Sleep eating disorders include involuntarily eating while sleeping, strange combinations of food, & little or no recall the next day. Some treatments help sleep eaters.
Eating while sleeping is one of those rare but real eating disorders. This sleep eating disorder is still being researched - but treatments do help sleep eaters.
Carlos H. Schenck, M.D. wrote the book Sleep: The Mysteries, The Problems, and the Solutions about sleep eating disorders, sleep eaters, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, sleep eating – and much more. It's a fantastic resource, especially for information about sleep eating disorders.
What is Sleep Eating Disorder?
People who struggle with sleep eating disorders may not remember their eating binge the day after. They don't know they were eating while sleeping. The evidence is on the pillow, face, bed, and in the kitchen. Some sleep-eaters may be aware they're sleep-eating but can't stop themselves. They're not hungry; some sleep-eaters are driven to eat strange combinations of foods like salt or sugar sandwiches, raw meat, mayonnaise or even nonfoods such as dog food, soap or hand cream. Those sleep-eaters aren't seeking comfort foods.
Consequences of Eating While Sleeping
Weight gain. Almost half of Dr. Schenck's sleep-eaters are obese because they tend to eat foods like brownies, cakes, and ice cream. Since they're eating while sleeping they're not counting calories.
Limited weight loss. Even when they diet, sleep-eaters struggle with weight loss. When they're eating while sleeping, they're counteracting the effects of exercise while they're awake.
Embarrassment. Living with roommates, partners, and even family members can feel awkward to sleep-eaters, especially when the frozen pizza has bites out of it or they wake up with chocolate all over their face and pillow. Eating while sleeping can be embarrassing.
Shame. The loss of control, or eating while sleeping, can induce feelings of shame or guilt in sleep-eaters.
Exposure to food allergies. When they're eating while sleeping, sleep-eaters don't consider their food allergies.
Risk of injury. Sleep-eaters could fall down the stairs, choke on food, or burn or cut themselves while cooking.
Dental complications. Tooth decay and damage can occur when they're eating while sleeping.
Medication complications. Some prescription medications require certain foods be eliminated from the diet – which a sleep-eater won't consider during an episode. When they're eating while sleeping, they're not thinking about their medications or health.
Daytime fatigue. Because of the interrupted sleep, sleep-eaters may not feel refreshed or lively in the morning! Eating while sleeping disrupts sleep.
Ineffective Treatment of Sleep Eating Disorders or Eating While Sleeping
Dr. Schenck reported that biofeedback, acupuncture, self-hypnosis, hypnotherapy, and psychotherapy all had NO benefit in the cases he's studied. Sleep-eaters don't tend to responde to those treatments.
Some sleep-eaters tried locking their fridges, but they sustained injuries from breaking the locks when they were eating while sleeping. Other sleep-eaters put notes on their fridges, such as, "Don't eat, you pig!" in an effort to jolt them out of eating while sleeping. Still other sleep-eaters asked family members to stop them, or punish themselves the next day by doing extra chores or undesirable tasks.
Effective Treatments for Eating While Sleeping
The treatment of choice for eating while sleeping, according to Dr. Schenck, is Topamax or topiramate. It's a new anticonvulsive medication; the sleep doctor reported a success rate of about 66% for sleep-eaters after six months. His sleep-eaters reported more restful sleeps and weight loss, and less eating while sleeping. A possible side effect is a tingling sensation (paresthesias). Since this drug controls the eating but disrupts sleep, Dr. Schenck also prescribes mild doses of sleeping aids such as clonazepam or trazodone.
Getting Help With Eating While Sleeping
People who struggle with persistent sleep eating disorders or eating while sleeping need to seek help from a sleep professional! Letting it go untreated not only reduces quality of life for sleep-eaters, it could also be life-threatening. As Dr Schenck states, there's nothing shameful about this disorder – and treatments can be very effective.
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The copyright of the article Eating While Sleeping in Psychology is owned by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen. Permission to republish Eating While Sleeping in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
I feel it is phycological and there is a problem in your life thats why
people sleep eat. I would think theropy to be a good option for treatment.
Aug 25, 2008 6:54 PM
Guest :
Topamax seems to be the new drug recommended by some sleep experts however after having used it for several months to help with my
sleep eating disorder, I developed eye pain. I ended up going off the
drug because it can cause irreversible glaucoma which people should be
warned about before taking it. I have tried Celexa also which did not
work as well as Topamax for the sleep eating disorder. Unfortunately
there is no cure that I have found in the many years that I have
struggled to get over this problem. I feel that more research needs
to be done so that a solution can be found. It is very much
related to high anxiety and the problem with anti anxiety medicine is
that most cause fatigue which is a problem anyway with patients with
this disorder. Exercise helps alot and it seems that sleep experts
really don't know alot about this disorder which is very frustrating.
Oct 9, 2008 7:21 AM
Guest :
My husband suffers from this condition and it is very hard to deal with. I
get up in the morning to find the kitchen a complete mess, food and bowls
all over the place. Spilt food in the bed, on the floor, crumbs
everywhere. And whole packages of food will be missing. It makes me very
angry and he denies doing it becasue in the morning he has no memory of it.
Oct 21, 2008 3:50 PM
Guest :
I am a 25 year old female, learning online about all of this sleep eating
becuase I think I have this condition. From what my husband and mother has
told me they have seen signs for years with me. I am finally getting
treatment because my husband found me trying to eat week old food. He said
I was putting it is the microwave to cook it and he stopped me. Antoher
time, he said that he walked in the kitchen at night to see what I was up
to and noticed I cut cake with a knife and was eating it with my hands. He
tried to confront me, unaware I was alseep, and I guess I yelled at him
telling him to get out the kitchen and then continued to eat the cake with
my hands. lol... I laugh at the stories. I have a few of them up my sleeve
with my sleep attacks or whatever this is, but it isn't really funny in a
safety and health aspect, so as I am learning I need to go the doc for
help. So I am off tomorrow to get more information. I don't want to end up
drinking or eating soap... got close with the old food... that was far
enough for me. Time for help! :-D Laters and best of luck to you all!
Jan 9, 2009 10:41 AM
Guest :
i am 19 year old mail i know how it feels to one night my wife
woke me up hitting me with a garbige bag box and the garbige bags and i was
chocking on a pice i ended spitting it out at the wall and i have a history
with cooking and eating the stuff 1\2 way done my wife was allways told me
what i was doing but i never beleaved her till i woke up being chocked and
being beation i will check into treatment
peace, love,and empathy
Feb 12, 2009 1:03 PM
Guest :
Sleepeating is one of the most bizarre disorders to experience. You wake
up with crusts of food in your bed, napkins, upset stomach and weight gain
is inevitable. You really feel as though you have no control over
yourself, (because during sleep, you don't :), and you feel many negative
feelings. Embarassment, guilt, lack of control, etc. It really is an
awful thing to live with, and for so long I thought I was the only one who
experienced this, but I'm not. Since I have been researching online,
reading books, and consulting my doctor, I am on my way to getting this
'thing' under control. Yet, it isn't as easy as just taking a medicine to
get rid of it. It may take therapy coupled with meds, really who knows?
This disorder is now becoming more and more noticed, but it will be tough
figuring out what will work for you. Don't lose hope, there will be
something out there that will help you get your life back.
Aug 14, 2009 9:26 AM
Guest :
What amazes me is, now-a-days it is almost impossible to NOT use spell
checking. I misspelled amazes above, but the red underline told me so, and
I fixed it. Add to that, the almost unintelligible grammar, and it
makes reading it painful. No wonder some people think one with such a
disorder is "not all there". I, however, DO believe. I tend to go
for the ice cream, and it melts all over the place once I fall back to
'real' sleep. (I eat it straight out of the box) Unfortunately, as a MS
sufferer, I already take anti-seizure meds, (along with a handful of
others) which is why I HAVE to eat at night. (They're hard on tummy, at
least mine is, says so on the bottle, the main one is called Sinemet,
mostly used in Parkinson's disease) That doesn't leave much else to try,
from what I am told. Never heard of this newer one. What else is it used
for? I started sleep eating after I was prescribed, oddly enough, a
sleep aid, (Halcion, now banned in many countries) and it gave me INTENSE
cravings for sweets, which I used to not care much for (As well as amnesia,
driving while asleep, and other 'odd' behaviors)and even after I stopped
Halcion,(now rarely used due to 'side effects')I still am left with the
sleep eating. That was back in the 1980's, when I was taking the Halcion,
(2 yrs I took it) and I was in my 30's. (I didn't yet know I actually had
MS, so I was Dxed as 'depressed', 'sleep deprived', you name it) Never
cared for sweets during the day, but at night, I'd eat ANY thing with
sugar, mix whipped topping and pancake syrup, etc. and just eat it up.
Yuck! Now, it's ice cream, with rotted teeth, a spare tire, & high
cholesterol to show for it. Aside from locking myself in, or the food out,
(or both) what more can one do? I am SUPPOSED to eat at bedtime, just not
after. I sleep about 6 hours as my 'normal'. Or used to, that is. A number
of sleep studies show I stop breathing up to 53 times an hour, with O2
levels dropping to the high 70%'s. (Not apnea, my brain 'forgets' due to
damage from the MS in that part of the brain) Could THAT be a cause? Or the
other way 'round? (No Ice Cream available at sleep clinics!) I know they
say being tired makes one eat. I also know, eating makes one tired. Witness
the Thanksgiving day meal we all see! Who DOESN'T get sleepy after one of
those? Sign me: Sleepless in Iowa
