Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Night eating and nocturnal eating—two different or similar syndromes among obese patients?

International Journal of Obesity volume 25, pages 365–372 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The main aim of this study was to identify subjects with (1) night eating syndrome (defined as morning anorexia, evening hyperphagia and insomnia) and (2) nocturnal eating syndrome (defined as eating at night after having gone to bed). In the literature the differences and similarities between these two syndromes are not clear.

SUBJECTS: One-hundred and ninety-four obese patients from an academic, clinical obesity unit. Mean BMI (±s.d.) was 40±5 kg/m2, age 44±12 y and 76% were women.

MEASUREMENTS: Questionnaires with multiple choices and open questions along with the Binge Eating Scale.

RESULTS: Fourteen percent of the patients met the criteria for night eating and/or nocturnal eating syndrome. Night eating syndrome was manifest in 6% of the patients and nocturnal eating syndrome in 10%. Both the night eaters and the nocturnal eaters had more trouble getting to sleep than the patients without night/nocturnal eating problems (P<0.001 and P<0.01). The nocturnal eaters also had more trouble staying asleep (P<0.001). Morning anorexia was not typically found in nocturnal eaters. Being on long-term sick leave was more common among the nocturnal eaters (P<0.01).

CONCLUSION: Fourteen percent of the patients at our obesity unit met the criteria for night eating and/or nocturnal eating syndrome. There are clear similarities between night eating syndrome and nocturnal eating syndrome, but also differences.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2

References

  1. Stunkard AJ, Grace WJ, Wolff HG . The night-eating syndrome Am J Med 1955 19: 78–86.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Stunkard A, Berkowitz R, Wadden T, Tanrikut C, Reiss E, Young L . Binge eating disorder and the night-eating syndrome Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1996 20: 1–6.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Adami GF, Meneghelli A, Scopinaro N . Night eating and binge eating disorder in obese patients Int J Eating Disord 1999 25: 335–338.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Kuldau JM, Rand CSW . The night eating syndrome and bulimia in the morbidly obese Int J Eating Disord 1986 5: 143–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Rand CSW, Macgregor AMC, Stunkard AJ . The night eating syndrome in the general population and among postoperative obesity surgery patients Int J Eating Disord 1997 22: 65–69.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Rand CSW, Kuldau JM . Eating patterns in normal weight individuals: bulimia, restrained eating, and the night eating syndrome Int J Eating Disord 1986 5: 75–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Coates TJ . Successive self-management strategies towards coping with night eating J Behav Ther & Exp Psychiat 1978 9: 181–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Birketvedt GS, Florholmen J, Sundsfjord J, Osterud B, Dinges D, Bilker W, Stunkard A . Behavioral and neuroendocrine characteristics of the night eating syndrome JAMA 1999 282: 657–663.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Thorpy MJ (ed) . The international classification of sleep disorders: diagnostic and coding manual American Sleep Disorders Association, Diagnostic Classification Steering Committee Allen Press: Lawrence, KS 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Greeno CG, Wing RR, Marcus MD . Nocturnal eating in binge eating disorder and matched-weight controls Int J Eating Disord 1995 18: 343–349.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Manni R, Ratti MT, Tartara A . Nocturnal eating: prevalence and features in 120 insomniac referrals Sleep 1997 20: 734–738.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Spaggiari MC, Granella F, Parrino L, Marchesi C, Melli I, Terzano MG . Nocturnal eating syndrome in adults Sleep 1994 17: 339–344.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Schenck CH, Hurwitz TD, Bundlie SR, Mahowald MW . Sleep-related eating disorders: polysomnographic correlates of a heterogeneous syndrome distinct from daytime eating disorders Sleep 1991 14: 419–431.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Schenck CH, Mahowald MW . Review of nocturnal sleep-related eating disorders Int J Eating Disord 1994 15: 343–356.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Lennernäs M, Hambraeus L, Åkerstedt T . Shift related dietary intake in day and shift workers Appetite 1995 25: 253–265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Gormally J, Black S, Daston S, Rardin D . The assessment of binge eating severity among obese persons Addict Behav 1982 7: 47–55.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Adami GF, Meneghelli A, Scopinaro N . Night eating syndrome in individuals with mediterranean eating-style Eating Weight Disord 1997 2: 203–206.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Björk CC, Rössner S . ‘Extravagances’ during weight reduction, an analysis of food preference and selection Appetite 1998 31: 93–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Becker W, Enghardt H, Robertson A-K (eds) . Kostundersökningar i Sverige 1950–1990 National Food Administration Wikströms Tryckeri AB: Uppsala 1994 pp 31–37.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Andersson I, Rössner S . Meal patterns in obese and normal weight men: the ‘Gustaf’ study Eur J Clin Nutr 1996 50: 639–646.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Forslund HB, Lissner L, Lindroos AK, Sjöström L . Meal patterns in obese women and in women from a population based study. (Abstract.) Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1998 22 (Suppl 3): P125.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants from Resource Center for Eating Disorders.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Obesity Unit,

    C Cerú-Björk, I Andersson & S Rössner

  2. Huddinge University Hospital, Huddinge, S-141 86, Sweden

    C Cerú-Björk, I Andersson & S Rössner

Authors
  1. C Cerú-Björk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. I Andersson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S Rössner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to C Cerú-Björk.

Eating and Sleeping habit Questionnaire

Eating and Sleeping habit Questionnaire

Table 4 Eating and Sleeping habit Questionnaire
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cerú-Björk, C., Andersson, I. & Rössner, S. Night eating and nocturnal eating—two different or similar syndromes among obese patients?. Int J Obes 25, 365–372 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801552

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801552

Keywords

  • food selection
  • night eating
  • nocturnal eating
  • obesity
  • sleeping problem

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links