A lot of individuals consider dinner to be the main meal of the evening, and therefore “snack” frequently between dinner and bedtime. If they can’t sleep or can’t get back to sleep, some people may have a “midnight snack” every now and then. Although neither of these characteristics is inherently harmful, they may indicate night eating syndrome, a lesser-known (but equally dangerous) eating problem.
Continue reading to learn more about:
- There is a variety of binge eating disorder treatments available for night eating syndrome.
- There are steps you may take right now to get rid of the night eating syndrome.
- How can you tell whether someone is suffering from night-eating syndrome?
- Why is it so vital to handle this eating disorder?
- What is and isn’t night-eating syndrome?
- The disorder’s underlying causes
There is no need to stress over food or sleep in the evenings. You can control your connection with food, sleep, and mood if you follow the correct treatment plan from American Center on Behance.
What is Night Eating Syndrome, and how does it affect you?
Night eating syndrome is a type of eating disorder in which a person consumes the bulk of his or her daily caloric intake late at night or during the night. It’s linked to an underlying “dysregulation” of the body’s circadian clock, which causes morning hunger to be reduced and evening hunger to be enhanced.
Part eating disorder, part mood problem, and part sleep issue, night eating syndrome is a combination of the three. People with this disorder frequently have trouble falling asleep or returning to sleep, and they eat to deal with these problems. It falls under the category of Other Specified Feeding/Eating Disorders (OSFED).
Even though night-eating syndrome is common, it is often misdiagnosed and addressed. This disorder affects about 2% of the population, making it twice as frequent as anorexia nervosa and similar to binge eating disorder. There is a significant difference between it and binge eating disorder since the eating of large amounts of food over a short period of time is linked to sleep and is done in the evening before bedtime. You must seek help from a Binge Night Eating Disorder Specialist to address this concern.
Night Eating Syndrome Diagnosis
Night eating syndrome has its own set of diagnostic criteria even though many people eat late at night, and you may even overeat late at night at times.
Three out of the five symptoms listed below must be present to meet diagnostic criteria:
- The assumption is that you need to eat in order to go asleep or to get back to bed if you wake up in the middle of the night.
- Mood swings that become more depressive or anxious at night.
- Insomnia is a condition in which it is difficult to fall or remain asleep.
- Grazing or overindulging in food between dinner and bedtime, which differs from your planned snacks, is described as “evening hyperphagia”.
- “Morning anorexia” is characterized by a lack of appetite in the morning.
It is also important to realize that you are eating at night; otherwise, you may be suffering from a sleep-related eating disorder where people eat when they are unconscious and asleep. In addition, you should be mindful of any instances of late-night eating. People who suffer from night eating syndrome are conscious of their feelings of anguish and confront functional impairment as a result of their habits.
Night eating should not be a subsequent symptom of any physical or psychiatric disease, medications, or substance usage in order to be diagnosed with night eating syndrome.
Night Eating Syndrome Symptoms You Should Know
If you experience any of the following symptoms, you may be suffering from the disorder:
- Concerns about weight and physical appearance are unusually high.
- While eating, you may feel tense, worried, upset, and/or guilty.
- Feel guilty about overeating or sleeping late.
- Have tried a lot of diets and always failed.
- It’s a common misconception that eating late at night will help you sleep better.
- In the morning, does not eat much or feel hungry.
- To unwind, calm, and/or wear yourself out, you eat primarily carbs (sugars and starches).
- During and after dinner, but before breakfast, consume more than half of your regular food consumption.
- At least twice a week, you experience night eating.
A lot of people seem to believe they are immune to this disorder since they do not wake up or eat during the nighttime. Only a small number of people actually wake up several times during the night to eat. People with night eating syndrome are more likely to have a loss of “willpower” rather than a full-blown eating disorder since their late-night eating is more about a loss of “willpower.”
Night Eating Syndrome’s Root Causes
Even though there hasn’t been a lot of research about night eating syndrome, but there are several theories that have been proposed.
Night eating syndrome can be caused by a variety of factors, including:
- Depression or anxiety that gets worse in the evenings.
- Hormonal changes impact hunger cues throughout the day.
- Sleep and wake cycle disruptions, such as waking up for nighttime work or caring for an infant.
- Putting off eating during the day, such as “forgetting to eat” or being unable to eat because of your job.
- The inability to relax for the night due to stress or restlessness
What if you don’t think you’ll be able to get back on your feet on your own?
People regularly try to find Ways to Avoid Late-Night Eating and change their sleeping habits on their own at first. This is due to the embarrassment that goes with eating late in the night, and the belief that their problem isn’t “bad enough” to visit a doctor about.
In certain situations, learning about the condition, sticking to new habits, and seeking out assistance can help patients recover from eating disorders. Recovering from night-eating syndrome, on the other hand, might be very challenging.
Around the time you’re having trouble, the majority of individuals are already asleep. As a result, you will not have someone to turn to if you feel this need to eat late at night. Getting into a regular sleep cycle is also quite tough, and attempting to establish new eating habits at the same period only adds to the difficulty.
Therefore seek help from a night eating syndrome doctor who specializes in eating disorders. They may be able to assist you in devising techniques to overcome sleep and food issues. Additionally, you can also deal with feelings of guilt and shame surrounding food and depression and anxiety symptoms.
A specialist from ACPN, a bigorexia treatment center in Dubai may suggest a higher level of care, including partial hospitalization or a residential treatment program, in some circumstances to help you change behaviors and create healthy new habits as quickly as possible.
Overcoming Night Eating Syndrome is totally feasible.
You may rise the online and eat breakfast regularly without the regret and humiliation that comes with overeating and staying up late the night before. Rather than staying up until three a.m. watching TV and eating more than you meant to, you can come home from work, relax, and unwind.
You may have a good, balanced relationship with food and sleep if you work hard to overcome your eating disorder. Accepting that you have a problem is the first step.
Take the first step today and talk to someone about recovery or discover more about the comprehensive eating disorder recovery programs we provide at American Center for Psychiatry & Neurology if you or a loved one is suffering from an eating disorder.
Check out American Center UAE Experiences & Reviews onlie to get an idea of how we helped our previous and current patients. Call us now and our team will help you overcome your eating disorder or any other issue you may be struggling with.
