In Western culture, food has become a significant mood-regulating tool and a kind of symbol that accompanies a variety of activities. At the same time, this has led to an increase in the incidence of eating disorders with a diverse picture. Irrespective of their specificity, at their root is primarily a loss of control over eating, with one important consequence being psychophysical stress. Night eating syndrome has not yet been officially recognised as an eating disorder, but it meets the basic criteria and affects a significant number of people.
Definition
Nocturnal eating syndrome is a disorder involving uncontrolled, usually repeated overeating during the night, associated with mood and sleep disturbances, and may contribute to the development of obesity. It can occur as a stand-alone entity or accompany other illnesses such as obesity or depression.
Symptoms
- lack of appetite in the morning (known as morning anorexia), skipping the first meal for several hours after waking,
- 50% or more of daily food eaten after 7pm,
- trouble sleeping, waking up from sleep,
- getting up during the night to eat; food portions are considerably smaller than in, for example, bulimic attacks (about 300 kcal), but repeatedly repeated throughout the night,
- consumption of mainly carbohydrate products,
- experiencing feelings of guilt and shame rather than pleasure in relation to eating,
- worsening of mood over the course of the day (feeling tired, tense, anxious, upset, feeling guilty),
- circadian changes in the levels of certain biochemical substances - an increase in leptin and cortisol in the evening, and a decrease in melatonin,
- persistence of the above symptoms for at least 2 months.
Prevalence
It is estimated that about 6% of the general population seeks help for night eating syndrome, although about 1-2% meet the diagnostic criteria. For the most part, the disorder affects overweight people - about 27% of whom overeat uncontrollably at night. However, studies show that slim people can also have this problem. The only difference between slim and obese people with night eating syndrome concerns age, which is significantly younger in the former. This suggests that ongoing night-time overeating is a significant contributor to the development of obesity.
It is worth noting, moreover, that a culturally conditioned eating style, may also be characterised by indicators similar to those of the nocturnal overeating syndrome, although it is not associated with loss of control over eating or psychological stress.
photo: panthermedia
This applies mainly to the so-called Mediterranean culture. Approximately 25 per cent of this population, which are healthy and correctly weighed individuals, meet the basic diagnostic criteria, namely: lack of appetite in the morning, eating most of the food after 7pm and difficulty sleeping.
