What is night eating syndrome?
Night eating syndrome is not specifically defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the official list of all medically-recognized mental health conditions. Rather, the behavior falls under the category of other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED).
That hasn't stopped researchers from noting specific traits and behaviors that contribute to the issue. Night eating syndrome is characterized by hyperphagia—or a feeling of extreme, insatiable hunger—that consistently occurs in the evening. The condition also involves:1
- Consuming 25% or more of daily calories after dinnertime
- Waking up at least two times at night to eat
To be considered part of NES, these eating patterns can not be explained by changes in the sleep-wake cycle, such as night shift work, the effects of medication, substance use disorders, or other general medical disorders.1
Instead, patients regularly exhibit extreme limitations on food intake during the morning or earlier in the day, depression or a worsening mood at night, and poor sleep, including general trouble with falling or staying asleep.1
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Night eating syndrome vs. binge eating disorder
NES can look and feel like binge-eating disorder (BED), but they have some notable differences.
Those with NES eat fewer meals during the day and eat primarily at night, while studies show that those with BED eat more during the day and tend to have more overeating episodes.
Individuals struggling with binge eating disorder also reported more shape/weight concerns and hunger cravings than people struggling with NES, while people struggling with NES had strong correlations with mood disorders, anxiety, and sleep problems.2,4
Adolescents who struggle with depression, high levels of stress, and insomnia are at risk for developing night eating syndrome as adults.
Night eating syndrome risk factors
Although NES was first described in 1955, research has progressed slowly on its etiology (root cause), diagnosis, and treatment. For example, more research is needed to determine whether NES is a sleep disorder, sleep-related eating disorder, expression of delayed circadian eating rhythm, or a metabolic condition.6
Still, some risk factors have been identified.
Adolescents who struggle with depression, high levels of stress, and insomnia are at risk for developing NES as adults.8 The idea is that eating can be a form of comfort for people dealing with mood disorders and sleep problems. Eventually, that reliance can become unhealthy, contributing to increasingly disordered thoughts and behaviors.
How to stop binge eating at night
The best way to stop eating at night if you believe there’s an underlying disorder, is to speak to your doctor and seek out treatment for night eating syndrome. The current recommended treatments include medication and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), though much more research is needed to determine the long-term efficacy of these options.6
But if you want to stop eating before bed or stop eating in the middle of the night, there are some strategies you can employ on your own that may be able to help you curb the behavior.
Avoid restriction throughout the day
NES can emerge when people limit their food intake during the day, either by restricting calories, skipping meals, or practicing other types of diet behavior.
Studies in mice have shown that a reduced-calorie diet led to lower levels of leptin, the hunger-suppressing hormone, and increased hunger signals. In the same study, lower-calorie diets were also connected to changes in circadian rhythm.3
If you restrict your diet during the day, feelings of hunger can build up, leading to binge eating at night and contributing to an overall binge/restrict cycle. It's important to listen to your natural hunger cues instead, though when to stop eating on a given day is a question best answered by you and your doctor.
Practice good sleep hygiene
Many people who struggle with NES or feel they can't stop eating at night generally struggle with simultaneous issues around sleeping. As such, instituting healthy sleep habits can help to both improve the behavior and give people a more intuitive feel for what time to stop eating at night.
Optimizing your sleep schedule is a good place to start. Going to bed and waking up at or close to the same time every day can be a great way to help realign the body's natural circadian rhythm.
Developing a nighttime routine can further reinforce this schedule, signaling to the body that it's time to rest for the night.
Some other tips for developing better sleep hygiene include:
9
- Limiting naps to the early afternoon and no longer than 30-40 minutes
- Limiting bright lights and phone/computer screens one hour before bed
- Avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and marijuana, especially later in the day
- Having dinner no less than two hours before bedtime
Practice “mindful” eating
Mindful eating is a philosophy centered around building and maintaining a healthier relationship with food. It focuses on making peace with all types of food while dissolving the stigma of “good” and “bad” foods.
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Mindful eating also promotes a focus on the present moment, enjoying every small detail of the eating experience, which usually helps slow eating down.
10 This can help break cycles of restriction and binge eating that can work to drive night eating syndrome.
The technique can also help curb nighttime eating by helping people get in better touch with their own hunger cues, encouraging more regular meals throughout the day rather than the arbitrary restrictions involved in dieting behavior.
Develop more consistent eating habits
Just as developing a sleep schedule can help deter eating too much at night, developing a better eating schedule can work to stop eating in the middle of the night.
Starting the day with a hearty, healthy breakfast can have long-lasting effects that impact eating behaviors for the rest of the day. In particular, eating high-protein meals in the morning has been shown to help people feel more full and satisfied throughout the day.7
Planning meals ahead of time can make it easier to stick to this practice. Sprinkling some healthy snacks throughout the day can also help keep the majority of eating to pre-nighttime and stop eating at night.
Finding help to stop eating in the middle of the night
Nighttime eating syndrome is fairly common. If you've thought to yourself, "Why can't I stop binge eating at night?" you may be struggling with NES or similar disordered eating issues.
In these cases, it's important to seek out help. Your primary care physician or a mental health professional can help you secure an official diagnosis or point you in the direction of the best next steps.
At Within Health, we also strive to help.
It can be difficult to stop binge eating at night, and distressing if you feel you can't stop eating at night. Our team of multidisciplinary experts can help you confront these fears and concerns, creating a treatment plan that's tailored exclusively for you based on your background and needs. And you can access all this help without having to ever leave home.
If you or a loved one are struggling with NES or other eating disorders, you can reach out today to see how to get started on your journey toward healing.
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