Sleep-Related Eating Disorder

Symptoms of Sleep-Related Eating Disorder

Sleep related eating disorder (SRED) varies among patients, but episodes tend to have some characteristics in common:

• Occur only during the night (rather than during naps)
• Occur frequently (most patients have an episode every night, some more than one)
• Involve foods high in calories (but can also involve items not usually eaten, such as coffee grounds, or non food items, such as cleaning materials)
• Don't typically involve alcoholic drinks
• Last less than 10 minutes: food is eaten very quickly
• Aren't remembered by patient in the morning (though some patients may recall the episode upon finding evidence)
• Are difficult to wake a patient from

Complications can include:

• Injury if the patient tries to cook something or consumes something toxic
• Weight gain
• Poor nutrition (if patient tries to compensate by not eating during the day or simply feels too full after the nighttime consumption)
• Reduced control of diabetes or cholesterol
• Depression
• Insomnia