Bed Wetting And Stress

Bed wetting is not just a child’s problem but a problem for parents too.  Bed wetting is a common incident.  About 20% of five year olds still wet their beds at night.  By the time they reach 6 years old, the figure tends to be slashed in half.  Each night, about 5 to 7 million children fail to do their business in the bathroom, there are more boys who tend to wet their bed than girls.

There are different causes of nocturnal enuresis or bed wetting.  But its most common causes are neurological or developmental delays and family history.  Medical reasons are least common but possible causes.  There are also studies showing that bed wetting can also be caused by stress.  Although, stress is not the identified cause of primary enuresis or bed wetting since infancy, it could be attributed with secondary enuresis or reverting to night time wetting.

Children have different ways and methods of adapting to changes in their social relationships and environment. The changes could be minor or major, but these changes could be stressful to kids. Stress could happen if there is an additional member of the family like a new baby.  Moving to a new home, bullying, divorce, and even death could cause stress among children.

Aside from these situations which could put stress to a child, emotional neglect could also be a cause of bed wetting.  If a child is neglected or lack emotional stability, nighttime accidents could happen as response to the stress and anxiety.

If you have determined that stress has caused  the child to return to bed wetting,  then you would be able to address the issue. Once you have identified that stress is the reason, then talk to your doctor if getting your child see a psychologist would be suitable for the situation.

However, never assume that just because your child reverted to nighttime accidents means that he is under stress.  There could be incidents in school and at home but may not be the reason.  It is always safer to check with a doctor first, to get rid or overrule medical reasons.

If stress is indeed the cause of bed wetting, then you could also ask help from the members of the family.  The family could show the child that they are there to support him or her.  Enlist everyone in the family to help in guiding the child in the evening to avoid bed wetting.  Bed wetting could interfere with some social activities, however, letting your child participate in some overnight activities could actually help and encourage your child to pursue with the night time training.

There are some experts who have pointed out that bed wetting could be a “vicious” cycle.  If stress causes the child to wet the sheets, this could also cause serious stress to the parents.  Stressed out parents could distress children more and even making the situation worse.    There are studies showing that punishing and shaming children because of bed wetting could actually, increase nighttime accidents.

Which would eventually lead to more punishment and shaming. This could cause serious problems with the child’s confidence and self-esteem.