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MyFitnessPal Community

SLEEP EATING

breelinda

I have to admit, idk what to do, I do ok on my diary! Then I get up in the middle of the night and I end up eating in my sleep its not conscious im asleep! I hsve no idea its happened until I wake up in the morning with flippin crumbs in my hair or couch!! I then go work outfor hours and it happens again! HELP!!! NO WONDER I HAVE PLATEUD

Replies

JenAndSome

Are you taking any kind of medication that is contributing to this?

senecarr

Definitely talk to your doctor about why this is happening.
In the meantime, perhaps look into a child lock or something similar for fridge and cabinets? That might make it it difficult enough that you can't get into things while not fully conscious.

breelinda

I do take meds a few for depression, and one For ADD. It started after my ADD meds were bumped up but I don't know which is worse sleep eating, or being so disorganized and a scatter brain? They both stink!!

rhyolite_

My husband does this often, so we just don't keep food in the house. Like, at all. We get the foods that we need daily. He or I will stop at the store on the way home to pick up what we need for dinner and next day lunch prep. We rarely keep snacks or bulk sizes of anything in the house. It works for us. As a type 1 diabetic, I'm prone to sleep eating if I get lows, so it's better for me to have glucose tabs at my bedside and no other foods to binge on anyway.

extra_medium

This happened to me too while temporarily on some medication. I'd wake up and wonder who ate half the frozen eggroll and left it on the counter for me to find in the morning. As others have said definitely talk to your Dr. and make some adjustments.

cmtigger

Ugh. I've been known to do that too. I just don't keep easy to eat stuff around if I find myself in a phase of sleep eating. But what works for me won't work for everyone.

generallyme2

Please see a dr about this, it's a real issue and one that needs attention for your health and safety.

unknown

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kshama2001

catscats222 wrote: »

i peeeked in your diary
you are NOT eating enough calories during the day

@breelinda - I saw four days in a row where you had around 1,000 calories or more leftover. I'd sleep eat too

Do up your calories and see your doctor about your meds. Maybe taking a different type or taking them at a different time or something will help.

breelinda

Yes, I know about my diary and I guess I wasn't entering the 12 oreos or whatever Iate in the middle of the night! Or the brownie I ate in the middle of the night so then i cut way back during the day. , I have kids and that is why I have that crap The Drs want me to do a sleep study, and I just haven't had time. I don't take sleep meds. I am sick of Dr.s!!

earlnabby

One of the meds I take for depression has caused something similar, except I am still conscious but have very little ability to say "no". Some times I have fallen asleep with a sandwich in hand and food in my mouth. I spoke to my doctor and she suggested a new med. So far, it has really helped and I haven't had any late night binges.

breelinda

I will talk to my Dr. About it, I am guessinghe will go through the risks and benefits and tell me the benefits of the depression medicine we will out way the risk of eating in the middle of the night. I have tried a few different meds and idk if he will be open to trying something else, I hsve been on this one for years, its the ADD med that has caused a problem with my sleep im thinking??

kshama2001

breelinda wrote: »

Yes, I know about my diary and I guess I wasn't entering the 12 oreos or whatever Iate in the middle of the night! Or the brownie I ate in the middle of the night so then i cut way back during the day. , I have kids and that is why I have that crap The Drs want me to do a sleep study, and I just haven't had time. I don't take sleep meds. I am sick of Dr.s!!

No, I'm not talking about not logging your sleep eating - I'm suggesting chronically undereating during the day could be leading to sleep eating. Try not making up for it the next day and just eating normally.

T1DCarnivoreRunner

breelinda wrote: »

Yes, I know about my diary and I guess I wasn't entering the 12 oreos or whatever Iate in the middle of the night! Or the brownie I ate in the middle of the night so then i cut way back during the day. , I have kids and that is why I have that crap The Drs want me to do a sleep study, and I just haven't had time. I don't take sleep meds. I am sick of Dr.s!!

I'm not sure that I understand... Is having kids a requirement to have oreos and brownies in the house? Would your kids survive without oreos and brownies? What did kids do prior to the invention of oreos? Did they just eat more brownies?

Of course all of that sounds silly - because it is. You don't need to have such calorie-dense, highly-processed, ready-to-eat foods just because you have kids.

As far as your final point: You need to see doctors unless you have just as much education as they have. I'll use myself as an example... I have type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes (yes, both - i.e. "double diabetes"), Hashimoto's, and a long list of other issues. Even though I have more training than most GP's on the most important issue (type 1 diabetes), I still see a dr. The difference is that I see a dr. that actually has more training than me (an endocrinologist). See... even someone like me who has an understanding of my condition well beyond most patients still takes advantage of the expertise of others. You should too unless / until you reach a level of expertise high enough to successfully manage your conditions by yourself.

breelinda

My son is under weight and is on " the spectrum" so no disrespect but he is picky about foods, and does get a reward if he eats his dinner. I was told by his pediatrician to do this. He also has behavior problems so kinda like your diabetes he is sick also, there is just STIGMA to my sons diagnosis. Because a simple blood test doesn't explain his issues. I had 4 separate opinions on my son and spent thousands of dollars on a neuropsychological exam. I am doing what works and is effective for my son, Oreos or COOKIES or sandwich meat, or bread it fruit doesn't matter, I will eat while I am asleep, I have bigger fish to fry right noe them to go have a sleep study done.
Thanks for your opinion.

breelinda

Thank you for your ideas!

pinkys008

I have had similar issues with my Ambien - sleep eating, sleep shopping, etc.

As for the sleep eating, can you keep some kind of reasonable snack in the house? I know about not really being able to think about it, I have trained myself to "rules" after 9pm. I don't buy anything online, I wait to buy tomorrow. No matter how awesome the idea looks at the time. I keep my cc in another room to slow myself down, and hopefully fall back asleep. The only reason this works for sleep shopping (and sometimes still fails), is because I know that I sleep shop, and the rule is ALWAYS wait till tomorrow.

Same thing with sleep snacking. I like to pick snacks based on a 100 cal serving. Roughly. So they won't hit me too hard if I eat them to excess. There is a fruit bowl on the counter with apples, oranges, bananas. A piece of this fruit is always ok as a snack. The little 100 cal yogurts - light/lo fat - are easy to keep in the fridge, and easy to grab in the night when I'm not thinking clearly. Granola bars - this one is iffy for me, because I find it easy to binge into the whole box. But the point is to keep several "acceptable" snacks in an easier to reach place than the oreos, so when you aren't thinking much, that becomes the default.

I hope this helps, I do understand that sleep-anything can be terrible to overcome.

pinkys008

-also - I agree with other people that say to make sure your needs are satisfied during the day. Don't punish yourself for the overnight behavior, how do you know how much of anything you ate anyways?

Not only make sure your nutritional needs are satisfied, but try to do it in such a way that you feel satisfied as well. Don't turn your eating into a constant feeling of deprivation. Find what you like that you can eat plenty of, and do so!

kshama2001

breelinda wrote: »

My son is under weight and is on " the spectrum" so no disrespect but he is picky about foods, and does get a reward if he eats his dinner. I was told by his pediatrician to do this. He also has behavior problems so kinda like your diabetes he is sick also, there is just STIGMA to my sons diagnosis. Because a simple blood test doesn't explain his issues. I had 4 separate opinions on my son and spent thousands of dollars on a neuropsychological exam. I am doing what works and is effective for my son, Oreos or COOKIES or sandwich meat, or bread it fruit doesn't matter, I will eat while I am asleep, I have bigger fish to fry right noe them to go have a sleep study done.
Thanks for your opinion.

Since you feel you must have Oreos, etc. in the house, how about locking them up at night so you can't sleep overeat them?

unknown

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JohnONE29

Yes, I have struggled with this. It began about 18 months ago when I was severely restricting calories and my weight dropped into the 120's. I then began eating at night in my sleep. I was about 50-50 aware or unconscious when doing this. It continued for several months as I began to fight an eating disorder. It would happen especially on days I restricted calories. Then it became a habit. I began to put many of the foods I would eat in a cabinet and purchased a small plastic chain and key lock. I would lock the cabinet and my wife would take the key. It still happens on occassions, and it usually involves carbs. It took some time, but it has gotten better. I dont use the chain and lock anymore. I do understand the shame and guilt involved and applaud you for seeking help.

JohnONE29

BTW, one thing that helped immensely was I budgetted my calories to save some for a snack before bed. I like to eat a small bowl of oatmeal with casein protein mixed in. I've also mixed some oatmeal in with greek yogurt. This helped me considerably.

DaddieCat

catscats222 wrote: »

i peeeked in your diary
you are NOT eating enough calories during the day

This used to happen to me when I was younger. The reason was because I was not eating enough for my activity level and my body was doing what it needed to in order to fuel itself. So agreed my doctor and therapist at the time.

breelinda

Ok guys tell me how much I should be eating then?? This PROBLEM IS DRIVING ME NUTS!!

MelodyandBarbells

breelinda wrote: »

Ok guys tell me how much I should be eating then?? This PROBLEM IS DRIVING ME NUTS!!

Unless you just adjusted it today, it looks like your goal is 1800 but you're severely under eating (during the day) compared to that. Try coming closer to your goal with intentional meals and snacks for at least a few days? You shouldn't be eating 1100 cals with a goal of 1800, and even on a day when you've exercised - it's too little

breelinda

I don't know what my goal should be? I want to loose 10-15 more lbs, and the scale will Not move!! I will eat more on the day.

thank you guys !

avatiach

In addition to eating your calories and talking to your doctor, make sure you are drinking enough water.

breelinda

I do not drink enough water!! I am forcing it down, I got in trouble by my Doc for being dehydrated on a kidney test, I have been doing bettet lately, it sometimes give me a stomach ache, yes water!! Ughhh