Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013:6:1-8.
doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S31929. Epub 2013 Mar 28.

Behavioral management of night eating disorders

Laura A Berner  1 , Kelly C Allison
Affiliations

Behavioral management of night eating disorders

Laura A Berner et al. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2013.

Abstract

Night eating syndrome (NES) is a form of disordered eating associated with evening hyperphagia (overeating at night) and nocturnal ingestions (waking at night to eat). As with other forms of disordered eating, cognitive and behavioral treatment modalities may be effective in reducing NES symptoms. This review presents evidence for a variety of behavioral treatment approaches, including behavioral therapy, phototherapy, behavioral weight loss treatment, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. A more detailed overview of cognitive-behavioral therapy for NES is provided. All of these studies have been case studies or included small samples, and all but one have been uncontrolled, but the outcomes of many of these approaches are promising. Larger randomized controlled trials are warranted to advance NES treatment literature. With the inclusion of NES in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as a "Feeding or Eating Disorder Not Elsewhere Classified," more sophisticated, empirically-supported, behaviorally-based treatment approaches are much needed.

Keywords: behavior therapy; behavioral weight loss; cognitive-behavioral treatment; night eating syndrome; phototherapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Change in proportion of calories consumed after the evening meal between normal-weight (n = 8) and overweight/obese participants (n = 17). The proportion of calories decreased over time in both groups (F[10, 139] = 5.23, P < 0.0001) and the levels of caloric intake differed between the weight groups (F[1, 23] = 6.16, P = 0.02). (B) Nocturnal ingestions per week decreased significantly and at similar rates for both weight groups (F[9, 123] = 8.23, P < 0.0001). Used with permission of the Association for the Advancement of Psychotherapy. Allison KC, Lundgren JD, Moore RH, O’Reardon JP, Stunkard AJ. Cognitive behavior therapy for night eating syndrome: a pilot study. Am J Psychother. 2010;64(1):91–106.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Stunkard AJ, Grace WJ, Wolff HG. The night-eating syndrome: a pattern of food intake among certain obese patients. Am J Med. 1955;19(1):78–86. - PubMed
    1. Striegel-Moore RH, Franko DL, Garcia J. The validity and clinical utility of night eating syndrome. Int J Eat Disord. 2009;42(8):720–738. - PubMed
    1. Striegel-Moore RH, Franko DL, May A, Ach E, Thompson D, Hook JM. Should night eating syndrome be included in the DSM? Int J Eat Disord. 2006;39(7):544–549. - PubMed
    1. DSM-5 development [webpage on the Internet] Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association; 2012Available from: http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevision/Pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=26Accessed February 7, 2013
    1. Allison KC, Lundgren JD, O’Reardon JP, et al. Proposed diagnostic criteria for night eating syndrome. Int J Eat Disord. 2010;43(3):241–247. - PMC - PubMed