A barrier to weight loss can often be due to a person struggling with a sleep or eating disorder. One common eating disorder is Night Eating Syndrome (NES).

“Night eating syndrome (NES) is an eating disorder that occurs along with interrupted sleep (insomnia). NES causes people to wake up during the night to usually eat one or several times throughout the night.” The person is usually fully awake and remembers eating the next day.  “Untreated, NES makes it difficult to maintain a healthy weight. It also increases the risk of health problems like diabetes and high blood pressure."

"If you have NES, you may feel like you won’t be able to fall asleep if you don’t eat. You might feel as if you have no control over your urge to eat in the middle of the night. Many people with NES also have depression or anxiety that is often worse at night."

"To help people with NES, healthcare providers usually recommend a combination of treatments. These include antidepressant medications, cognitive behavioral therapy and techniques to correct the sleeping and eating cycle."

If you feel that you may be suffering from a possible eating disorder or sleep disorder, please contact our clinical social worker (Branna Grubbs, LISW-CP) for additional support and resources.

Reference: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21731-night-eating-syndrome-nes