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There are two types of food related sleep disorder. One is nocturnal eating syndrome, and the other is sleep-related food disorder. Nocturnal eating syndrome and sleep-related food disorder are both a combination of psychological and sleep disorders. Each one is quite opposite from the other but both require treatment and counseling in order to be addressed.
Nocturnal Eating Syndrome
Nocturnal eating syndrome is a sleep disorder that causes the victim to compulsively get up and eat. People suffering from this sleep disorder are very light sleepers.
When they awake during the night they are overcome by a feeling that they will not be able to go back to sleep unless they eat something. Once out of bed and at the refrigerator, they have a tendency to eat heavily.
People with nocturnal eating syndrome are fully awake. In fact, they do remember eating the food the next morning. This condition is a combination of a sleep disorder and an eating disorder.
Insomnia plays a role in nocturnal eating syndrome. Treatment for this disorder is usually received from a mental health professional that specializes in people with eating disorders. Improving sleep hygiene can also help with this disorder.
Sleep-Related Food Disorder
Sleep-related eating disorder also affects more women then men. These types of disorder are actually a variation of sleepwalking.
Once awake and eating, they will eat very unhealthy or strange foods that they normally would not eat when awake. During an episode of sleep-related eating disorder, a person might eat frozen pizza or probably even dog food.
Often they are very careless while preparing. They may end up with cuts or burns while preparing the food. It is very difficult to wake a person during an episode and they have no memory of it in the morning.
Researchers have found no relation to hunger during a sleep-related eating disorder episode. Even if the person has eaten just before bed, an episode can still occur.
Although the cause of food related sleep disorder is not known, some medications have been identified as triggers. Lithium, a mood stabilizer, and the benzodiazepine receptor zolpidem are two of common culprits.
People with mood and personality disorders or psychological problems such as bulimia are at higher risk of developing one of these food related sleep disorders. People suffering from other sleep disorders including insomnia, sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder or narcolepsy are also at higher risk
People with a history of sleepwalking are likelier to suffer from this eating disorder although their condition is considered more of a sleep disorder then an eating disorder. Treatments like antidepressants, dopimine agents, anticonvulsants and opiates are often prescribed. Once sleepwalking is stopped so are the trips to the refrigerator.
People suffering from these nocturnal eating disorders often are overweight. They should be aware that their weight gain often leads to other sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea. Treatment may come from either a medical doctor or mental health specialist. Either way, it is important to seek treatment and the good news is that both conditions are treatable.
