5 Warning signs of Night Eating Syndrome

Night eating syndrome (NES) is a disorder that involves overeating at night and having trouble sleeping. People having NES feel they won’t be able to sleep at night if they are not full and so eat before bed and also wake up to eat in between due to disturbed sleep. NES is majority suffered by people with obesity, anxiety, and depression.

Here are 5 warning signs that you are suffering from Night Eating Syndrome

• No Sound Sleep at night – A person having NES doesn’t get to have sound sleep if their stomach is not full and satiated before going to bed. They usually suffer from insomnia, wake up during the night 4-5 days a week to eat, then only get sound sleep. Sound asleep at night is extremely essential for overall health. Hence treatment of insomnia due to NES becomes extremely important.
• Lack of Appetite in the morning – The person doesn’t feel hungry during the morning and day and feels starvation at night. NEDS leads to disturbed circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is the body’s natural internal clock. Instead of having high energy and appetite in the morning, people with disturbed circadian rhythm are more hungry at night. More than 25% of calories are consumed after dinner.
• Anxiety and depressed mood – We are emotionally connected with food and often get into binge eating when stressed or anxious. This depressed mood gets worse as the day passes and one having NES feels increased appetite and to have more food.
• Urge to eat more at night – The person feels that he won’t be able to sleep if does not eat a heavy meal before going to bed. The urge to have a heavy dinner and post-dinner is very high. Also, it is observed that due to NES people tend to prefer small frequent meals or snacking at night. This is also more observed among obese people. It becomes essential to treat NES otherwise losing weight also becomes difficult.
• Unhealthy Lifestyle – Consumption of Alcohol or drug abuse, or eating disorders like bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder are certain unhealthy lifestyle practices that lead to NES.
• Often one chooses to be on a weight loss journey, where one restricts itself with a lot of foods and also reduces the portion size of the meals. This then leads to increased hunger at night and may lead to NES.

Over To You
Night Eating Syndrome is a major concern and requires treatment for a healthy body and mind. Along with the lifestyle changes, anti-depressant medication, and mind-body exercise can help in overcoming these syndromes.