at night.
Therefore, both bed wetting and sleep apnea are actually results of improper brain function. The good news is that both of these problems can be solved using one remedy, which in most cases would be the removal of the adenoids. Enlarged adenoids are the most common cause of sleep apnea. As soon as these are removed, the sleep apnea will be treated and all its side effects, including bed wetting, will be eliminated.
However, there are also other possible causes of bed wetting and sleep apnea. To make sure that you or your child is properly diagnosed and treated, it is recommended that you consult your doctor as soon as possible, to rule out any other problems.
Child Bedwetting
Helping A Child Bed Wetting Problem
Potty training can be a long and tedious process and accomplishing a child bedwetting problem is definitely a reason to celebrate. Therefore, it is perfectly understandable why many parents feel so disappointed when they learn that their child has started wetting the bed again after being dry for a long time.
What parents need to understand, however, is that child bed wetting is not nearly as disappointing to them as it is to the child himself. Just imagine how a child must feel to wake up night after night in wet sheets. Getting mad at them or showing them your disappointment will only make matters worse.
Tips To Stop Child Bedwetting
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Instead, here are some of the positive things you can do to help your child conquer the problem of bed wetting:
- Offer reassurance. Let them know that they are not alone and that millions of children wet their beds at night, some even do it in as teenagers and as adults. Help them understand that this is a common problem and one that can be solved using simple methods.
- Give motivation. Bedwetting in children, can cause a child’s self-confidence to drop. They may feel inadequate or be disappointed in themselves. You can prevent this by giving them motivation to keep doing better each night.
- Encourage positive thoughts. As part of your bedtime routine, talk to him about going through the night without having any accidents. Ask him to visualize himself going to the bathroom when he feels an urge instead of sleeping through the whole thing.
- Play pretend. You may have noticed how your child does not wet the bed when sleeping in a different house. This is because the child does not sleep as deeply in other places as he does at home where he is most comfortable. Tell him to pretend that he is in another house. This may just do the trick and help him stop child bed wetting once and for all.
- Be supportive. When your child does wet the bed, avoid scolding or shaming him because this will only make him feel worse.
- Have him help with changing the sheets. This will help him have a grasp of what the consequences of child bed wetting can be and may help him stop it. However, don’t do this as a punishment, ask him to help only if he is capable and willing.
- Avoid punishment. Child bed wetting is an involuntary action — they really can’t control it and besides, no child would purposely urinate in their own bed. Therefore, there is no point in punishing them for something that’s not even their fault.
- Keep communication lines open. Talk to them about the bed wetting problem, ask them how they feel or if they need for you to do anything that could help. By maintaining positive communication with your child, you can help him conquer his child bed wetting a lot faster.
