What Is Enuresis?
Alex falls into an extremely deep sleep almost every night. He sleeps so soundly that you could set off a fire alarm next to his bed and he probably wouldn’t hear it. Even having to pee doesn’t wake him up, so Alex sometimes wets the bed. He feels embarrassed, but isn’t alone — this problem affects about 1-2 out of every 100 teens. The medical name for not being able to control your pee is enuresis (pronounced: en-yuh-ree-sis). Sometimes enuresis is also called involuntary urination. Nocturnal enuresis is involuntary urination that occurs at night. (Involuntary urination that happens during the day is known as diurnal enuresis.) There are two kinds of enuresis: primary and secondary. Someone with primary nocturnal enuresis has wet the bed since he or she was a baby. Secondary enuresis is a condition that develops at least 6 months — or even several years — after a person has learned to control his or her bladder. The bladder is a muscular receptacle, or holding container, for pee (urin
