Nocturnal enuresis

What is nocturnal enuresis?

Nocturnal enuresis or bedwetting is a condition that usually occurs before puberty. Boys are more often affected by this condition than girls. Enuresis is one of the most common childhood neuroses. Usually, nocturnal discharge after the age of 3 years is considered pathological. According to some doctors, the age is 4 years. Several types of enuresis are distinguished:

• Nocturnal – nocturnal;
• Diurnal – diurnal;

Purinating during the afternoon is also considered nocturnal enuresis a dream. When young children wet themselves while playing or laughing, this is not considered diurnal enuresis.

Primary enuresis – persistent – when physiological wetting continues after age 3 or 4.

Secondary /acquired/ – if the child has stopped unconsciously wetting himself at night and after a long period, usually after years, he starts to do it again. There is also temporary and permanent urination.

What are the causes?

• Immaturity of the brain center that controls bladder emptying. Official medicine points to the slow development of the “control center” in the cortex of the brain that provides control over the bladder as an explanation for nocturnal enuresis.
• A cold is the main cause of temporary enuresis. Children usually catch a cold when they walk barefoot or stand in the cold and wet without proper clothing. This type of urination can be observed in acute respiratory diseases.
• Neuroses – most often occurs in more nervous children and children who live in unhygienic conditions. Fear is the main cause of bedwetting, even if parents don’t know. This type of bedwetting is most common at the beginning of first grade.

Caution! The diagnosis of enuresis is established after the following are categorically excluded:

• Kidney and urinary tract infections;
• Sugar and insipid/tasteless/diabetes;
• Epilepsy and nasal polyps;
• Worms and enlarged tonsils;
• Anemia due to improper diet and malnutrition;

Treatment of nocturnal enuresis

Basic principles:

• If possible, the treatment should correspond to the cause;
• Don’t wait for the child to enter puberty! Until then, it is indeed possible to stop the bedwetting, but there is a risk of the condition worsening;
• It would be better for the child to be exempted from physical education classes at school and any other compulsory sports activities during the treatment ;
• During the colder months of the year, the child should sleep with warm socks;
• When there is sun, wind, rain or snow, your child should always wear hat;
• If you are more irritable, your child will communicate with you less, so talk to him when you are calmer.
• Threats and punishments during treatment are absolutely contraindicated because they will aggravate the problem.

Food

• The main thing to do is to limit the child’s fluid intake after 18 hours.
• Fatty meats and canned fish should also be limited;
• Boiled eggs with toast are recommended for breakfast or oatmeal sweetened with honey and lemon. It is useful to give herbal teas with breakfast, which can be made from horsetail, blackberry leaves, St. John’s wort or cranberry leaves.
• For lunch, dishes with lamb, veal, chicken or fresh fish are recommended.

Dinner must be vegetarian – mainly vegetables are recommended. Also in the evening it is recommended to avoid liquid foods such as cucumbers or watermelon because they cause frequent urination. You can give your child a teaspoon of honey before going to bed by mixing ten coarsely ground mustard seeds into it.