How to Treat a Sleep Related Eating Disorder

Sufferers of sleep related eating disorders (SRED) have unhealthy eating patterns that occur during their sleeping hours. People with SRED typically have poor nutrition and may develop health problems due to overeating at night. Self-care and medical treatment can be used to remedy SRED.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Develop healthy sleep patterns. Learn to go to bed at regular times and create a calming sleep space to get a better night's rest. Unhealthy sleep patterns can cause a person to have SRED.
2. Remove any unsafe items from eating areas. To protect yourself from eating something toxic, remove any dangerous items from the kitchen.
3. Place locks on your fridge and cabinets. Combination locks are effective at keeping a person from eating at night.
4. Switch medications if your doctor suspects that your current prescription is causing the SRED. If you developed SRED after starting a new medicine, see if a change gets rid of the SRED.
5. Control your stress level. Stress management techniques can be used to keep you calm. Reduced stress can decrease the frequency of SRED episodes.
6. Find out about any medications that can be used to alleviate the night eating episodes. One medication used in treatment is topiramate.

Tips & Warnings

• There are two main types of SRED. Nocturnal SRED is when a person eats while they are sleepwalking. The other type is called night eating syndrome and occurs when a person is unable to fall asleep until he eats during the night.
• Sleeping pills are typically not prescribed to sufferers of SRED. This is because the person may become confused and injure themselves.