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Bedwetting is most commonly associated with children, writes Natalie Valios. But nocturnal enuresis, as it is medically termed, affects as many as one in 100 adults in the UK. Adult enuretics often suffer in silence because they are embarrassed about the condition and do not know where to turn for help and advice.

Opinions are divided as to the cause. One argument is that it is linked to a sleep disorder and that rather than bedwetting being inherited, it is the sleep disorder that is inherited.

The other argument is that adults who wet the bed at night produce urine at a constant rate during the day and night, unlike most people who produce more urine during the day. Others may have an overactive or unstable bladder which means they pass urine frequently. Occasionally a urine infection or other bladder problems may cause bedwetting. Stress or anxiety can also be a contributing factor. As well as coping with embarrassment, enuretics have to deal with wet laundry, anxiety about starting relationships, and going away for the night. There are several treatments they can try. A GP might prescribe desmopressin which works by reducing the quantity of urine produced overnight. Tolterodine or oxybutynin might be prescribed to relax the bladder, allowing it to hold more urine. Alarms which buzz or vibrate can be used to wake an enuretic up when they start to wet the bed. The idea behind these is that a person's body learns to hold the urine or to wake up.

For more information contact the Continence Foundation on 020 7404 6875 or www.continence-foundation.org.uk or call the helpline on 0845 3450165.