Patrina Ha Yuen Caldwell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. This article is part of our series looking at health conditions in children. Bed-wetting is surprisingly common in older children and young adults. Lack of public awareness and stigma associated with bed-wetting means few seek professional help despite successful treatments being available. Bed-wetting enuresis is a sleep problem. It occurs when individuals are unable to wake to urinate when the bladder is full.

Nocturnal enuresis or bedwetting is the involuntary release of urine during sleep. Bedwetting can be a symptom of bladder control problems like incontinence or overactive bladder or more severe structural issues, like an enlarged prostate or bladder cancer. Studies shows that 1 to 2 percent of adults wet the bed, though researchers think that statistic is underreported due to the embarrassing nature of the problem. Rather than hiding your secret, you should explore effective treatments that can help lessen the likelihood of bedwetting and reduce the anxiety of going to sleep at night. NOTE: This section focuses on bedwetting when it affects adults.

Nocturnal Enuresis means wetting the bed. Many people wet the bed at night, although few people talk about it. In fact, one person in every may be affected throughout adult life.