What Is Night Eating Syndrome?

Night eating syndrome (NES) is a circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of sleep disruption with late evening hyperphagia (an increase in consumption of at least 25% of daily calories after the evening meal) or early morning hyperphagia (awakening from sleep to eat), resulting in significant distress or impairment in psychosocial functioning (e.g., social exclusion, work difficulties, weight gain). These disturbances occur in the presence of an identifiable circadian misalignment and do not meet criteria for any other mental disorder that would better account for the predominant evening/nighttime consumption