Night Eating Syndrome
I just realized I might have Night Eating Syndrome. I have been eating at night for two years now, and I thought it was just bc I was restricting. But for a year I ate "normal" and I still ate at night. Now that I'm back to restricting it's worse than ever.
I feel like I can't go back to sleep before I eat something. I feel anxious as ***, and wake up with the feeling that I just HAVE TO EAT. It's horrible. And shameful.
I can't figure out how to address this with my therapist, but I have told myself that I have to talk to my parents about it at least before my visit to the therapist on Thursday. I just have to figure out how to say it. Any advice on addressing something like this? Or on addressing eating disorders in general?
It's so hard, and my cheeks burn from shame just from writing this. What do I do?
EDIT: I feel so stressed when I wake up, and eating is the only cure. I can easily eat 25% of my daily intake at night. And I don't know why I do it, bc at bedtime I feel fine. But I wake up multiple times at night, and just eat. It helps a little not having sweets in my house, but not enough apparently, so that I'll stop doing it. I always crave sweets, carbs and such, but will accept literally anything.
stressed eating is tough to break ..... i eat after dinner / sometimes even after we have desert why.... stress ......you are not alone ......... i will not let myself get out of bed because if i do and something is there i will eat.
i have some unresolved items and until i have that under control i do not see my situation improving. Logic of logging still does not help me and restricting all day is blown out of water when the stress items hit........... been a life long issue and i realized my mom did it to...... so learned behavior in my case.
does not seem like something i will get control of until i lessen the items causing my stress.
@toughTiger6481 Yeah same for me. I eat at night though. I wake up multiple times each night to eat, bc I feel like I will never fall asleep if I don't eat. I see it as some kind of self soothing, as I wake up in panic or with anxiety and just NEED to eat.
How did you address it with your therapist/doctor?
@TheMadHatterWasHere
i know it will sound unheard of but once I identified triggers i made my own plan ........ sure it is same as a doctor or therapist just no $$ out to hear it.
i ask myself when walking to kitchen or looking in cupboard i talk to myself OUT loud to re=evaluate why i was eating ........... drink a large glass of water .... disturbed sleep is often stress related as well so you will need to examine that not avoid it and stress eat.
@toughTiger6481 Thank you for the advice. Luckily doctors appointments doesn't cost anything here in DK, so I won't waste any money. But thank you still! I will try that. I mostly just walk in there in some kind of haze, as if I don't know what I am doing or why.
@toughTiger6481 I very good at avoiding my feelings in general though. Maybe I should work on that too hmm...
