A bedwetting alarm is an electronic device used as a treatment option for nocturnal enuresis. The alarm activates when the wearer urinates. Alarms come in several different styles: wearable alarms, wireless alarms, and pad-type alarms. While there is some variation in the styles of the alarms, they all function similarly; each alarm has a moisture sensor component and an alarm component. When the child first begins to urinate the sensor will detect the moisture and trigger the alarm.
Bedwetting alarms are a treatment tool designed to teach people to respond to a full bladder by waking and using the toilet. This alert helps begin to condition the brain to register the bladder’s need to urinate.[1]
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A wearable alarm is a design in which the child wears the moisture sensor in or on their underwear or pajamas. This type of sensor will detect moisture almost immediately. The sensor is attached to the alarm unit with a cord that can be worn under the shirt.
A wireless bedwetting alarm is one in which the sensor and the alarm unit communicate by a means other than a wire. The transmitter, which senses the moisture, is directly attached to the child's underwear. The signal is transmitted wirelessly to a unit that is across the room from the child or an alarm unit in the child's room. Once the alarm unit is activated, it is necessary to get out of bed to turn it off. New wireless alarms add the convenience of also sounding an alarm in the caregiver's room, allowing both patient and caregiver to sleep in the comfort of their own beds and rooms.
Bell-and pad alarms do not attach to the child in any way. The moisture sensor is in the form of a pad or mat that the child sleeps on top of. The pad detects moisture after urine has leaked onto it. The alarm unit is connected with a cord and usually sits on the bedside stand. This alarm requires a larger amount of urine before the sensor can detect moisture. The person must be on the pad for it to sense moisture.