Night Eating Syndrome
Night eating syndrome (NES) is a new eating disorder which is characterised by a lack of appetite for breakfast and the consumption of more than 50 percent of daily calories after the evening meal followed by waking in the night to consume more food. To receive a diagnosis of NES, symptoms must have been present for three months or more.
If this is the first you’ve heard of NES then this is because awareness is only now increasing as the research pile grows.
The research we already have has found that there are three hormones at the centre of this eating disorder. The first of which is melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone that helps us to fall and stay asleep and levels of this hormones are significantly lacking in NES patients. The second hormone is known as the appetite suppression hormone, leptin. Researchers found that the leptin levels in NES patients did not rise as it should during sleep, meaning that the hunger pains felt may be extreme enough to actually disturb sleep. Lastly is the stress hormone cortisol which usually rears its head in tense situations. This hormone increased at night in NES patients, subsequently causing them to wake up and head to the fridge.
Though hormonal imbalances are thought to play a key roles in this eating disorder, researches also believe it could be hereditary. However, with so much still unknown about NES the treatment is difficult. Currently hormone supplements, antidepressants and sleeping tablets are being trialled as are special diets.
If you feel you may be suffering from an eating disorder then it is important that you seek professional medical advice. You may also want to consider a number of complementary therapies such as talking therapies and hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy can help to improve self confidence and self image so that the individual is able to view themselves differently and will also help to identify the root cause of a problem before using certain techniques to eliminate it.
To contact a hypnotherapist please visit the homepage of this site.
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