Remedies and Treatment for Bedwetting in Teenagers

Untreated bedwetting can persist in adolescents in 1-2% of cases. While this figure may not seem high, it remains very annoying for a teenager who has to deal with the frustrations of bedwetting on a daily basis. Many girls and boys experience this situation by isolating themselves and eventually admitting that there is no solution to this problem. However, many worry about not having a dry night at their age. Puberty doesn't "cure" bedwetting, so there's no reason to wait until puberty before starting treatment. It's always extremely embarrassing for a teenager to miss out on all the fun of going out because of bedwetting. This leads to low self-confidence and, worse, self-deprecation. Daily laundry can stress even the most understanding families. WHAT CAN YOU DO AND WHAT TREATMENT? As parents, it is your duty not to trivialize your child's bedwetting. We regularly come into contact with parents who admit to having put off this problem until "it will go away on its own"! To begin, there are simple strategies: Most families have tried these strategies, but they need to be repeated daily to ensure they stick. Routine and bedtime Double urination 30 minutes before bedtime and again immediately before falling asleep. Drink regularly throughout the day. This might mean taking a bottle of water to school. Drinking regularly requires teens to go to the bathroom frequently at home and at school. Make sure your child is not constipated and has regular bowel movements. Do not punish or ridicule a teenager, even within the family. Solve the problem The best solution for bedwetting is to use a bedwetting alarm (the pee stop). Alarms are perfect for teenagers who cannot naturally detect when they need to pee during sleep. Alarms have moisture sensors that signal wetness from the first drops of urine with an alarm and/or vibrations. The teenager is alerted by this process during their sleep so that they can begin to make the brain-bladder connection. Your child may have a very deep sleep at first and parental help is perfectly normal in the early stages to wake them up. This is how most treatments begin, even for younger children. The parents' job is to go to their room, wake them up, have them turn off the alarm, and walk them to the bathroom. Over time, teenagers will learn to distinguish the signs of a full bladder and will automatically go to the bathroom before urine is released. The good news is that bedwetting alarms work just as effectively in teenagers as they do in younger children. It usually takes a little longer for teenagers to achieve complete dryness. This is not much compared to a problem that has been going on for years. Recommended alarms for teenagers At store, we especially recommend wireless alarms such as the Rodger Wireless or one of the two systems from Uriflex (Mickey or Liberty). Underwear with sensors is worn exactly like normal underwear and is easy to put on, regardless of whether the teenager is tired or not. An important feature of wireless alarms is that your teen must get out of bed to turn it off. The receiver must be located in the room but away from their bed to continue ringing until they turn off the alarm. Some teens who sleep soundly can't use shoulder-mounted alarms because they turn them off and go right back to sleep. Wireless alarms avoid this problem. If your room is on a different floor than your child, you can order an additional receiver for your room to ensure they get up when the alarm sounds. A vibrating pad can also be added to some alarms to shake the bed or pillow when the alarm sounds. This is also a discreet way to use them outside. Our advice: Even if your child has used a certain type of alarm in the past, it's always worth restarting treatment with a good product and good advice. Your child will need to wear the alarm every night, at home and away, until 21 consecutive dry nights are reached with a minimum of 6 weeks of treatment. Then finish the treatment by using the alarm every other night until 21 additional dry nights are reached. Patience and persistence are important, but various studies show that bedwetting alarms are the only effective long-term cure.