Night eating disorder, or night eating syndrome (NES), is a condition characterized by consuming a significant portion of daily calories after the evening meal, often involving waking up at night to eat. Individuals with NES are aware that they are eating and feel a compulsion to eat to fall back asleep. The pattern can lead to feelings of shame, distress, and guilt. Can I fix it? Experts are still determining the best treatment for night eating syndrome, but evidence suggests that cognitive behavioral therapy in combination with medication may be effective. Most research on medication has focused on selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Symptoms and diagnostic criteria For a diagnosis of NES, a person typically experiences nighttime eating episodes at least twice per week for three months. Key indicators include: Morning anorexia: Lack of appetite in the morning, often delaying the first meal of the day. Evening hyperphagia: Eating more than 25% of one's daily calories between dinner and bedtime. Sleep disturbances: Difficulty falling or staying asleep. Belief that eating is necessary for sleep: The need to eat to initiate or return to sleep. Worsening mood in the evening: Agitation, irritability, or depression that intensifies at night. ... Despite NES was not officially included in former versions of the DSM, for the first time, the suggested diagnostic criteria for NES were described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition (DSM-5), and found its place under the section of “Other Specified Feeding or Eating disorders”
