Health Insite

Night Eating Syndrome May Be Due to Stress, Not Hunger

August 2003

It's 11pm and you're hungry. The conversation in your head begins: "I'm trying to lose weight; why not just go to bed without eating?" "But I've followed my diet all day; I deserve a treat." "I can't sleep if I'm hungry." "A bedtime snack tonight won't hurt, and besides, I choose only fat-free, healthy foods."

What can you do?

If you've been spending more time at night in the kitchen than in your bed, then you may have developed a newly identified condition termed night-eating syndrome (NES). This condition is characterized by a lack of appetite for breakfast and lunch, and the consumption of more than 50 percent of daily calories after the evening meal, and at times waking up, during the night to consume high-carbohydrate snacks. While NES was thought to be uncommon in the general population- estimated to affect between 1 and 2% of adults-recent studies report that it may occur in up to approximately one-fourth of obese persons. With almost 30% of the U.S. population obese, NES is starting to get significant attention.

NES was first described in 1955 and is characterized by:

  • Lack of or decreased appetite during the day
  • Insomnia
  • Increased appetite in the evening and at night
  • Evening hyperphagia (increased eating) and nocturnal eating (arising to eat after having gone to bed)
  • Feeling tense, anxious, worried or guilty while eating
  • The tendency to eat carbohydrate-rich foods such as sugars and starchy foods

Scientists have found that levels of melatonin-the hormone that helps us fall asleep and stay asleep at night-are significantly reduced in NES sufferers. Similarly, leptin - the hormone that suppresses appetite-doesn't rise to normal levels in night-eaters, suggesting that their hunger pangs may be extreme enough to disturb sleep. Finally, cortisol-often called the 'stress hormone' that kicks in when we're feeling tense-is elevated at night in people with NES, further enticing them to wake up and head to the kitchen. Cortisol levels can become elevated during times of stress, and those of us with constant stress have levels far greater than those that keep stress under control. Chronic stress contributes to a host of health problems, including weight gain, blood sugar regulation problems, heart related problems, and a depressed immune system that sets us up for more colds and infections.

There are different options for people to consider if they are experiencing chronic stress and increased desire for carbohydrates and sugar. Theanine is an extract from green tea, that has shown promise in reducing anxiousness and nervousness. Also 5-hydroxytryptohan (amino acid) helps to reduce sugar cravings and rebuild serotonin levels that have been lowered by chronic stress. As you build up serotonin your brain can make more melatonin.

Perhaps the newest breakthrough for those of us that like to eat late at night-is a dietary supplement ingredient called Relora® (www.relora.com). Relora is a patented formula extracted from 2 plants that have been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 1500 years-Phellodendron amurense and Magnolia officinalis. Relora may help to relieve stress, anxiety and minimize stress-induced eating by helping our body maintain normal cortisol levels.

James LaValle R.Ph.,NMD, CCN is co-founder of the Living Longer Institute in Cincinnati, the Nutrition Expert for Bodyshaping, America's #1 Fitness show on ESPN, and author of Cracking the Metabolic Code, Basic Book Publications, North Bergen, NJ.

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