BED WETTING AND AYURVEDIC TREATMENT
- Dr. Murali Manohar Chirumamilla, M.D. (Ayurveda)
Wetting the bed is not only uncomfortable, but also embarrassing, especially for a child older than three years.
Not only is there a social stigma attached to bed-wetting, it causes great inconvenience due to the extra laundry that must be washed and most importantly, bed-wetting interrupts sleeping patterns and causes scores of problems associated with sleep deprivation.
Three out of four toddlers stay dry all night by age four. By five years, one in five still wets the bed and at six, the numbers drop to one in ten. Just about all, bed-wetting stops by the time children reach puberty.
Many parents feel that their children’s bed-wetting is a result of a defect in their parenting. Previously, it was believed that children, who wet their beds, had psychological problems. Today, it is suspected that bed-wetting is caused by slow development of the nerves that control the bladder.
Children with bed-wetting need to urinate at night. Initially, babies urinate round the clock. Then most make the transition to urinating during the waking hours only.
Causes
When an adult’s bladder is full at night, there is a signal that goes from the bladder, through the nervous system, up to the brain. This alerts our reticular activating system, which awakens us. We then use the toilet. This signaling mechanism comes into play some time in middle childhood. If this mechanism fails, then the bed-wetting results. The major reasons for bed-wetting are:
 | An imbalance of bladder muscles. |
| Relatively small bladders to hold the normal quantity of urine. |
| If more quantity of urine is produced due to drinking alcohol rich cool drinks, diuretic fluids or due to chronic diseases like diabetes or hormonal imbalance. |
Secondary Nocturnal Enuresis is the term used to describe the condition where nighttime bladder control is possible only for the first six months and then bed-wetting begins again. This may be due to some physical problem like urinary tract infection or the onset of a disease such as diabetes, or some emotional stress like starting a new term in school or something as simple as a change in sleeping habits.
If your grown up child slept straight through the night, but now wets the bed, the problem is more likely related to recently increased urine production. It may also be due to difficulty in waking-up from stress, or low-level sleep deprivation.
Guidelines & Ayurvedic Remedies
| Children do not wet bed intentionally; they have no control over this situation. Do not make them feel guilty, by getting angry or acting disgusted. Try to be supportive and understanding. |
| Find out whether the child is getting enough sleep. A correct sleeping schedule will make it easier to wake up when the bladder is full. |
| The bowels should be kept clear so that thread worms do not trouble at night. They are one of the important causes of bed-wetting. |
| Items like potato, green gram, chocolates, tea, coffee and spicy items that produce gas should be restricted. Liquid food should not be taken for a few hours before bedtime. |
| The child should be made to empty the bladder before going to bed. Set an alarm clock two to three hours after he falls asleep so that he or she can be awakened to go to the bathroom. |
| Bladder stretching exercises help a lot to combat this situation. |
| In grown up children, bed-witting is due to heightened levels of stress caused due to death of a friend or family member, parental divorce, romantic break-up, etc. Stress can be dealt with by exercise, massage, meditation, yoga, relaxation techniques, etc. |
| The important thing is to learn to be in touch with emotions and take positive actions before the stress expresses itself through bed-wetting. |
| Fry one-teaspoonful coriander seeds in a pan until brown. Mix in one teaspoonful each of pomegranate flowers, sesame seeds and babul gum and grind the mixture into a very fine powder. Add crystal sugar to the powder and give one teaspoonful at bedtime. |
| Sarshapa in powder form taken along with half cup of milk before going to bed, gives good results. |
| Ayurvedic remedies to treat bed-wetting aim at strengthening the nervous system and the urinary tract. The medicines that are commonly used are Vishatinduka vati, Shilajitwaadi vati, Chandraprabha vati, etc. |
| Patent medicines like NEO (Charak) & MENTAT (Himalaya) give good results. |
Note
As we all are genetically different with
different constitutions and patterns, we respond to treatments in many
different ways. Hence Standard Ayurvedic Treatments are always individually
formulated. This article is intended only for information. It is not a
substitute to the standard medical diagnosis, personalized Ayurvedic
treatment or qualified Ayurvedic physician. For specific treatment, always
consult with a qualified Ayurvedic physician.
Address Dr. Ch. Murali
Manohar, M.D. (Ayurveda) Ayurvedic
Specialist Raksha
Ayurvedic Centre, Opp.
Directorate of Women Development, Yousufguda
Main Road (Sarathi Studio Road), Ameerpet,
Hyderabad - 500073., Andhra
Pradesh, INDIA Phones: Land:
+91 (040) 23742146; Mobile: 09246575510
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