Definition Of Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome
Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) is a fairly common disorder of sleep timing. People with DSPS tend to go to sleep very late and have difficulty waking up in time for normal work, school, etc..
Characteristics Of People With Noctural Sleep-Related Eating Disorder
Many are severely stressed, anxious individuals who are dismayed and angry at themselves for their nocturnal loss of control. Many diet during the day which may leave them hungry and vulnerable to binge eating at night when their control is weakened by sleep. People with NS-RED sometimes have histories of alcoholism, drug abuse, and other sleep disorders like sleep walking, restless legs, and sleep apnea. Their sleep is fragmented, and they are often tired when they wake.
* Source: Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders (ANRED)
Definition Of Nocturnal Sleep-Related Eating Disorder (NS-RED)
Nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder (NS-RED) is not, strictly speaking, an eating disorder. It is thought to be a type of sleep disorder in which people eat while seeming to be sound asleep. They may eat in bed or roam through the house and prowl the kitchen. These people are not conscious during episodes of NS-RED. They are not aware they are eating. They have fragmentary or no memories of having done so when then wake. Episodes probably occur in a state somewhere between wakefulness and sleep.
* Source: Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders (ANRED)
Kleine-Levin Syndrome
Kleine-Levin Syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by the need for excessive amounts of sleep (hypersomnolence - i.e., up to 20 hours a day); excessive food intake (compulsive hyperphagia); and an abnormally uninhibited sexual drive. The disorder primarily affects adolescent males. The cause of the problem is still a mystery, though it appears to have something to do with the lower brain, the hypothalamus.
* Source: National Organization of Rare Diseases (NORD)
Foods Eaten With NS-RED
Food consumed during NS-RED episodes tends to be high-fat, high-sugar comfort food that people restrain themselves from eating while awake. Sometimes these folks eat bizarre combinations of food (hotdogs dipped in peanut butter, raw bacon smeared with mayonaise, etc.) or non-food items like soap they have sliced like they would slice cheese, cigarette butts, etc..
* Source: Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders (ANRED)
Idiopathic Hypersomnia
Idiopathic hypersomnia (or hypersomnolence) is a diagnosis applied to people who are excessively sleepy--but not because there is anything apparently wrong with their sleep, and not because of narcolepsy or any other identifiable cause. It is basically a diagnosis of exclusion: one that is made by excluding all other possible diagnoses.
* Source: The Sleep Site
Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome . . . Disorder?
DSPS doesn?t bother everyone who has it. Some people are happy and healthy with a late sleeping schedule, and have found ways to adjust their lifestyle to it. For this reason, many researchers consider DSPS to be a "disorder" only when it interferes with the individual?s work or social functioning.
Treatment Of Nocturnal Sleep-Related Eating Disorder
It begins with a clinical interview and a night or two at a sleep-disorders center where brain activity is monitored. Sometimes medication is helpful, but sleeping pills should be avoided. They can make matters worse by increasing confusion and clumsiness that can lead to injury. Regular use of sleeping pills can also lead to dependency and rebound wakefulness on withdrawal. Also helpful are interventions that reduce stress and anxiety; for example, stress management classes, assertiveness training, counseling, and reducing intake of alcohol, street drugs, and caffeine.
* Source: Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders (ANRED)