nighttime noshing and eating disorder

May 3, 2001

Pretty interesting, I thought.

all the best,

This article can be accessed directly at:

Nighttime Noshes May be Eating Disorder

Daytime stress and sleepiness result

People who habitually raid the fridge late at night may actually suffer

from a type of eating disorder.

A condition known as night-eating syndrome may affect an estimated 1 percent

to 2 percent of the population, although it may be far more common among

people who are more than 100 pounds overweight.

Night-eating syndrome doesn't refer to simple midnight snacking.

Signs of Night-Eating Syndrome

*

Trouble falling or staying asleep;

* Eats more after dinner than during the meal;

* Continual eating throughout the evening rather than bingeing;

* Little or no appetite for breakfast; and

* Eating causes anxiety, guilt or shame.

Source: Anorexia Nervosa and Related Disorders Inc.People with the condition

usually eat for much of the evening, often eating more throughout the night

than they do at dinner. The syndrome isn't officially recognized as either a

psychological or a medical disorder yet. No commonly accepted treatment

exists for night-eating syndrome because it remains relatively unstudied.

Dr. Glenn Waller, a London-area specialist in eating-disorders, has focused

on correcting his patients' behavior. " We've treated them successfully by

concentrating on shifting their sleeping patterns, helping them to eat

normally in the daytime and to deal with the causes of stress. "

Night-eating syndrome isn't all in the head, however. Sufferers have

detectable changes in certain hormones that control sleep, appetite and

stress. These changes mean that, in effect, sufferers are " permanently

jet-lagged " during the day, The Times of London reports.

The Journal of the American Medical Association has more information on the

clinical aspects of the condition.

-- Jeff ston

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