What is Night Eating Syndrome and How Is It Treated?

Experts generally recommend that you stop eating at least 3 hours before going to sleep, but the world won’t end if you have a stomach ache and a snack. If nightly dinner getaways, which are often fun, have become a habit, if you wake up and eat And if you feel like you can’t sleep without eating, unfortunately, you may be facing a condition called night eating syndrome.

Night eating syndrome is a type of eating disorder. The person with this type of disorder sometimes wakes up and eats several times during the night. This syndrome, which is directly related to your mental health, of course brings with it numerous ailments and diseases. Bride what is night eating syndrome, what causes it, what are the symptoms And most importantly, let’s examine in all details the questions that are curious about how it is treated.

First of all, let’s understand the situation; What is night eating syndrome?

Night eating syndrome, in Turkish, night eating syndrome; for the first time in 1995 by Dr. Described by Albert Stunkard It is a type of feeding and eating disorder. People with this syndrome feel as if they cannot sleep when they do not eat at night, they wake up once or several times during the night and eat and cannot easily resist this situation.

Since people with night eating syndrome do not have any control over this situation, they They feel powerless, guilty, and ashamed. According to figures released by the National Institute of Mental Health, close to 2 percent of people have this syndrome. According to some sources, night eating syndrome is seen in one out of every 100 people.

Night eating syndrome is much more common in some people:

• In people who are overweight to reach obesity
• in people with depression
• In people with anxiety
• In drug addicts
• Addictive alcohol users
• People with bulimia nervosa
• People with binge eating disorder

The groups in which night eating syndrome is most common are generally in this way. Anyone can suffer from this syndrome however, because the people in the group we listed above already have an addiction or psychological disorder, they are very vulnerable to different eating disorders such as night eating syndrome.

Let not everyone who eats at night be afraid; What are night eating syndrome symptoms and diagnostic criteria?

• waking up at night to eat
• Eating more than usual at night
• Loss of appetite during the day
• depression and anxiety

Waking up to eat at night:

One of the most striking symptoms of night eating syndrome is waking up from sleep just to eat while sleeping. For a person to be diagnosed with night eating syndrome needs to wake up from sleep to eat while sleeping at least four times a week, one or more times a night for several weeks or a month. Because people with this syndrome can only sleep when their stomach is full.

Eating more than usual at night:

It may be normal to wake up at night and have a snack from time to time, but people with night eating syndrome They eat 25 percent of their daily food at night. Moreover, most of the time they eat foods that contain high carbohydrates and sugar. They can be eaten once and then at once, or several times and eaten as different meals.

Loss of appetite during the day:

No matter who they are, a person who has eaten all night does not feel hungry during the day, and this is the most important symptom of night eating syndrome. These people, who generally prefer to eat their meals at night, They may not get hungry easily when they wake up in the morning and even until the evening. Of course, this is hardly considered a health condition.

Depression and anxiety:

People who are depressed or anxious they are often in the group most vulnerable to such addictions. They may also develop night eating syndrome, as food is generally the most accessible thing. The most striking symptom is that these people feel sad, regretful and ashamed after eating at night.

So what causes night eating syndrome, what are the causes?

• Failure of the circadian rhythm, or natural clock, to work correctly
• genetic transmission
• psychological problems
• Substance addictions
• Different eating disorders
• Not eating right during the day

These are the conditions that cause night eating syndrome in general. As a matter of fact, this situation generally cause psychological disorders. The person may cling to food for self-gratification in some way, and this may turn into an addiction for time and manifest itself as night eating syndrome.

Irregularity in the circadian rhythm can also cause this type of condition. Especially if you don’t eat a lot during the daytime and you have trouble regulating sleep times. your hormones can make you feel awake and hungry at night over time. We can say that genetic transmission does not play a major role in this syndrome.

When should I go to the doctor?

Unfortunately, like many addictions, night eating syndrome does not bother the person until it is too late. Because the person who has this syndrome even if he is sad and regretful He continues because he is dependent on the situation and feels that it makes him happy for the moment.

First of all, know yourself well. Do you think this situation is abnormal, Is your quality of life affected? Ask yourself such questions and if you feel uncomfortable, consult an expert as soon as possible. Because untreated night eating syndrome can pave the way for diseases that do not end well, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Weight gain is inevitable.

How is night eating syndrome treated by specialists?

If you have some kind of psychological disorder that causes night eating syndrome, it is suitable for you. Antidepressant drugs can be given and therapy can be applied. If there is a condition related to the hormone melatonin, appropriate treatment is applied. However, in general, people with night eating syndrome are encouraged with different therapy methods to try to get rid of this situation.

Don’t worry, you can also solve it yourself:

• Eat a healthy and balanced diet throughout the day.
• Relax your sleep environment and establish a sleep routine.
• Do not consume caffeine before sleep and do not look at the screen.
• Combat stress by using meditation and similar methods.
• Exercise regularly.

What to do to fight night eating syndrome yourself What you will do for a healthy life is actually the same. Because if you exercise regularly and eat healthy, you will have a good sleep anyway, and no one will easily interrupt a good sleep and eat.

causes you to wake up at night and eat what is night eating syndrome, what causes it, what are the symptoms, how is it treated We answered frequently asked questions such as: What we describe is for informational purposes only. Do not forget that you should get the most accurate and specific information about night eating syndrome from a specialist physician, as in all health issues.