Night or nocturnal eating syndrome (Sleep – Related Eating or NS-RED) considered a parasomnia (Disorder that interrupts the sleep process and may require medical attention) disorder, when a person recurrently needs to eat during sleep (sometimes up to four times a night), without being aware of the event. The awakenings average about 20 minutes and convinced the need to eat in order to get back to sleep. Also, cannot recall any incident of eating the night before. This problem maybe chronic or appear once or twice and then disappear. People having nocturnal eating syndrome must be aware of significant weight gain, possibility of choking while eating during sleep, injury may occur while starting fires or while preparing foods during sleep, and feeling a loss of control. In 1955, Dr. Albert Stunkard, professor of psychiatry and director of the Weight and Eating Disorders Program at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, first diagnosed this disorder. Statistics have shown, up to fifteen percent of those having an eating disorder affected by night eating disorder and one to three percent of the general population. Sleep related eating effects all ages, both sex, but is more common in young women, and develops in the late 20s. Often nocturnal eating syndrome is triggered by a stressful or emotional event, such as a divorce, pregnancy or loss of job. Estimated that ten percent of obese people seeking treatment have night eating syndrome. In some cases, people that have sleep related eating disorder have histories of alcoholism, drug abuse, and other sleep disorders. Those having nocturnal eating syndrome are common to skip breakfast, eat more than half the day’s calories after dinner, pattern has persisted for at least two months, feeling of guilt while eating, and suffer from insomnia.
According to Dr. Stunkard, suffers have three separate problems, an eating disorder, a sleeping disorder and a mood disorder. Most people that suffer from this syndrome, experience in their lives stress, and poor sleep, often walking up three to four times a night, and choosing to eat high carbohydrate foods (“comfort foods”) such as biscuits or cakes. Also, night eaters during the day consume on average 500 calories more than normal. Dr. Stunkard attributes the high consumption of carbohydrates, increases serotonin in the brain, which stimulates sleep. (Carbohydrates stimulate the production of insulin, which lead to increase levels of tryptophans in the brain.