Sleep eater needs HELP....

I don't have much advice (except padlock the kitchen at night) but I just wanted to offer some support. My mom used to do this....once she ate part of my birthday cake the day before my birthday party. I was young, so I was devastated and felt like she did it on purpose or something.

She was on different medications that I think made her do it. Have you talked to your doctor about this, perhaps a medication that you're on causes it, or perhaps there is a medication that you can take that will help. Good luck :flowerforyou:

This may be a silly question but- are you eating enough throughout the day? It might be your body overruling your brain lol

I take melatonin for sleep and it works quite well. You take it for a week, then take two days off and then back on again. It helps me stay asleep and sleep deeper. Not too groggy in the morning- nothing a cup of coffee won't fix.

no, i asked the doc about it but they said that sense it doesn't happen "often enough" they wouldn't recommend any :noway: i was told to just limit my caffine and sugar to zero about 2 hours before bed... i thought to my self "duhh you SOB... don't you think i tried that" ) i replied simply, it doesn't help. they scratched their chin and went "hmmm" with a cocked eye brow.... {sigh} no help... so they suggested a sleep clinic... (oh yeah...i'm made of money :mad:

so i was hoping for advise here lol do you take them...do they help?

rx sleep meds can CAUSE sleep eating, walking, driving etc.i think that's why someone asked if you were on any.

sleep doc, hypnotherapist, and lock boxing the foods may be helpful.

hth ::

I have to admit to never hearing of this....Although I am sleep walker/talker....That is I used to (?) get out of bed & have full blown conversations w/my mom late at night w/no recollection of it in the morning...So how do you know you do it?

asking just because i really don't know and not trying to be dumb

are you walking in your sleep and eating in your sleep...or are you awake because you cant sleep thus you go to the kitchen and mindlessly eat?

i do the same thing sometimes. at least once a week while I diet (I don't do it so much when I'm eating whatever I want throughout the day, I find). While I'm not sleeping, and fully conscious when I do it, I find my willpower is near zero that time of day. i'm half asleep, and SO hungry. I don't know if it's my hunger that wakes me or what. I often wake in the middle of the night as it is, so it may have nothing to do with my hunger, but when I do wake up, I just notice it, and it's overwhelming, so I run to the kitchen to get rid of it. I eat a snack before I go to bed too, so who knows what MY problems is!

good luck finding out a cure. I can imagine sleepwalk-eating can be so much worse because you really have no control over it.

i think this can qualify as an eating disorder, maybe you can talk to someone in a clinic. it sounds like a psychological thing that is bringing you to the kitchen, maybe you have an obsession with food because of your weight? im just suggesting, so please don't take offence to this. they have specialists that are really good for binge eating disorder.

These articles may or may not help you, but they will save you some money and possibly more problems.

How Are Sleep-Related Eating Disorders Treated?

Treatment of nocturnal eating behaviors begins with a clinical interview and may include an overnight stay in a sleep laboratory, where brain activity is monitored during the night. Medication sometimes can be helpful for these disorders; however, sleeping pills should be avoided as they can increase confusion and clumsiness that can lead to injury. Additional treatments may include methods to release stress and anxiety. Examples of these methods include stress management classes, assertiveness training, counseling, and limiting intake of alcohol and caffeine.

This is just part of the article, please read the rest at:

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/sleep-related-eating-disorders

Melatonin is what your body makes naturally and is safe to take, but from what I've read and have heard over the years sleep eating is not caused by the inability to sleep, and that's all melatonin will help you do........sleep. Melatonin will not keep you from walking in your sleep or eating in your sleep, and neither will any other sleep aid.

Here is another article:

http://www.sleepdex.org/a6.htm

The cause of the disorder remains a mystery, although recent studies have linked it to other medical problems including sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome as well as to certain medications, including sleeping pills. Some tests of physiological activity during sleep suggest the disorder might be primarily neurologic.

wow...i was gone a few hours and so many posts...thanks guys.. :happy:

actually i am asleep when i do it, to answer the question... i have no recollection of it the next day. :mad:

and unfortunately obstacles have no affect, i just go around them... that part of my brain is still working

and i feel the same way about the [you fill the blank] doctors

the best thing is that having things hidden does seem to work...so long as i am not the one hiding them..

but any ways.... i am definitely going to try some of the over the counter sleep aids when i go shopping next Thursday... thank you for all the suggestions

Be wary of over the counter sleep aids. For some people they work great and for others, like me, the side affects are worse than the insomnia. I took 1 after a week of insomnia & it was the worst night of sleep I've ever had-I fell asleep immediately, but woke up constantly (50+ times during the night) & my heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest. So I'll never take one again

However, I do work with children with Autism, many of whom suffer from sleep disturbance, & some of families have seen great results from "melatonin", which is something that is naturally occurring in the human body. If you decide to go that route you should be monitored by a doctor b/c there are rules fo when it's okay to take (never when there's daylight), increasing/decreasing dosages, and break periods so your body doesn't lose it's sensitivity to it, etc.