Night eating syndrome (NES) is getting up many times at night to eat something. Throughout the day, a person suffering from NES consumes the same amount of calories as other people, but most at night. It may or may not do so consciously. NES occurs on its own, or with obesity or depression. What are the symptoms of NES and how is it treated?

Night eating syndrome( night binge eating syndrome / syndrome,NES) is one of the modern circadian rhythm eating disorders. It is based on uncontrolled, multiple eating throughout the night and is associated with mood and sleep disorders. The NES was first described in 1951, but not until 2003. shows the first cure of this syndrome. Night eating syndrome occurs in a conscious version, when the patient realizes that he is eating at night. But the sick person may also not remember that he got up at night to eat, because he did it in a sleepwalking sleep.Read also : Sleepwalking, perseveration, hallucinoids - disturbances within the normal range.

Night eating syndrome: who is affected by the disorder?

It's hard to say exactly how many people suffer from night eating syndrome. According to estimates, approx. 6% of people are looking for help due to overeating at night. of the entire world population, but only 1-2%. fulfills the diagnostic criteria. NES affects more women than men. Both obese and slim people may have a problem with eating at night. In the case of the latter, NES appears in early adolescence and over time, without appropriate treatment, may contribute to the development of obesity. Interestingly, lean people with NES are mainly inhabitants of Mediterranean countries. As many as 25 percent People from this population who are he althy and have a he althy weight have the main symptoms of NES: eating most of the food in the evening and at night, difficulty falling asleep and the morning lack of appetite.

Important

Overeating syndrome may occur in people suffering from obesity (according to some studies, over 50% of people with III degree obesity have NES), type 2 diabetes, anorexia, bulimia, sleep disorders, depression and anxiety.

Night eating syndrome: symptoms

Night eating syndrome is diagnosed whenits symptoms last for at least 2 months. The signs of the NES are:

  • so-called morning anorexia, i.e. skipping breakfast, eating the first morning meal a few hours after waking up; the sick person does not eat breakfast at least 4 times a week,
  • increased or excessive appetite in the evening - the patient eats more than 50 percent. daily food after 7 p.m.,
  • eating mainly products with carbohydrates and fats at night, e.g. bread, sandwiches, sweets - often those that the patient refused to eat during the day,
  • trouble falling asleep, waking up from sleep 3 to 6 times in one night - sleepless nights at least 3 times a week,

Not everyone who eats NES at night. Eating at night can be related to the work mode, family or subculture lifestyle.

  • waking up repeatedly at night to eat,
  • food portions eaten at night are more frequent, but they are neither larger nor more caloric than those eaten during the day and they are approx. 300 kcal each,
  • no feeling of pleasure from eating,
  • feeling of shame and guilt after eating at night - hiding the night food from loved ones,
  • feeling the inner compulsion to eat at night,
  • eating under the influence of negative emotions, e.g. anger, sadness, loneliness,
  • worsening mood during the day, depressive state in the evening,
  • feeling of losing control over eating and weight,
  • evening increase in leptin and cortisol levels and decrease in melatonin levels.

Night eating syndrome: causes

Night eating syndrome arises from many biochemical, genetic and psychological causes, including:

  • lowering of serotonin levels during the day,
  • increase in the level of ghrelin - a gastrointestinal hormone that increases appetite,
  • unconscious self-treatment of mood disorders - people with NES mainly eat carbohydrates, which stimulate the brain to release substances that improve mood,
  • inheritance - NES disorder is common in whole families,
  • mood disorders and altered stress response - Its role as a trigger for NES has yet to be conclusively proven, but it has been found that people with this disorder react hormonally to prolonged nervous tension. In response to a stimulus - a stressor, stress hormones: adrenaline, noradrenaline, cortisol and thyroxine are released gradually, over an extended period of time and in various doses, and not relatively quickly and in a significant amount,
  • other risk factors are: long-term usediets, boredom, dissatisfaction with your body, neglect by parents, mistakes made by parents in feeding their children.

Night eating syndrome: treatment

Antidepressants and antiepileptic drugs are used to treat night eating syndrome. Good therapeutic effects are also brought by: nutritional education, behavioral techniques that rely on the correct planning of well-balanced meals during the day so that the patient does not feel an increased appetite in the evening, as well as the use of relaxation techniques and phototherapy.

Important

Poradnikzdrowie.pl supports safe treatment and a dignified life of people suffering from obesity. This article does not contain discriminatory and stigmatizing content of people suffering from obesity.

About the authorMagdalena Gajda A specialist in obesity disease and obesity discrimination of people with diseases. President of the OD-WAGA Foundation of People with Obesity, Social Ombudsman for the Rights of People with Obesity in Poland and a representative of Poland in the European Coalition for People Living with Obesity. By profession - a journalist specializing in he alth issues, as well as a PR, social communication, storytelling and CSR specialist. Privately - obesity since childhood, after bariatric surgery in 2010. Starting weight - 136 kg, current weight - 78 kg.

OD-WAGA Foundation

Category:

Obesity