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Night Eating Syndrome, an often overlooked eating disorder

© Heather Mudgett.

Five or ten years ago I never heard anyone discuss 'Night Eating Syndrome'. I must confess, until a few years ago, I wasn't aware of it either! Then one day, a reader emailed me asking me to find information about her problem.... she ate quite normally during the day, but realized that she was getting up every night and gorging herself in her sleep. I was intrigued! Thanks to the vast variety of information available on the newly evolving internet, I began to educate myself and my readers about 'Night Eating Syndrome'.

I wrote my first article on 'Night Eating Syndrome' back in March of 2002. Here's a link to that previous article.

In the months since then, I have recieved many emails from readers, thanking me for looking into this little discussed subject. In addition, there is a long running discussion thread on the subject which can be found on my discussions page.

Now lets look into new information I've come across on the subject of 'Night Eating Syndrome'.

At About.com is an interesting article which asks: (Is) Night Eating due to Stress? This article explores whether or not Night Eating Syndrome may be stress related rather than triggered by emotional issues or just plain hunger.

At AphroditeWomensHealth.com I found an article which further explores the corrolation between Night Eating Syndrome and stress. Citing a Norwegian study, the article explains, "the midnight raid on the refrigerator may not be the product of an insatiable appetite. Instead, the night eater may be suffering from a failure of the body to respond appropriately to stress. In addition to irregular eating habits, this condition can lead to a number of harmful psychological and physical disorders". Let me also point out that the AphroditeWomensHealth.com site is a great resource for just about every women's health issues.

At the Diagnose-me.com site, I found a helpful summary of signs & symptoms, risk factors, likely causes, and treatment possiblities for Night Eating Syndrome.

A recentWebMd.com article, explores 'Night Eating Syndrome' in another way. According to the article, "...new research shows that the cause may be an abnormal food cycle in the body". The article does review other studies and articles which suggest that 'Night Eating Syndrome' may be stress related.

An article at DefeatDiabetes.com reviews a recent study explores 'Night Eating Syndrome' patients and their reponsiveness to treatment.

At the National Library of Medicine, there are at least 55 published papers available on the subject of 'Night Eating Syndrome'. Unfortunately, while you may be able access some of them as a 'guest viewer' on the site, you may have to pay to view most of them. Could be worth it if you are working on a large research paper on the subject.

The copyright of the article Night Eating Syndrome, an often overlooked eating disorder in Eating Disorders is owned by Heather Mudgett.. Permission to republish Night Eating Syndrome, an often overlooked eating disorder in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.