Night eating syndrome

Clinic

• NES is an eating disorder, characterized by a delayed circadian pattern of food intake.
• Although there is some degree of comorbidity with binge eating disorder, it differs from binge eating in that the amount of food consumed in the night is not necessarily objectively large nor is a loss of control over food intake required.
• It was originally described by Albert Stunkard in 1955 and is currently included in the other specified feeding or eating disorder category of the DSM-5.
• Evening hyperphagia (consumption of 25% or more of the total daily calories after the evening meal)
• Nocturnal awakening and ingestion of food two or more times per week.
• The person must have awareness of the night eating to differentiate it from the parasomnia sleep-related eating disorder (SRED).

Associated symptoms

Three of five associated symptoms must also be present:

• Lack of appetite in the morning,
• Urges to eat at night,
• Belief that one must eat in order to fall back to sleep at night,
• Depressed mood
• Difficulty sleeping.