Night Eating Syndrome - A General Overview

Night eating syndrome (NES) is a type of eating disorder and some consider it to be a sleeping disorder as well. This condition is also well known as midnight hunger. There is a confusion between this disorder and the sleeping disorder known as nocturnal sleep related eating disorder as this is when someone will eat in their sleep but won’t remember doing so. When someone has the night eating disorder, they know they are eating and they have a very hard time stopping.

What is NES?

This is a disorder where a person will wake up in the middle of the night and will start on an eating binge. The person will eat any type of food that they can get their hands on. Currently, there is no diagnostic criteria that officializes this disorder but researchers do know that it’s more common in women than it is in men.

What are the Symptoms of NES?

When someone has this disorder, the common symptoms that you may notice are:

• Skipping breakfast and not eating a first meal until late hours into the day.
• Taking in about 25% of daily calories after dinner.
• Eating a lot of carbohydrates after about 10 PM. (those are the most commonly consumed items in night eating)
• Anxiety (wanting to eat during late nights but not being able to or fear of being seen or caught)
• Depression after eating
• Trouble sleeping at night
• Fatigue during the day

This is a dangerous disorder as too much eating at night will cause a person to gain a lot of weight. This is why it’s recommended that a person not eat anything about an hour or two before they go to sleep. Any food that is eaten before before bedtime or in the middle of the night will not be worked off. Having this disorder can cause obesity and other hazordous health conditions.

How is NES Treated?

Night eating syndrome is typically treated by many sessions of therapy. You can read more about the treatment of NES in my other articles about this disorder. It is likely that a doctor will recommend a diet to try so that there is less of a chance of being hungry in the middle of the night. There are some home remedies that will help someone overcome their nightly eating habits on their own but remember that it is always important to consult with a doctor before trying any home treatments!

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