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Night Eating Syndrome

Pediatrician, Dr. Jana Dehovitz , spends a good portion of her day counseling parents on how to make sure their children are getting proper nutrition. Ironically, for Dr. Dehovitz, the tables turned…she became the patient in desperate need of guidance on her eating habits. Jana is battling night eating syndrome. “I started having a new life, I had to find a new apartment, buy everything that I have, take care of my children and with all the stress I was able to work during the day and take care of everything, but I lost sleep, I was so stressed I couldn’t fall asleep,” says Jana.

Night has fallen, the house is quiet except for the soft thump of a refrigerator door closing. Its light illuminates a dark, empty kitchen—except for the solitary eater. “If I wake up and I am a little anxious at night I could eat a little bit and go back to bed and sleep beautifully . I didn’t have time to eat during the day, and I didn’t feel hungry at all, so I figure if I eat in the middle of the night and don’t eat during the day it is fine, just a different time for me to chose when I eat,” says Jana.

Like Jana, many night eaters don’t eat much at all during the day and have most of their daily intake of food in the evening and late at night. “Night eating tends to be a secretive behavior, it is a big secret that a person would normally not share with others. In some cases people with night eating syndrome are themselves, not fully aware of what they are doing, it is partially due to denial,” says Dr. Allan Giliebter of St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital.

According to the Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders Association, the syndrome is thought to be caused by a combination of biological, genetic, and emotional factors with some research indicating that the night eater may be suffering from a failure of the body to respond appropriately to stress. Many night eaters are overweight. “We published a paper showing that people with night eating syndrome are more likely to be depressed and also have low self esteem,” says Dr. Giliebter.

Cognitive and behavioral therapy can help night eaters overcome their disorder. Dieticians can also assist patients by developing healthy meal plans. Researchers are especially interested in foods chosen by night eaters…the heavy preference for carbs, which trigger the brain to produce “feel-good” neurochemicals, suggests that night eating may be an unconscious attempt to self-medicate moodiness and stress.

Jana says behavioral therapy has been a true life lesson, and she believes it has even helped her become a better doctor. “It brings you back to reality, to be patient, you can learn from it and listen to your patients even more. I started eating breakfast and lunch, I make sure I eat every single day.” If a pattern of night eating has persisted for at least two months you’ll want to consult with your doctor.

In some instances, the drug, Zoloft, has been given to patients, but Dr. Giliebter says most patients have great success with behavioral therapy…which can include putting a lock on the refrigerator during night time hours and putting physical obstacles on the way to the kitchen…encountering the obstacles or a locked refrigerator re-enforces an awareness of the behavior and helps reverse it.

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