Night Eating Syndrome, Eating and Sleep Disorders that Occur Together

Night eating syndrome is a term to describe eating disorders that occur together with sleep disorders. If left unchecked, sufferers are prone to overweight, depression, and even chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

Sufferers of night eating syndrome have no control over their desire to eat before or during sleep at night. Therefore, people who experience it will sleep late or wake up continuously in the middle of the night just to eat and then go back to sleep.

Sufferers of night eating syndrome also feel less appetite during the day and often skip breakfast.

Various Symptoms of Night Eating Syndrome

Symptoms of night eating syndrome can last for several weeks to months. Sufferers can show symptoms in the form of:

1. Constantly waking up in the middle of the night to eat

Sufferers of night eating syndrome often wake up in the middle of the night to eat and must feel full to go back to sleep. This condition can occur not just once, but several times in one night.

2. Eat a lot at night

People with this disorder usually want to eat a lot at night, both heavy meals and snacks. The types of food that people with night eating syndrome usually want are high-calorie foods, high-carbohydrate foods, and high-sugar foods

3. Appetite decreases during the day

Sufferers of night eating syndrome also usually experience intense hunger that occurs in the evening and at night. Sufferers may not feel hungry when they wake up in the morning so they often skip breakfast, even lunch

4. Depression

People with the condition of night eating syndrome often have no control over their desire to eat, so they can gain weight quickly in a short time. This makes sufferers tend to feel ashamed, sad, and even depressed

Causes of Night Eating Syndrome

It is not known exactly why a person can suffer from night eating syndrome. However, experts believe this syndrome can arise due to disruption of the body's sleep cycle or circadian rhythm. This condition occurs when the body's biological clock cannot adjust to sleeping and eating time

In addition, there are several factors that make a person more susceptible to experiencing night eating syndrome, namely:

• People with mental disorders
• Use of antipsychotic drugs
• Diet during the day
• Smoking habit
• Depression
• Insomnia
• Sleep apnea
• Restless legs syndrome

The Health Impact of Night Eating Syndrome

If left unchecked and carried out continuously without treatment, night eating syndrome can have a serious impact on health. This habit can reduce the sleep quality of the sufferer because they have to wake up in the middle of the night.

Sufferers of night eating syndrome also often sleep late to fulfill their desire to eat first. If you sleep too late and have to get up in the morning for work, a person with night eating syndrome will certainly lack sleep and this can have an impact on their concentration during activities.

In addition, this habit also makes it difficult for sufferers to maintain an ideal body weight, especially if the food consumed is high in calories, salt, fat and sugar. As a result, people with night eating syndrome are prone to obesity, high blood pressure, or diabetes

Waking up at night because you want to eat is normal if it happens occasionally. However, if night eating syndrome has lasted for several weeks to months until it interferes with daily activities, consult a psychologist or psychiatrist to get proper treatment.

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