Sleep eating is characterized by sleepwalking and nocturnal overeating. Individuals who suffer from sleep eating are unaware of their own activity during the night, which usually includes roaming the house and excessive eating of food and even non-food items. Although sleep eating is a recognized sleep-related disorder, some health experts believe that it is also a type of eating disorder. Sleep eaters have common risk factors including emotional distress, exhaustion, anger, and anxiety. Individuals with this condition are at risk for the same health complications as compulsive overeaters, including excessive weight gain. However, sleep eaters are also at risk for injury related to their unconscious state such as falling, choking while eating, injury from preparing food, and starting a fire. Experts usually refer to sleep eating as a nocturnal sleep-related disorder (NS-RED) and sleep-eating syndrome. Sleep eating is fairly uncommon, and is classified as parasomnia, an arousal disorder. The activities of sleep eating are performed in a state of arousal from slow wave sleep.

(Source: www.examiner.com)

Labels: eating disorder, sleep eating

Posted By: Aspen Education Group