What is Night Eating Syndrome (NES)? (August 2011)

I will often have clients share with me how mindful they are with their food during the day and then once they arrive home, their eating challenges begin. I will typically ask them have they ever explored that they are so busy during the day that food is used as fuel and that they eat to relax/unwind in the evening? The answer usually comes up as yes! You find yourself experiencing Night Eating Syndrome (NES).

Symptoms of Night Eating Syndrome include: having little or no appetite for breakfast, having recurrent awakening from sleep requiring eating to fall back asleep and lastly when an individual eats during the night and may be able to fall asleep again unless he/she eats. NES is defined as someone who consumes at least a third of their total caloric intake after dinner and then wakes up multiple times, usually two to three times per week (or more) at night to eat. This order is being spoken about more and more but typically has but kept quiet due to the embarrassment and shame. It is common for the individual to not recall what they ate but to state that they remember that they did eat by seeing empty containers/wrappers the following morning or crumbs of food.

Stress can of course trigger NES whether it is the individual’s job, marriage/relationship, job or just out of habit. It is often stated that is it difficult to treat, but like any habit, practice and repetition of trying new alternative behaviors is necessary. It is also important to have a treatment team consist of a psychologist to help you assess what is causing stress in your life, a registered dietitian who can help provide you with food and behavioral goals and perhaps a psychiatrist if the psychologist thinks an SSRI (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) may be appropriate for you.

What can I do if I am struggling with NES?

• Within an hour to an hour and a half put something in your body, to get your metabolism moving. It is important to eat at least three meals per day to help normalize your meals and meal times.
• Incorporate some type of “joyful movement” as this will not only help you feel better about yourself but movement helps to increase the rate of our metabolism and regulate the circuits in our body to want to eat at regular meals times for you.
• Keep a sleep journal and a food journal (wake yourself up to record what is going on during the time you find yourself eating).

This will be helpful for not only yourself but your team to detect any patterns and check in with any behavioral patterns that are going on.

Remember that you have developed your habits and behaviors over many years and that they will not be broken over short term. The first step is recognizing that there is a problem that needs to be addressed and that you are seeking help for it. Accepting and owning that you have a problem is part of the work that needs to take place and sticking with working at it is well worth it if the behavior is not benefitting you the way you would like.