Night eating syndrome is a more widespread eating disorder than many believe and that is surrounded by myths and misinformation, since when it is detected, it requires psychological help and be guided by a nutritionist. Along these lines we are going to explain what this problem consists of, some of its causes, symptoms, ideas about what we can eat if we binge before bed and the main treatments.
Many times we do something and we have internalized it so much and accepted it in our daily lives that we do not give it importance or stop to think if it is something relatively normal or if we are suffering from some type of disorder, therefore, when in doubt, it is best to consult with a specialist doctor.
What is night eating syndrome (NES)?
It is part of the Eating Disorders, although the best known are bulimia and anorexia, leaving aside others that are also very dangerous and that pose a risk to the health of the sufferer.
It is similar to, but not synonymous with, binge eating disorder. The late-night eater is usually an overweight person (of any gender), but there may also be some cases of patients with a normal weight (within the BMI for their height and age).
What characterizes this syndrome, mainly, is that those who suffer from it eat large amounts of calories at dinner, and even before going to sleep, even reaching waking up at dawn to go eat more. Likewise, these people usually present signs of morning anorexia, that is, they usually do not eat anything when they wake up or in the morning in general.
As regards the rest of the day (lunch and snack) the patient usually ingests few calories, since they eat very little during those hours and all the caloric intake is made after dinner, midnight and early morning. These customs cause serious health problems and require personalized treatment, being essential to start as soon as possible.
Some of the symptoms of this disorder
The night dining syndrome has several symptoms that are clear and easy to detect, but first we must clarify that if we have dinner early, for example, at 8, it is fairly normal that at 11 we get a little hungry. In that case we should not confuse it with this eating disorder. There we drink a tea without theine, a piece of fruit, an ounce of dark chocolate (minimum 70%), etc.
However, if our nighttime routine coincides with some of these symptoms, then we should see a doctor as soon as possible:
- Morning Anorexia: we eat almost nothing for breakfast.
- Good mood in the morning, but declines as the day progresses.
- nocturnal hyperphagia: after dinner they consume approximately 25% of the calories they need and above all they tend to be carbohydrates.
- They are not binges, they are small meals continuously throughout the night.
- Sleep disorders: Those who suffer from NES do not usually sleep straight, but wake up several times and in some awakenings eat food. They are also people who find it difficult to fall asleep and usually wake up easily.
- Whoever has night eating syndrome is fully aware of their habits.
- Food amounts are often increased if the person with NES experiences periods of stress and anxiety.
Possible causes of the appearance of this syndrome
There is no cause that can be easily detected, but there are various investigations that suggest that the reason for this syndrome is the existence of a modification of the neuroendocrine pattern.
In other words, people who suffer from night eating syndrome have an alteration in cortisol, melatonin, leptin or in the Adrenal Pituitary Pituitary, etc. All this takes care of regulatory functions within the organism from sleep cycles to telling the brain that we are full and other essential psychological and metabolic functions.
There would also be the possibility of some type of genetic predisposition, as well as sociocultural and environmental factors. Likewise, the processes of anxiety, stress, depression and others will cause more food to be ingested in order to achieve that peace that the brain offers us when we are satiated and satisfied.
Treatments and possible solutions
We already say that if now that we have read this we know that we can suffer from night dining syndrome, the best thing to do is to go to the doctor and put ourselves in the hands of a specialist. However, if we still have doubts, or we want to solve it ourselves (we do not recommend it 100%), we can do some of the ideas that we leave below:
try to change habits
As we say, night eating syndrome is an eating disorder that requires psychological help, but if we want to try to change our habits, we can start eating more during the day, offering our body adequate calories.
Eat 5 meals a day At the beginning it will cost us a lot, but that is the objective, so we can start by having two meals, for example, lunch and a snack, apart from dinner that this custom if we have it assumed. We may not be able to eat many when it's time, so it's preferable to eat small portions and start with recipes that excite us, even if they are not 100% very healthy.
Little by little, change and add more legumes, vegetables, seeds, fruits and increase the portions. What we should avoid is eating only fruit for dinner, or eating only French fries or a single hard-boiled egg for lunch. We must add more variety of foods so that there are vitamins, proteins, minerals, fiber, etc.
Hydrate well
This section is essential and we can choose water, natural fruit juices or infusions. Here we must avoid sugary drinks, energy drinks, soft drinks and alcohol, since after a period suffering from the night dining syndrome, our health will be delicate.
Another important thing about drinking liquid is its satiating effect, so it will help us avoid those snacks between meals and we will be able to endure more and better between food and food, so that little by little we will adapt to the new rhythm. It is the experts themselves who recommend drinking liquid often to avoid that anxiety about food, the idea is to regulate it.
Even so, if we find that we cannot control impulses, we ask for help quickly before our health deteriorates further.
Exercise
Practicing at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day helps regulate energy expenditure and produce a feeling of appetite. With the simple fact of take the 10.000 steps recommended by the WHO, we can awaken the habit of activating our body and regulating meal times.
In addition, when we exercise, we have fun, we get out of the house, we relate to the environment and we reduce our stress, as long as the activity we do excites us and we like it. The latter is essential, as we said with food. You have to start with something that we like very much, for example, going out with our pet, listening to our favorite music, walking with a friend or family member, can also motivate us.
Prepare healthy snacks
We do not think that doing all this is going to prevent us from waking up throughout the early morning, at first the routine will be the same and when we begin to adjust to the new rhythm, the awakenings will decrease. Still, at first, it's a good idea, stop buying sweets, ultra-processed, carbohydrates and foods that are highly harmful to health and create healthy snacks for when we wake up, for example, fresh cheese, grapes, natural yogurt with seeds, apple and cinnamon, crudites with hummus, etc.