Bedwetting is far more common than most families realise. Many children are still wet at night at five, and a good number at seven or older. It is not laziness, and it is not anyone’s fault. It usually reflects a mix of deep sleep, a bladder that is still maturing, and the body making more urine at night than it can hold.
Most children grow out of it. In the meantime, it can dent confidence and make sleepovers a source of dread.
First, see a doctor
Before trying anything, have your child checked, particularly if:
- They were dry for six months or more and have started wetting again
- They also have daytime wetting, urgency or pain
- They are very thirsty, constipated, or snore heavily
- There has been a major upset or change at home or school
These can point to a cause that needs its own treatment.
What is usually recommended
- Simple measures first. Enough to drink during the day, less in the evening, regular toilet trips, treating constipation, and a toilet visit before bed.
- A bedwetting alarm. A sensor wakes the child at the first drops. It takes weeks of use but has the best long-term results.
- Medication. Desmopressin reduces night-time urine and is useful for sleepovers and trips. Wetting often returns when it is stopped.
Rewards should be for things the child can control, such as going to the toilet before bed, not for dry nights.
Where hypnosis comes in
Hypnosis is not a first-line treatment. The evidence is small and of low quality. But what there is, is interesting.
In a 1993 study, children with bedwetting were treated either with hypnosis and self-hypnosis or with imipramine, an older medication. Both treatments helped during the treatment period. The difference came afterwards: a Cochrane review of complementary treatments noted that the outcome was better after hypnosis than after imipramine once treatment stopped, with the risk of failure or relapse less than half as high.
The likely reason is that medication works only while it is taken, whereas children who learned self-hypnosis kept using it.
Cochrane’s overall verdict on complementary treatments for bedwetting was cautious: the trials were small and of weak quality, and more research is needed. There are also older case series reporting good results. None of this amounts to proof.
Why it might work
- Children are highly responsive to hypnosis, especially around ages 7 to 11.
- It can strengthen the link between a full bladder and waking.
- It reduces anxiety and shame, which make things worse.
- It gives the child something active to do, which builds confidence.
What it looks like
For a child, this is done as imagination, not “trance.”
- Explaining the body. A simple picture of the bladder as a balloon with a gate, and the brain as the boss of the gate.
- The message. “When my bladder is full, it sends a message to my brain, and my brain wakes me up, or keeps the gate shut until morning.”
- Rehearsal. Imagining waking, walking to the toilet, and returning to a dry, warm bed.
- Waking up dry. Picturing the feeling of a dry bed in the morning.
- Practice. A few minutes at bedtime every night.
A bedtime routine to try
- A toilet trip, then into bed.
- A few slow breaths together. “Blow up a balloon in your tummy.”
- “Picture your bladder with a strong little gate. You are the boss of the gate.”
- “Tonight, if your bladder gets full, it will send a message to your brain. You will wake up, walk to the toilet, and come back to your cosy dry bed.”
- “Picture waking up in the morning, dry and proud.”
- Goodnight.
Keep it light and brief. Leave a night light on and the route to the toilet clear.
What helps most
- No punishment, teasing or shaming. Ever. It makes bedwetting worse.
- Involve the child in solutions, including changing sheets, without it being a penalty.
- Use waterproof covers and keep spare bedding handy.
- Tell them it is common. There is probably another child in their class.
- Be patient. Progress is uneven.
If you want professional help
Ask your GP or school nurse about a local continence service. If you want to try hypnosis, look for a health professional trained in hypnosis with children, and use it alongside standard advice.
The bottom line
Bedwetting usually passes. Alarms and simple measures come first. Hypnosis is a gentle extra with limited evidence, and its main strength is that it puts the child in charge.
Next in the series: Beyond IBS: Hypnosis for Indigestion, Chest Pain and Colitis
This article is for general information and is not medical advice.