The Shame of the Adult Bedwetter

Plus more health news | Email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [Health Matters]( [Why Many Adults Struggle With Bedwetting]( By Haley Weiss Health Correspondent Years ago, I learned that someone I know never stopped wetting the bed, even well into adulthood. I have thought about it ever since. As a medical condition, what’s called “nocturnal enuresis” is physically benign—there’s no shortened lifespan, no metastatis, no physical pain. But mentally and emotionally it can be isolating and devastating. And it’s so taboo that even though 1-3% of American adults live with some degree of nocturnal enuresis, there’s practically no other condition kept more secret by those who have it. In recent months, I’ve talked to nearly a dozen people who wet the bed regularly as adults about their experiences in adolescence and beyond. And though many had never shared their stories with anyone outside their family, they all bore remarkable similarities to one another. Bedwetting touches their lives in ways you might never expect. As children and adolescents, it makes sleepovers, class trips, and summer camp terrifying prospects. As adults, it can make dating so daunting that some people abstain altogether. “I’m pretty sure that if I weren't directly dealing with this issue, I wouldn't be tolerant of it in a partner,” one woman said. Yet, in almost all the stories I was told of the times when people did push through and share their secret—accidentally or intentionally—with friends or significant others, it ended with acceptance. [READ MORE]( Share This Story What Else to Read [The Head of the Global Vaccine Group Gavi Is Resigning]( By Alice Park Here's what Dr. Seth Berkley learned during the pandemic. [Read More »]( [A New Rule Could Finally Slow the Rise of Black Lung Among Coal Miners]( By LEAH WILLINGHAM and MATTHEW DALY / AP After decades of inaction, the federal government proposed a new rule to cut coal miners' exposure to silica dust. [Read More »]( [What To Know About High Cholesterol in Kids]( By Sandeep Ravindran Detecting it could reduce the risks of heart attacks and strokes later in life. [Read More »]( [Is Hypnosis Real? Here’s What Science Says]( By Markham Heid Hypnosis may sound like nonsense, but there's evidence backing it up for weight loss, addiction, and more. (Originally published in 2018.) [Read More »]( [Here’s Why You Always Feel Sicker at Night]( By Markham Heid You're not imagining it. (Originally published in 2019.) [Read More »]( ONE MORE READ FROM ELSEWHERE [Doctors don't know why some cancers are soaring in younger people]( More than a dozen cancers are becoming more common in patients under age 50, and for some types, like breast and colorectal, rates have climbed at about 2% a year since 1990. As Felice Freyer reports for the Boston Globe and Stat, doctors theorize the causes are environmental—but have no real answers. [Read More »]( If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, [click here](. Today's newsletter was written by Haley Weiss and Oliver Staley, and edited by Oliver. [Want more from TIME? Sign up for our other newsletters.]( [Subscribe to TIME]( TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this email. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Connect with TIME via [Facebook]( | [Twitter]( | [Newsletters]( [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [YOUR CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS]( TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508, Boone, IA 50037-0508 Questions? Contact health@time.com Copyright © 2023 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved.