2 Week Challenge: Take Control of Your Night Eating Syndrome
Do you find yourself often unable to sleep and sneaking into the kitchen in the middle of the night to eat? Then in the morning, you have no appetite for breakfast? You're not alone. Night Eating Syndrome is a very real eating disorder that often goes undiscussed. We think it's time to bring it into the light and onto the radar of Americans.
What is Night Eating Syndrome?
While not officially recognized as an eating disorder, NES is a very serious disordered eating syndrome that, like other eating disorders, affects both the mind and body.
NES is NOT binge eating disorder. While there are similarities in that people with both disorders tend to be overweight or obese and do not purge, NES differs in the amount of and time of day that calories are consumed. There are 4 main characteristics of NES:
About 35% or more of daily calories are consumed after dinner
Food is eaten rapidly and often in secret
Wake up frequently throughout the night to eat
Little to no appetite in the morning
As with any disordered eating syndrome, these characteristics may slightly differ with each individual. However,disruption of sleep in order to eat and feelings of shame and guilt are present in the majority of cases.
So what's the problem? Our bodies have a circadian rhythm that controls when we sleep and eat. When our rhythm is functioning, we get the sleep we need and eat throughout the day to keep our metabolism going -- in essence, our bodies are happy. But when we disturb this rhythm, we put our bodies into an unhealthy, sleep-deprived state.
NES can contribute to development of chronic disease, such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiac problems. In people who are overweight, overtime NES may lead to weight gain resulting in obesity. This extra weight strains not only your body, but your self-esteem as well. This added stress and negativity then manifests itself in a stronger desire to eat, trapping you in a vicious cycle.
Good news? You don't have to stay stuck! While there are many theories on the etiology of Night Eating Syndrome, including hormonal imbalances, the key for getting better is taking control of your night eating habits.
5 Tips on Taking Control
1. See a registered dietitian. Sounds like a cop-out, but seriously, NES is largely a mental disorder, so having an expert to talk to and lean on is essential. At NutritionRx we combine the nutrition advice you need to eat better with the psychological and emotional support to overcome your disorder.
2. Identify your behavior. In order to take control of your disorder you have to first admit to yourself what's going on. While eating a couple slices of pizza at 3 am may have been normal in college, as an adult, waking up multiple times throughout the night to secretly grab a slice or two is not.
3. Begin to recognize triggers. Keep a journal recording what and when you eat as well as the emotions you felt before, during, and after eating. Also notice if you are actually hungry when you eat or if it's more a desire or craving to eat.
4. Along with recognizing triggers, if you're on a diet, take a look at how much you're eating throughout the day. You may find that you are restricting so much in the morning and afternoon, that by bedtime your body is starving. Try eating a full meal at both breakfast and lunch to see if it helps.
5. Know that you do have control. While you may feel powerless against your cravings, as you begin to identify triggers and understand the emotional reason behind your Night Eating Syndrome, you will feel more confident and in control of your eating habits.
You are not alone! Come see one of our expert registered dietitians to make the final step in overcoming your Night Eating Syndrome.
