Teenagers

TEENAGE BEDWETTING IS COMMON. IT’S IMPORTANT THAT TEENS KNOW THIS

What causes bedwetting in teenagers?

Most instances of bedwetting among teenagers are what we refer to as secondary bedwetting. This is bedwetting where individuals have been dry for 6 months or more than return to wetting at night again. With secondary bedwetting, the first question parents need to ask is, “What has changed?” Your child had achieved nighttime continence and now wets the bed again. Physical causes of secondary bedwetting are rare representing 2-3% of all cases. A return to bedwetting has been linked with urinary tract infections, juvenile diabetes, epilepsy, and chronic constipation so it is essential that parents have these ruled out first. The majority of secondary bedwetting results from emotional or stress-related problems. Common causes of stress among teenagers are bullying and peer difficulties, school-related issues such as exams and workload challenges as well as family conflict.

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Wetting the bed as a teenager is nothing to be alarmed about. It’s normally a phase. About 2% of people your age still wet the bed (and even 0.5-2% of all adults wet the bed).

Try not to be self-conscious about it. There will be times when it’s inconvenient and embarrassing, like in social situations, but there are plenty of ways to deal with it.

Teenage Boys

First thing’s first. Teenage boys wet the bed sometimes.

Your body is still developing and not everything runs like clockwork yet. Having said that, we know that it’s not ideal. You want to go on an overnight school trip, camping with the guys, or just to a sleepover, and you’re worried about wetting the bed.

You can get through this, just like heaps of guys your age.

Teenage Girls

As if teenage girls didn’t have enough things to deal with. There’s also occasional bedwetting. Your body is still developing and sometimes it has a really inconvenient way of showing us that not everything runs like clockwork just yet.

Even though it’s pretty common, we know it’s not ideal. You want to go on an overnight sleepover on the weekend, and you’re worried about wetting the bed. The good news is that you’re not alone and we can help you to coast through this phase.

BEDWETTING TIPS FOR TEENAGE BOYS AND GIRLS

WHAT TO DO ABOUT BEDWETTING

Talk about it. Find someone you trust, like a parent or school counsellor, and let them know a bit about what’s going on. You will be surprised how much getting it off your chest can help.
Listen a bit. People will have opinions about bedwetting solutions. Some of them might not be amazing, but hear them out. Something will stick and it could end bedwetting forever, for you.
Accept help. There is no shame is taking the help that is offered to you. You are not alone and you don’t have to work through an inconvenient phase in your life without some support.

Here are two key things to try. One DO and one DON’T.

DO train your muscle.

Your bladder is a hollow, muscular, and very elastic organ. That means that like any muscle, it benefits from a bit of a workout now and then. The best way to stretch and build the muscles of your bladder is to ‘hold it in’ for a short while, when you feel the urge to pee.

DON’T drink and sleep.

Just as emptying your bladder at night time will help your chances of having a dry night, filling up your bladder before you go to bed will increase your chances having an accident. So, try not to drink anything after about 4pm if you can help it.