Noturnal eating disorder

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Noturnal eating disorder

Postby Ellieshay » Thu Jul 05, 2018 12:57 pm

Im a 41year old 116 lb female who suffers from a noturnal eating disorder since age 13. I wake every 40 mins every single night and cannot go back to sleep without eating. The hunger is intense. I had three sleep done in my twenties that show i have plm and rls. Ive tried prescription sleep aids just to wake the same as always. please help me im so tired and feel so broken. I have been strictly plant based 10 months. not 100% whole foods i do eat pretzels and kettle corn.
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Re: Noturnal eating disorder

Postby Lyndzie » Thu Jul 05, 2018 2:01 pm

What is PLM and RLS?
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Re: Noturnal eating disorder

Postby roundcoconut » Thu Jul 05, 2018 4:03 pm

Lord Google says that she probably means Periodic Leg Movement and Restless Leg Syndrome.

:)
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Re: Noturnal eating disorder

Postby Lyndzie » Thu Jul 05, 2018 4:28 pm

Thanks roundcoconut!

If I’m not mistaken, low ferritin can cause restless leg syndrome, so theoretically an iron supplement might help with that (I know it helped my sister, but that’s just anecdotal).

Also, what do you eat at night? I’m guessing you avoid alcohol and caffeine, and practice other good sleep hygiene habits, like no screen time before bed, etc. Not sure about the food part, just trying to think through ideas. I’m sure you’ve tried just about everything at this point!
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Re: Noturnal eating disorder

Postby roundcoconut » Thu Jul 05, 2018 8:15 pm

I would at least suggest that if you are going to approach this as a DIY project at first, that you consider the idea that perhaps your issue is aggravated by having ready-to-eat food available to you at all hours of the night.

After all, all crimes are a product of “motive meets opportunity”.

If you woke up at 1:00 AM, and there was nothing but uncooked brown rice in the house, would you have the patience to wait 40 minutes for your rice to cook?

I spent a few months attending OA meetings, and many people in OA told stories such as yours, about getting up in the middle of the night to eat, or doing other extreme behaviors around overeating. These are patterns that generally resemble the patterns of a drug addict.

For example, a heroin addict experiences strong cravings for heroin. Does that necessarily mean that these sigals must be obeyed? Of ccourse not! But if a heroin addict keeps heroin in the house, then when the intense signals to seek heroin NOW arise in the body, what will the heroin addict likely do?

My point — and you are certainly free to do as you wish — is that keeping ready-to-eat food in the house at your most vulnerable times would generally seem to be a form of premeditation, whereby you are agreeing to engage in this food-addicted compulsion night after night.

If going a full hour without food is too much, then perhaps you start with only 45 minutes without food.

Perhaps you set a timer for 45 minutes, and see if you can last that long. Over time, you may want to lengthen this.

However, if you approach this by going to various psychiatrists, they will likely find things to prescribe to you, because drugs are the answer to everything, right?

I don’t truly believe there is anything biologically wrong with a person who exhibits compulsive behaviors around food. But it will take practice and dedication to extract oneself from the viscious circle of indulging in a compulsion, and noticing it growing in strength or maintaining its strength.

If you are going to try to extinguish a behavior, you know that it will take effort and practice. Mastery is not achieved overnight. But practice is the only way to strengthen new patterns.

Hope this helps. There are no easy answers, so the best you can do is practice with short sessions of doing non-caloric activities, with a food-free environment helping you to achieve short durations of surviving without indulging your compulsions. :)
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Re: Noturnal eating disorder

Postby SilverDollar123 » Sun Jul 08, 2018 10:53 am

Great responses Lyndzie&roundcoconut! RAS :nod:
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Re: Noturnal eating disorder

Postby Lyndzie » Sun Jul 08, 2018 2:52 pm

You know, I find Roundcoconut’s idea really interesting. For instance, if a woman is 116 lbs and average height, then she probably has a BMI of 19-20. Maybe she needs to eat more during the day, and figure out what starches she finds most satiating. I’ve woken up hungry in the middle of the night before (haven’t we all?), and in my mind that just means I didn’t eat enough during the day.

I generally don’t recommend intermittent fasting, but maybe that would be something to try. Like, a 24 hour fast, so that regardless of time of day, no eating, period. Might be a terrible idea, especially if this is disordered eating as opposed to a physical problem, I’m not sure.
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Re: Noturnal eating disorder

Postby Willijan » Sun Jul 08, 2018 7:08 pm

If you use any over the counter sleep aids, such as Benadryl and Unisom, the diphenhydramine in them can cause/exacerbate restless leg syndrome. So especially if you are still waking up every 40 minutes anyway, I'd avoid/stop taking those and your sleep might improve. Also caffeine. My husband has a lot of sleep problems, and restless legs. He recently completely gave up caffeine, and that helped a lot. Before that he didn't think the caffeine had much effect on his sleep. He also takes magnesium and potassium and claims that helps with the RLS.
I realize this doesn't directly address the nocturnal eating, but it's a place to start. And eating more in the daytime, as suggested by others, is a good idea too.
What do you eat at night? Is it something compliant with the McDougall Diet? How about only having one boring food available to eat at night, as suggested above?
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Re: Noturnal eating disorder

Postby amandamechele » Tue Jul 10, 2018 10:21 am

Hi Ellieshay,

The other posters have covered many things that I would consider too. If it does turn out that you're really eating enough during the day and it isn't a medical issue of some sort...then maybe it could be habitual, aggravated slightly by the nature of the foods that you are choosing during the night (as Roundcoconut is suggesting).

With regards to the astute comments that it's the ready-to-eat foods - the staff psychologist for Dr. McDougall has termed this The Pleasure Trap and has a great lecture describing what it is and how to try and get free from this addictive-like cycle.

Additionally, Dr. Lisle has a video called The Cram Circuit which is about creating a classically conditioned pattern of eating through reinforcement (doing it over and over again) that can lead to physiological symptoms of craving, which when trying to stop (or break the pattern) can feel a bit like withdrawal symptoms.

You could attempt to not eat during certain hours like 11pm to 6am (for example) for 5-6 nights and see if after that period of time the feelings of hunger lessen on subsequent nights. Those first few nights it may feel worse but if this does happen to be what Dr. Lisle describes the feelings of extreme hunger should lessen after a period of time (which differs for many - but for me it has always been about 5-6 days) and then the "cravings" or "intense hunger" may not wake you as often....as long as you don't give into feeding the pattern.

You may also consider booking a session with Dr. Lisle if you want to talk about this issue and get professional suggestions.

I wish you the best because not getting enough sleep is sooo AWFUL! You aren't broken, but maybe just need a bit of a tune-up (and a full night's sleep).

XO
Amy

PS. The embedded hyperlinks that I've included lead to the talks and contact information I'm referring to, if you click on them.
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Re: Noturnal eating disorder

Postby viv » Tue Jul 10, 2018 3:35 pm

My solution to most anything these days is "Eat more potatoes!" What if your body just wanted to keep you alive by eating more food and doesn't care where or when? You could try sitting quietly and asking your body what it needs, you might get an awareness of an answer.

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Re: Noturnal eating disorder

Postby Ellieshay » Tue Jul 24, 2018 9:57 am

I want to thank all of you that took you're time to answer my worries. I have thought about this since i was 13 and the symptoms started. It was horrible at first i was eating in my sleep and waking up with a mouth full of food. I was 230 lbs by the time i was 20 and went on a basically fat free diet that turned anorexic and dropping 135 of those lbs in 8 months which left me with saggy skin :(.. anyway.. PLM and RLS is as stated.. periodic limb movement and Restless leg syndrome. The neurologist thinks its the PLM that wakes me due to the jerky movements. I have tried to refrain from eating when i wake but i find it unbearable stressful and almost at crying point to not eat something. I have started making oven fries before bed to keep me away from the chips and such. I do not live alone or you're idea of not having ready foods available would be genius. This has happened in the past due to lack of grocery shopping and i made it threw the night but very very stressful and i managed to pop open a can of chick peas and eat them like a snack :/ I will try getting in more iron as one of you have suggested. If you come across more information or have a good idea please post.
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Re: Noturnal eating disorder

Postby Idgie » Tue Jul 24, 2018 10:00 am

Ellieshay, sounds like you're doing everything you can to be kind to yourself, which I think is key! We can't always control what our bodies and minds do to us, but we can do our best to treat ourselves well. I hope you find a solution, but I salute your willingness to work with your body and mind to try to find a way to live with the hand you've been dealt.
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