Teen Bedwetting

While bedwetting as a teen can be embarrassing, teenagers need to remember that they are not alone. It also helps to realize that there are solutions to the uncontrollable problem.

Teenagers should know that they are not alone. Many, many individuals suffer from bedwetting. Famous individuals who have admitted to wetting the bed include Johnny Carson, Suzanne Somers, Mark McGwire, Michael Landon, Vince Vaughn, and Sarah Silverman. Comedian Sarah Silverman wrote a book about the issue titled The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee. The book explains Sarah Silverman’s struggles of wetting the bed until she was 16 years old. She admits her mother would put Pampers in her sleeping bag before going on a camping trip with friends in order to be discrete about the issue. Showing your teen that others suffer from the same problem could help them to come to terms with the fact that bedwetting is not their fault and is not something to feel ashamed of.

There are many causes for teenage bedwetting. Bedwetting is twice as common in males than in females, and as a genetic condition, the teenager’s parents may have also suffered from the problem. Many teenagers do not produce enough amount of ADH, the anti-diuretic hormone. ADH tells the kidneys to shut down urine production at night. The teenager may be a deep sleeper and may not realize they need to go to the bathroom. Many teenagers have small bladders that cannot hold urine all night, so even the smallest muscle spasm can trigger the bladder to leak. Emotional stress and nervousness can also cause bedwetting in teenagers.

Bedwetting can have a very negative impact on a teen. It can affect their social development and emotional well-being and can be embarrassing and traumatic to the teenager. It can lead them to feeling isolated and alone, as they feel they must keep their problem a secret. In many cases, betwetting teens feel like they cannot go to sleepover parties or camping trips since an accident may occur. Teenagers may be worried or nervous that their reputation will forever be ruined by an accident.

Understand, though, that there are solutions to help control bedwetting in teenagers. Bedwetting alarms, for example, can sense the first sign of wetness and can wake the teen up in time to head to the bathroom. Even a regular alarm, timed to go off in the middle of the night, can wake the teen and help them find a bathroom. And although they can be embarrassing to some teenagers, diapers are a common and dependable option.

Dietary management is also a solution, as the method can help control what a teenager eats and their reaction to it. Many teenagers refrain from drinking fluids within a few hours of going to bed, for example. Chiropractors have found solutions by realigning and adjusting the teenager’s spine. This returns the teenager’s nerves to their normal healthy state. There are many possibilities to help solve or decrease a teenager’s bedwetting problems.

There is nothing wrong with teenagers wetting the bed. The natural occurrence can be embarrassing, but it should not have a negative association, as the stress involved with feeling guilty about the problem can actually serve to increase bedwetting. Parents should stay positive and help their child find a solution for their bedwetting problem. Finally, teenagers do not want the rest of the world knowing about their bedwetting, so parents should keep it among themselves. Even telling close family members like aunts, uncles, grandparents, and even siblings can be embarrassing, so do not betray your son or daughter’s trust. Keep their personal problems private.

Parenting through the teen years can be extremely difficult, and if things have gotten out of control, there’s no shame in admitting that you need the help of an expert. The qualified staff at Christian boarding schools are an excellent resource for helping you and your family through the trying teenage years. Specializing in treating troubled and at-risk teens, these boarding schools approach education with a balance of discipline and love, and their methods have helped countless teens transform into intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually healthy young adults.