Most people scoff at the thought of eating a blend of raw bacon, egg shells and coffee grounds. People with sleep related eating disorder are no different, yet they consume such sickening concoctions without thinking twice. Or thinking at all, for that matter.
SRED involves unconscious compulsive binge-eating in the middle of the night. Sleep-walkers rapidly prepare and consume whatever they can find, whether it’s high-calorie junk food or an unusual mix of kitchen ingredients. An episode can last about ten minutes, and the sleep-eater won’t remember a thing.
43-year-old Anna Ryan once tried to eat a steel wool dish detergent pad. She’s among the estimated one million Americans with SRED.
Her story was featured on the ABC Nightline special “Secrets of the Mind” Tuesday evening. The series investigates rare conditions of the brain. Past programs have addressed topics such as narcoleptic attacks caused by strong emotions, aneurysms and pathological violence.
Ryan would go on diets but mysteriously gain weight, unaware she was consuming thousands of calories every night. She’s at-risk for weight-related conditions like heart disease, diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea.
SRED can also cause social embarrassment and physical danger. People can fall, start fires or even consume toxic chemicals while sleepwalking to the kitchen.
About 65 to 80 percent of people with SRED are women. The episodes usually begin sometime before the age of 30. Empty wrappers and missing food may serve as clues for SRED. A history of other parasomnias such as sleepwalking, sleep talking or REM sleep behavioral disorder is also a warning sign.
Ryan is on a medication to limit her midnight binges. Sleep Education reports SRED is treatable with a combination of medication and therapy.
If you think you have SRED seek treatment at an AASM-accredited sleep center immediately.
Showing posts with label sleep related eating disorder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sleep related eating disorder. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Sunday, October 25, 2009
To Sleep, Perchance to Dream: Or Stroll or Snack...
Former "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul told Fox News that while they were living together, her former co-star Kara DioGuardi suffered from sleep eating and sleepwalking.
Sleepwalking is typically seen as a childhood problem. While it is more common in children (as many as 17 percent of children sleepwalk), up to four percent of adults sleepwalk as well.
Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism, tends to occur during slow-wave sleep, or when you aren’t dreaming. It is difficult to wake a sleepwalker. Sometimes they wake themselves. Other times they go back to bed, not knowing they ever got up.
Most people naturally outgrow sleepwalking. Those who wake up and find themselves in dangerous or embarrassing situations, however, may need treatment.
Sometimes sleepwalking is harmless. You may wake up somewhere other than your bed and wonder how you got there. It can also be dangerous. Children can fall down stairs and adults might even try to drive!
DioGuardi’s problem, sleep related eating disorder, is unusual. But like other eating disorders, it is much more common in women than in men.
People with SRED often prepare and eat food with no recollection of doing so. They may gain weight. Eventually they can even develop type 2 diabetes.
Sleep eating tends to occur in people with histories of alcoholism, drug abuse and other sleep disorders. People with high levels of stress and anxiety may also find themselves snacking in their sleep.
DioGuardi admits that in the past she had an eating disorder and has received professional help to overcome it.
Visit an AASM-accredited sleep disorders center if you suffer from sleepwalking or have an ongoing sleep problem.
Sleepwalking is typically seen as a childhood problem. While it is more common in children (as many as 17 percent of children sleepwalk), up to four percent of adults sleepwalk as well.
Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism, tends to occur during slow-wave sleep, or when you aren’t dreaming. It is difficult to wake a sleepwalker. Sometimes they wake themselves. Other times they go back to bed, not knowing they ever got up.
Most people naturally outgrow sleepwalking. Those who wake up and find themselves in dangerous or embarrassing situations, however, may need treatment.
Sometimes sleepwalking is harmless. You may wake up somewhere other than your bed and wonder how you got there. It can also be dangerous. Children can fall down stairs and adults might even try to drive!
DioGuardi’s problem, sleep related eating disorder, is unusual. But like other eating disorders, it is much more common in women than in men.
People with SRED often prepare and eat food with no recollection of doing so. They may gain weight. Eventually they can even develop type 2 diabetes.
Sleep eating tends to occur in people with histories of alcoholism, drug abuse and other sleep disorders. People with high levels of stress and anxiety may also find themselves snacking in their sleep.
DioGuardi admits that in the past she had an eating disorder and has received professional help to overcome it.
Visit an AASM-accredited sleep disorders center if you suffer from sleepwalking or have an ongoing sleep problem.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
A Table for One: Sleep Related Eating Disorder
You wake up in the morning and discover that your kitchen is a mess. Half-eaten food is scattered all over the place.
The kitchen was spotless when you went to bed. So what happened?
It may be a case of sleep related eating disorder. SRED involves compulsive binge eating that occurs during the night.
Episodes often occur nightly. Some people with SRED even eat more than once per night.
The eating tends to occur when you are only partially awake. You may have no memory of the event in the morning.
SRED always occurs in an “out of control” manner. Food is prepared and consumed rapidly.
High-calorie foods are eaten the most. This can lead to excessive weight gain.
It is also common to eat strange foods or unusual combinations of food. For example you might eat a raw bacon, pickle and coffee grounds sandwich.
Careless food preparation can put you in danger. Fires can occur when you go back to bed with food cooking in the oven or on the stove.
Like other eating disorders, SRED is much more common in women than in men. About 65 percent to 80 percent of people with SRED are women.
Episodes tend to begin before 30 years of age. SRED is often an ongoing and long-lasting problem.
It also can occur as a side effect of using some medications. Many people with SRED also have had another type of parasomnia.
SRED can cause embarrassment and a sense of shame. But the good news is that it can be treated.
SRED tends to respond well to treatment with medications. Contact an AASM-accredited sleep center for help with sleep related eating disorder.
The kitchen was spotless when you went to bed. So what happened?
It may be a case of sleep related eating disorder. SRED involves compulsive binge eating that occurs during the night.
Episodes often occur nightly. Some people with SRED even eat more than once per night.
The eating tends to occur when you are only partially awake. You may have no memory of the event in the morning.
SRED always occurs in an “out of control” manner. Food is prepared and consumed rapidly.
High-calorie foods are eaten the most. This can lead to excessive weight gain.
It is also common to eat strange foods or unusual combinations of food. For example you might eat a raw bacon, pickle and coffee grounds sandwich.
Careless food preparation can put you in danger. Fires can occur when you go back to bed with food cooking in the oven or on the stove.
Like other eating disorders, SRED is much more common in women than in men. About 65 percent to 80 percent of people with SRED are women.
Episodes tend to begin before 30 years of age. SRED is often an ongoing and long-lasting problem.
It also can occur as a side effect of using some medications. Many people with SRED also have had another type of parasomnia.
SRED can cause embarrassment and a sense of shame. But the good news is that it can be treated.
SRED tends to respond well to treatment with medications. Contact an AASM-accredited sleep center for help with sleep related eating disorder.
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