Enuresis refers to involuntary urination, most often by children at night. For many children, enuresis, or nighttime bed-wetting, is a major problem that requires further attention. Bed-wetting is caused by a variety of factors such as unusually deep sleep or having a small, dysfunctional bladder. Although typically experienced by children, bed-wetting does not go away as the child ages, therefore some adults who have not been treated at a young age will continue to urinate in their sleep into adulthood.

Unfortunately, treatments such as medicine and waking techniques have shown little success in stopping the incidents of nighttime bed-wetting. Note that bed-wetting is not caused by a medical or even psychological problem. However, poor treatments of bed-wetting often do cause psychological problems, which is why it is so important to treat bed-wetting properly.

Here we discuss unsuccessful methods of stopping bedwetting. In fact, some of these methods can make the problem worse.

1. Try to wake up the child in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. The idea is that this will train the child to be able to wake up before they urinate. Not only is this an ineffective method of treating bed-wetting, if a child is not getting adequate sleep, this will cause them more problems throughout the day.
2. Limit the child’s fluid consumption at night. Parents often think this makes it easier for the child to get through the night without wetting the bed because their bladder is not so full. However, this does not address the root of the problem within the brain, and is not an effective method of treatment.
3. Have the child use the bathroom before bed. In the same vein as the previous tip, having the bladder be less full when the child goes to sleep helps make it so the child can get through the night without urinating. Again, this does not address the root of the problem, and will not deter a child from wetting the bed.
4. Wait for the child to get older. It is thought that bed-wetting is something a child can grow out of. This may not be true. Bed-wetting can follow some children into adulthood if not properly treated.

Neurofeedback as Best Treatment Solution

Neurofeedback has been proven to be a very effective treatment for bed-wetting. QEEG technology finds where the trouble is occurring in the brain, and targets these areas for retraining neuron activities to stop bed-wetting. Children with enuresis typically have low-frequency activity in the areas of the brain that are associated with bed-wetting. Neurofeedback trains the brain to function more efficiently. This treatment is effective and lasts far beyond when the treatment occurs. Schedule a free consultation with our director Dr. Jolene Ross to learn more about your child’s specific case.