Bedwetting is a very common pre-adolescent problem. Actually, until the age of six years, bedwetting is considered to be a very normal phenomenon, which phases out with time. But about one-tenth of all children continue to wet their bed even after they have grown out of their first six years of life. This is when bedwetting turns out to be an embarrassing problem for both the child as well as the parents.

In Sanskrit, bedwetting has been termed as shayya mootra. Shayya means ‘bed’ and mootra means ‘urination’. Hence the Sanskrit term literally means bedwetting, the same as the English term.

Adult Bedwetting means loss of urinary control at night, i.e. when the person is normally sleeping in one’s bed. Children who wet their beds do so because they urinate in their beds while they are sleeping. All children of the world wet their beds until they learn to control their bladders. This happens normally at the age of six years. However, if wetting of the bed continues even after six years of age, then it is considered as a problem that needs remedial measures.

Though bedwetting is generally spoken of as a childhood problem, it must be noted that a small ratio of these children do continue wetting their beds even in their adulthoods. It is therefore necessary that children be taught bladder control early on in life. Most children do learn controlling their bladder by themselves, but for some children, the parents might need to exercise a bit of a routine until their bladders are controlled.

The medical term for bedwetting is nocturnal enuresis. Nocturnal enuresis is of different types depending on its severity.

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The two main types of shayya mootra are as follows:-

(i) Primary Nocturnal Enuresis – This is the condition when the person wets the bed almost every night. This condition is usually found in children.

(ii) Secondary Nocturnal Enuresis – This is the condition when the person wets the bed only on some nights. There are long spells when the person does not urinate at night, but then does so one particular night. This is generally brought on due to emotional stress. It is more commonly found in adults, but can be seen in children too.

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Urine is stored in the urinary bladder. The urinary bladder is connected via nerves to the brain. When the urinary bladder gets full at night, the signal from the urinary bladder is sent up to the brain through this nervous system. The brain then activates a reticular system which wakes us up.

However, in people who wet their beds, this nervous system could be at fault. Due to this their brains do not get the message even if their bladders are full. The result is that these people wet their beds.

Speaking of children who wet their beds in their later years, most of them are normally quite alright in the daytime. It is only when the child is sleeping in the night that the bladder control goes haywire. This could be because the child is totally relaxed in the night and only the involuntary functions of the body are being carried out. Since the child does not have a conscious mindset when sleeping, there is mismanagement of the urinary sphincter which holds the urinary bladder closed while not urinating. The result is that the child wets the bed.

The following factors are known to cause bedwetting in people and especially children:-

Emotional Problems – A person may wet the bed when there is some emotional transition to make. For example, while starting a new term, appearing for an examination, anticipating a result, etc. may cause bedwetting. This may also be seen in adults when they are moving to a new house, getting married, expecting a promotion, etc. Even adults who have been treated out of their childhood bedwetting could occasionally wet their beds in the night when there is some kind of emotional upheaval.

Environmental Problems – Change of the location of the person can cause bedwetting. If there is a change of climate involved, then the problem is more profuse. This is seen more in children. Children may also wet their beds in seasonal changes, such as when the autumn or winter sets in.

Biological Problems – Several anatomical and physiological problems can cause bedwetting in adults and children. Such problems are:-

• The bladder muscles may be poorly developed.
• The size of the bladders may be small and unable to retain the urine.
• More quantity of urine is produced due to consuming excessive fluids before going to bed.
  

According to Ayurvedic theories, shayya mootra can be caused due to vitiation in the pitta or the kapha doshas. The Braajaka pitta is responsible for the expulsion of bodily wastes in the form of fluids. Hence, a decline in the braajaka pitta could lead to bedwetting. Kapha dosha is important to balance the internal human body with the external environment. Therefore, vitiation in the kapha dosha also causes the person to wet his or her bed.

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The basic problem with adult bedwetting and children bedwetting is that it is an embarrassing problem. Both children and adults are highly conscious of their nocturnal bedwetting sessions and they may be listless and irritable in the daytime. Also, not having anyone to share the problem with could be frustrating.

Sometimes parents make the issue more complicated by scolding or punishing the child for their bedwetting episodes. This actually serves to no avail. The bedwetting is because there is some internal problem causing the excretory system to malfunction. No amount of verbal shouting or badgering can make the child stop the urination flow.

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Bedwetting runs in families. Hence it is genetically transmitted. It can come down from the parents, or from close relatives like uncles, aunts and grandparents. Hence, there is nothing a bedwetting child must fear for. If the child is bedwetting, there is a huge probability that one of his or her parents were also bedwetting in their childhoods.

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How to Stop Bedwetting

There is a plethora of treatment methods for adult bedwetting and children bedwetting. This just goes to show how embarrassing the situation is to some people as they do not wish to reveal their problems to a doctor even. Yet, some of these self-help methods for treating bedwetting are really effective.

Creating a strict ‘going to bed’ pattern goes a long way in treating the problem of bedwetting completely. Have the child visit the toilet and urinate just before going to bed each night. No fluids must be had two hours before retiring to bed, except water and that too in little sips.

Have your child sleep adequately each night. This will ensure that your child is not deprived of sleep.

If your child is bedwetting, then you must first make him or her understand why this is happening. Explain that this is not a major issue and not to be ashamed of it. This is very important. In some children, stress levels are built up due to their bedwetting, and this causes more bedwetting in the future.

When your child wets the bed, make him or her change the bed-sheet. This will provide as a constructive deterrent. It will also teach your child to look after his or her own mess and not to overly depend on the parents.

If your child has worm problems, like threadworms, then get them treated. Threadworms can cause nocturnal enuresis.

Create confidence in the child during difficult times of his or her life, such as approaching exams and competitions.

• For adults who wet the bed, there are several bladder stretching exercises that can help to control the problem. Some of these bladder stretching exercises are:-
• Matsyendrasana
• Ardha Matsyendrasana
• Paschimottan

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How to Stop Bedwetting

People who have problems with bedwetting must take a pitta and a kapha pacifying diet. Such a diet could be as follows:-

Eliminate foodstuffs like potato, beans, green gram and lentils from the diet and they create gas which puts a pressure on the excretory system.

Spicy and oily foods must be curtailed as they will retard the process of digestion.

Tea and coffee must not be had, especially in the night, as they interfere with sleeping patterns. Even chocolates must be avoided.

Try to feed your child in the early evening so that there is adequate time for the food to get digested. Adults must follow the same pattern, i.e. of dining early.

If there is an urge of urination before going to bed, but there is no urine flow, then this can be rectified by drinking a whole glass of water. Follow this with a brisk walk or light exercise. Within about half an hour, there will be a good urine flow and you will get a peaceful sleep at night.

A diet of spirulina, bee’s pollen, Brewer’s yeast and nuts, which are rich in vitamin B12, is good for stopping excessive bedwetting.

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How to Stop Bedwetting

There are quite a few herbs that have been used traditionally to cure bedwetting problems in both children and adults. Some of these herbs are given in the following table with their actions on the human body.

Some more Ayurvedic preparations that can be used to control nocturnal enuresis are:-

• Vishatinduka vati
• Shilajitwadi vati
• Chandraprabha vati

Though Ayurveda has several more herbs that can curb shayya mootra, they need to be taken in consultation with the Ayurveda doctors. This is because what works for one person may not work for another. Among children, there are various causes that may bring on the problem. Hence, most treatment is depending on the causative factor of the ailment.

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