Urinating while asleep, also called nocturnal enuresis, is common in children. It is messy and upsetting, but as it is uncontrollable, it can only be a sign of a growing body system growing accustomed to sleeping without diapers. Nocturnal enuresis in teenagers and adolescents, though, is a different matter. It may be worrisome for parents; it can be awkward for older children, and is considered a bodily sign of deeper troubles in a teenager or adolescent. What causes bedwetting? To understand the phenomenon, one has to know how the kidneys and their related hormones work. One particular hormone, the antidiuretic hormone, controls the body's discharge of water. This antidiuretic hormone participates in a hormone cycle that keeps the bladder from filling until the morning; this in turn ensures that a person will urinate upon awaking. However, this antidiuretic hormone cycle is not completely operational in babies. It develops as children age; in a few cases, it stabilizes by the end of puberty; in very rare cases, the cycle will not be established at all. These unusual scenarios are what may cause adolescent bedwetting. Another way to control urination is through the brain, which, for its part, controls the body's capability to awaken prior to urination. In children, this is learned by the brain, as it grows more and more aware of the body's hormonal cycles. This learning process, however, can be destroyed by certain factors such as emotional or physical stress. Such stress can be as mild as forcing children to urinate when they are not fully awake. Other contributing factors can be more damaging, such as physical or sexual abuse. If your teenager or adolescent wets their, you might want to consider the following treatments. The first consideration in adolescent bedwetting is the body's incapacity to create the antidiuretic hormone cycle, or the brain's incapacity to identify it. Physicians may suggest antidepressants such as Nortriptyline and Amitriptyline, both of which can treat bedwetting for three or four months. Desmopressin, another common bedwettingmedication, mimics the action of the antidiuretic hormone, and can be taken when diagnosis points to poor hormonal development as the cause of bedwetting. The second consideration when treating adolescent bedwetting is the brain's incapacity to both recognize the antidiuretic hormone cycle, and to manage it with respect to time and sleep. To address this, psychiatrists recommend training machines such as the bedwetting alarm. This nighttime gadget can help condition adolescents to wake up when they first feel moisture, and discover that they must urinate. This will lead to the body finally identifying when the bladder is full, and can decrease adolescent bedwetting. The third consideration may be the body's complete incapacity to control bedwetting, which is relatively rare. In this case, physicians advise using diapers or pads, which will help reduce the discomfort associated with bedwetting. Although this can lessen the embarrassment, it will not stop bedwetting completely, and other measures should be taken to eliminate it. The last consideration may be the brain's incapacity to control urination or identify the antidiuretic hormone cycle due to psychological conditions. Such conditions may be brought about by stress; if this stress is derived from physical or sexual abuse, your child may not want to talk to you about it. Psychiatric care and therapy is recommended in such situations; though treatment may not directly target the problem of adolescent bedwetting, it may give you and your child closure on any problems that are brought to light. Teenage or adolescent bedwetting is a treatable disorder, and it requires both patience and consideration on the part of the concerned parent. If your teenager is wetting his or her bed, take him or her to your healthcare professional, and have the problem diagnosed and treated. In no time, your teenager will no longer need to deal with the embarrassment and messes connected with their condition.
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Urinating while asleep, also called nocturnal enuresis, is common in children. It is messy and upsetting, but as it is uncontrollable, it can only be a sign of a growing body system growing accustomed to sleeping without diapers. Nocturnal enuresis in teenagers and adolescents, though, is a different matter. It may be worrisome for parents; it can be awkward for older children, and is considered a bodily sign of deeper troubles in a teenager or adolescent.
Liz Radisson is an author and contributor to http://www.OurGoodHealth.org OurGoodHealth provides information and resources about a variety of topics, such as bedwetting.
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