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Waking up in the middle of the night several times to eat, not able to sleep and feeling sadness and guilt later due to the unhealthy compulsive eating could be signs of a disorder. People with Night Eating Disorder (NED) often feel they won’t be able to sleep unless they eat due to some possible underlying causes including depression and anxiety. (Also read: Eating after 10pm and right before bed can increase risk of breast, prostate cancer)
It is often accompanied by insomnia or disturbed sleep cycle and the people suffering from the disorder may feel active during night. Almost 1 in 100 people suffer from Night Eating disorder which also puts them at risk of obesity, diabetes, blood pressure and several chronic disorders.
“Having NED can make it difficult for people to lose weight. Along with obesity, the person becomes susceptible to many comorbidities as well which comes along with increased weight. As it also involves a disturbed sleep cycle, one often experiences fatigue, frequent mood swings and stress,” Dietician Garima Goyal told HT Digital.
Causes of Night Eating Disorder
While it’s not clear why this disorder occurs, but being overweight or obese, having family history of depression or following an extremely low calorie diet during the day can increase your chances of getting it.
“It may have genetic linkages, and the risk of having it increases if you are overweight/obese. NED is also seen in individuals having other forms of eating disorders like Binge Eating Disorder, as well as those on substance abuse or having a history of depression. It has also been observed in some individuals who follow a strict low calorie diet regimen during the day,” says Goyal.
Early symptoms of Night Eating Disorder
* Waking up at least twice in a week at night to eat something
* Constant urge to eat something in between dinner and sleep
* Frequent insomnia
* Decreased or almost negligible appetite in the morning
Tips to control NED
Goyal says controlling NED may require a lot of effort and a professional’s help and management of stress could help one sleep better and reduce hunger pangs at night. Strict self-monitoring of behaviour and food cravings at night needs to be done.
“Going for a walk right before sleeping can help curb the late-night cravings for some. Eating a pre-planned well-balanced dinner can help reduce hunger pangs for those on a low-calorie diet. Resorting to stress managing methods like yoga and meditation can also help you sleep better,” says the dietician sharing some effective ways to control this disorder.
“Apart from this, it is very essential to consult a psychologist and a nutritionist for proper management of this disorder,” she adds.
Additionally to avoid weight gain due to unhealthy eating, some healthy foods can be considered if the urge strikes. “Fruits, roasted chickpeas, foxnuts, nuts and seeds mix, cucumber sticks, air-popped popcorn, sprouts, fruit yoghurt, boiled egg, milk are some of the food options one can consider consuming at night,” says Goyal.
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