Fighting the Night Eating Syndrome

Relaxation techniques may help adults with night eating syndrome, according to the results of a recent study at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (Int J Obesity 2003;27:970).

The night eating syndrome, first described by Dr. Albert Stunkard and his colleagues, is characterized by three main criteria: (1) having no appetite for breakfast, (2) eating 50% or more of one’s daily food intake after 6 pm, and (3) having trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep. It affects about 1.5% of the general U.S. population, but about 9% of those in weight loss programs.

Since stress has been linked to night eating, Dr. L. A. Pawlow and co-workers used a stress reduction intervention (Abbreviated Progressive Muscle Relaxation Therapy, or APMR) among a group of 20 adults randomly assigned to relaxation training or to a control group, where the group sat quietly for the same amount of time. Both groups met daily for one week. Anxiety, stress, relaxation, and salivary cortisol levels were measured on days 1 and 8. The participants also filled out food diaries and rated their hunger.

Muscle relaxation techniques helped

Twenty minutes of muscle relaxation once a day significantly reduced the stress, anxiety, and level of cortisol secretion immediately after the relaxation period. After the subjects practiced the stress reducing techniques for a week, they had lower levels of stress, anxiety, anger, and depression. Their hunger ratings also showed that they became hungrier in the morning and less hungry in the evenings. There also was a trend toward eating more food at breakfast and less at night.