Better Sleep Better Health

Bed-wetting: It’s a problem that can be frustrating and embarrassing to both children and adults. Most children wet the bed occasionally or even nightly during the potty-training years. In fact, it is estimated that seven million children in the United States wet their beds on a regular basis.

It is considered normal for children to wet the bed while sleeping during the last stage of the toilet-training process. However, If a child continues to wet the bed more than twice a month after age 5 or 6, it may be considered a problem. Not every child stops wetting the bed at the same age. Bladder function is a complex process and takes time to develop enough for a child to control it throughout the night.
There are both primary and secondary forms of bed-wetting.
With primary bed-wetting, the child has never had nighttime control over urination and it is usually part of the child’s natural development.
The secondary form is less common and refers to bed-wetting that occurs after the child has been dry during sleep for 6 or more months. This form is usually caused by some psychological stress or fear in the child’s life. In some cases it may be the result of an underlying medical condition such as constipation, urinary tract problems, or even sleep disordered breathing. If this is the case, a pediatrician should be contacted. The pediatrician can suggest several options of how to deal with bed-wetting. These options include behavioral modifications like stretching the bladder by delaying urination during the day, encouraging the child to use the restroom before bed, or using a alarm device to wake the child when it senses urination at night.
There are also medications to help control bed-wetting, but caution should be used when seeking out and using such remedies. A recent report by the FDA stated that some bed-wetting medications, especially when used nasally, may unbalance childrens electrolyte levels and could lead to seizures. Patients using these medications should consult their doctors.
Parents faced with their children wetting the bed should remember to use positive reinforcement and encouragement to help their kids out of this difficult phase. If your child has consistent problems wetting their bed at night, talk to their pediatrician for advice on how to help.

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day and green beer:

Benjamin Franklin famously said, “Beer is living proof God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Maybe so, but he also said “Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Now new research shows that alcohol and sleep make lousy bedfellows.

In fact, scientists now say that too much alcohol affects the body’s circadian rhythm. The Circadian rhythm is the 24 hour cycle that synchronizes sleep and wake times depending on exposure to light. Researchers at Kent State University recently conducted a study on the effects of alcohol on sleep. They found that even low levels of alcohol intake can affect your sleep cycle.

The researchers used hamsters as test subjects because their sleep cycles are set by exposure to light, just like humans. The hamsters were given different levels of alcohol and then were exposed to bright and dim lights. The hamsters that were inebriated had the hardest time shifting their sleep/wake rhythms after the exposure to dim light. The more they drank, the harder it was to adjust.

Professor David Glass, who worked on the study, says: “Hamsters’ circadian rhythms are very clear and predictable and they’re easy to maintain in the lab. They also love to drink alcohol.” The rodents reactions act as a model for how humans’ body clocks are affected by excessive drinking.

“Part of the reason for problems in an alcoholic’s life is the impact alcohol has on the circadian clock. We think alcohol prevents light information necessary for proper clock activity from reaching the brain. This information is critical for daily activity.” Alcohol blocks sensory information from stimulating the brain’s control centers.  “Because the body has trouble determining what time of day it is, it can’t function properly”, explains Professor Glass.

To help avoid alcohol’s negative effects on sleep, abstain from drinking within 3-4 hours of bedtime and always use moderation.