Night eating

[ratfancy]

Just curious if during night hours of not sleeping, do you find yourself eating just because you feel crazed? Doesn't matter what - anything to chew on might be distracting for me. I have once been described as "food-centric" or having a strong relationship with food, so maybe it's just me. I don't always overeat, but the added calories keep me from losing a little weight (always my goal).

[Mum27]

Hi. Your not on your own I also eat when walking about in the middle of the night. Comfort eating or out of frustration or both. I too am putting weight on that I don't need

[Merny5]

Ratfancy, Are you taking a dopamine agonists?

[Hidden in reply to Merny5]

No it has been tramadol and of this week I switched to methadone.

[Merny5]

oh ok, good. I had an Impulse Control Disorder while on a high DA dose. The night time eating was insane!!! Your night time eating might be soothing, distracting or just plain boredom. Good luck with the methadone. Perhaps you will sleep better and you won’t be up at night pacing the floor with a snack in your hand.

[silkyreg]

Me too. Gained lot of weight. Had to eat to soothe my RLS.

[TobyTobias1 in reply to silkyreg]

Me too. I’m ok during the day as always pottering around so that RLS doesn’t kick in. After about 5.00 pm when I would like to relax my legs start . Every single day , not had a day free of it for years. So I start eating to distract from legs, but once started I cannot stop, and over last few years I have put on 4 stone and it’s still going on. I am trying to wean off Ropinerole and have absolutely no control over my eating. If I have an anything in cupboards I have to eat it. I believe it is due to my medication. When I was on my highest dose of 4 -4.5 mg of DA I was in a different world in my head and would find my kitchen looking like a war zone in the morning. One night I almost had a fire in kitchen as the smoke alarms jolted me awake and there was black smoke everywhere, apparently I had been making pan cakes .. and eating them and had left a pan with oil in on the hob which was still on and gone back to bed!! So it’s dangerous as well as unhealthy ! Sorry for ramble . Good luck lovely people .

[SueJohnson in reply to TobyTobias1]

Yes DAs can cause compulsions like eating.

[Hidden]

Good evening ratfancy. Was about to try to call it a night, but happened upon your comment. While I was experiencing what I believe to have been DAWS due to abrupt discontinuance of pramipexole, I had no appetite whatever. I forced myself to eat once a day simply because I felt that I was supposed to. Yet oddly, having now gotten well passed DAWS (about 9 months since I last took pramipexole) I routinely find myself thinking of food as I lie awake in bed. More particularly, with much anticipation, I contemplate breakfast (usually a sumptuous repast). Unfortunately, by the time I actually arise from bed, I often am too weary to realize my dreams. But I still do relish my first meals, however, simple.

Be well.

[Jukebox55]

Hello fellow eater! I didn’t sleep well for 30 years before DAs… and yes, every night I was a fridge raider, ate anything going…. But have been able to resist the nightly fridge trips since being on the DAs…. Now I am going. To get off them, I will probably be a midnight tripper again!

[Moonwalker1967]

I always did that, too. Even when I had RLS as a little girl. After eating I can usually sleep for a short while. I sometimes drink Ovaltine or Horlicks.

[Eryl]

What you are eating could be responsible for the RLS and the sleeplesness.

[Munroist]

I find it hard to resist a little snack when I get up at night, although when I’m away from home at a hotel or someone else’s house, I don’t have the option and I seem able to get back to sleep without too much trouble. I suspect the pleasure, both anticipated and real, of eating gives you a little dopamine rush, which probably helps getting back to sleep. It’s then very easy for that to become a hook and a habit. I find if I’m not careful I can develop these habits at other times, for example, a nice glass of wine while I’m cooking, or having to eat something when I have a coffee. You could try a little delayed gratification to get your dopamine going and see if you can cut down the amount you eat so you still get the pleasure. On a different note, most studies about eating and gut biome say that it’s a good idea to have a decent period of fasting in a 24 hour cycle e.g 10 hours and your sleep is one time that most people get that absence of food so snacking probably won’t be helping your gut biome.

[Simkin]

Yes at night I get up, make a cup of herbal tea and walk around reading my kindle and eating a banana.Somehow I find a banana soothing.If my legs are very bad I find a bowl of cereal helps.

[oldfidgetlegs]

Oh yes, I call it 'itchy teeth' but not for anything healthy, I'll devour a family bag of crisps then want something sweet, then back to savoury. I've made pancakes in the night, cheese, chocolate, toast .... the list is endless. It's calmed down a lot recently since I've been trying the 'iron therapy' method even though it plays havoc with my guts. Yes, weight is a real problem but you're definitely not alone ... if that helps.

[borrowedlight]

Although current advice for a good night's sleep is not to eat dinner too late in the evening and not to snack before bed, I often find it helps. If I have been in bed for a few hours and taken medication that has taken effect but I still can't tip into sleep, a snack often works. I avoid having any sugar but a small cup of warm milk and a piece of wholemeal bread toast and butter often works for me. I do eat quite a healthy diet generally and if I have had a nocturnal snack, which often happens, it seems to have a knock on effect on my breakfast appetite and I'll eat less in the morning. My RLS and comfort eating is definitely worse if I have sugar. I have pretty much cut sugar from my diet and I find it really does help and obviously helps with weight control too. I can't lie, it would be nice to loose a few pounds but not at the cost of increasing my RLS.

[SueJohnson in reply to borrowedlight]

what medication do you take and does it control your RLS?

[borrowedlight in reply to SueJohnson]

Sorry it has taken me 2 months to reply! I have had RLS since I was in my teens, I'm 68 now. When I was younger, massage and going to bed generally stopped it (except during pregnancy when I had a very difficult time sleeping with constant RLS). When I hit my 60's it started troubling me more and I started taking Solpedeine (co-codamol) to calm my legs. I wasn't too happy about self medicating but my GP said that the co-codamol would be less harmful than the alternative which would be drugs for Parkinsons. (That was a few years ago). My GP has now retired and I went back to my new GP at the end of the 2022. She was advised to prescribe Pregabalin but said she thought the Codeine was probably what was helping in the Solpedeine and not the Paracetamol so I said I would prefer to try that. I now take two 15mg Codeine Phosphate tablets at night. My restless leg generally doesn't start until an hour after falling asleep. That's when I take the tablets. Sometimes if I feel it coming on before I sleep (or if I have been on my feet all day and am overtired) I take it just before I get into bed. It generally works quite well. It doesn't make the RLS go away but it makes it manageable. I will still wake up but a walk around, a cup of tea, maybe toast and then I can usually settle for the rest of the night. I know it could be a lot worse. Also now I'm retired and don't have to get up for work in the morning I don't have the added pressure of having to wake to an alarm, although I do try and keep to regular sleeping hours because going to bed late definitely makes my RLS worse. Sorry for the long long delay in my reply. I hope better late than never!

[SueJohnson in reply to borrowedlight]

First off you should have your ferritin checked. When you see your doctor ask for a full iron panel. Stop taking any iron supplements 48 hours before the test and fast after midnight. Have your test in the morning. When you get the results, ask for your ferritin and transferrin saturation (TSAT) numbers. You want your ferritin to be over 100 as improving it to that helps 60% of people with RLS and in some cases completely eliminates their RLS and you want your transferrin saturation to be between 20 and 45. If your ferritin is less than 100 or your transferrin saturation is not between 20 and 45 post back here and we can give you some advice. Your doctor was wise to suggest pregabalin. Pregabalin is now the first line treatment for RLS and is very effective. Since the codeine is helping so much you will probably not need too much of it. Beginning dose is usually 75 mg pregabalin. It will take 3 weeks before it is fully effective. After that increase it by 25 mg every couple of days until you find the dose that works for you. Take it 1 to 2 hours before bedtime. Most of the side effects will disappear after a few weeks and the few that don't will usually lessen. Those that remain are usually worth it for the elimination of the RLS symptoms. According to the Mayo Clinic Updated Algorithm on RLS: "Most RLS patients 200 to 300 mg daily" but you probably won't need that much. If you take magnesium don't take it within 3 hours of taking gabapentin or pregabalin as it will interfere with the absorption of them. Check out the Mayo Clinic Updated Algorithm on RLS which will tell you everything you want to know including about its treatment Https://mayoclinicproceedings.org/a...

Meanwhile some things that can make RLS symptoms worse for some people are alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, sugar, carbs, foods high in sodium, foods that cause inflammation, ice cream, estrogen as you found out when you were pregnant, dehydration, MSG, collagen supplements, electrolyte imbalance, melatonin, stress and vigorous exercise. Some things that help some people include caffeine, moderate exercise, weighted blankets, compression socks, elastic bandages, masturbation, magnesium glycinate, low oxalate diet, selenium, 5 minute shower alternating 20 seconds cold water with 10 seconds hot water finishing with hot water for another couple of minutes, hot baths, distractions, applying a topical magnesium lotion or spray, doing a magnesium salts soak, vitamins B1, B3, B6, B12, D3, K2, if deficient, and potassium and copper if deficient, massage including using a massage gun, using a standing desk, listening to music, meditation and yoga.

[borrowedlight in reply to SueJohnson]

Thank you for your swift reply and all the useful information. My iron levels have been tested and the ferritin was well over 100. If necessary I will accept the Pregabalin but for the moment I feel I'm coping and would prefer to take less medication. Many thanks.

[Truthsword]

Actually, low blood sugsr truggers RLS for me. Acup of coffee and a peanut butter hors d'oeuvre often syops thr crazy legs

[help3]

i have same cravings at night. no matter haw much i eat before bed i will crave food

i noticed this happens when i do not take my ropinorole early . if i take 1 of my .25 ropinorole 2 hrs before bed and take 2 more .25- 45 minutes before bed i beat night cravings

[Arkangel]

Wow, I thought it was just me! I hardly ever sleep at night. I have ME/CFS and I find lying down painful. I haven't been to bed in over a year and I snack through the night. It's definitely a compulsion. I have difficulty swallowing, so a lot of the time, it's ice cream. I have put on lots of weight. I have recently started gabapentin 300mg 3 times a day. It makes me feel hungry all the time.

[SueJohnson in reply to Arkangel]

Does the gabapentin control your RLS?

[Arkangel in reply to SueJohnson]

No, it doesn't. I previously had Buprenorphine patch that worked well. Unfortunately, after several years, it became apparent that as a side effect it caused my teeth to demineralise and I had to have 4 extractions. It seems nothing is perfect.

[SueJohnson in reply to Arkangel]

Unfortunately that can be a side effect of Buprenorphine. 4 tooth extractions - that is such a shame. How much gabapentin are you taking?

[Arkangel in reply to SueJohnson]

300mg x 3 daily. The effects don't last long enough, leaving me in pain.

[SueJohnson in reply to Arkangel]

Do you need it during the day - ie would you have symptoms during the day if you didn't take it? If not, then there is no need to take it then. 300 mg at night is a very low dose so it is not surprising it doesn't work then. increase it by 100 mg every couple of days until you find the dose that works for you. Take it 1-2 hours before bedtime. If you need more than 600 mg take the extra 4 hours before bedtime as it is not as well absorbed above 600 mg. If you need more than 1200 mg, take the extra 6 hours before bedtime. According to the Mayo Clinic Updated Algorithm on RLS: "Most RLS patients require 1200 to 1800 mg of gabapentin daily." If you take magnesium take it at least 3 hours before taking gabapentin as it will interfere with the absorption of the gabapentin. Check out the Mayo Clinic Updated Algorithm on RLS which will tell you everything you want to know including about its treatment at Https://mayoclinicproceedings.org/a...

[SueJohnson in reply to Arkangel]

Also, have you had your ferritin checked? Improving your ferritin to 100 or more helps 60% of people with RLS and in some cases completely eliminates their symptoms. When you see your doctor ask for a full iron panel. Stop taking any iron supplements 48 hours before the test, fast after midnight and have your test in the morning. When you get the results, ask for your ferritin and transferrin saturation (TSAT) numbers. You want your transferrin saturation to be over 20% but less than 45% and your ferritin to be at least 100. If they are not , post them here and we can give you advice.

[Hidden in reply to Arkangel]

It seems from what I am reading that several medications have the side effect of making one hungry. Darn!

[K2D2]

YES! Trying hard to stay out of the pantry at night, or at least cut back.

[fishinphil1946]

Yes! Comfort food for the depression and boredom of not sleeping. Novelist Mark Twain remarked about quitting smoking ' I know how to quit; I've done it a thousand times!" My version substitutes losing weight for smoking. At age 76- and 40-pounds overweight, I will keep up the fight. Afterall today is Monday. I am off 2mg/day of pramipexole but need to stay on gabapentin. Still searching for a metabolism boost from exercise and a bottle of will power.

[Aujamw]

I have to say an overwhelming Yes! Especially the night I was up half of thr night with pain from pramipexole augmentation withdrawal! hopefully you're not taking this med! Bad news!

[Aujamw]

a distraction only for a second until the pain comes back?!

[Truthsword]

I dont know about actually chewing helps...but if im having a mild attsck of rls, just a cup of coffee with cream and sugar helps it stop completely.

[restlessstoz]

Tiredness actually triggers the body to start eating. It's all to do with hormones. Here's an excerpt from the web... 'New studies have shown that lack of sleep influences at least two hormones that affect hunger. Fat cells secrete leptin, a hormone that signals your brain to stop eating. The stomach secretes the hormone ghrelin reminding you that you need to eat. Research has shown that sleep deprivation leads to suppression of leptin and increased levels of ghrelin – resulting in a whole lot of overeating. There are plenty of other hormones affected by your sleep cycle (including insulin, growth hormone, cortisol, melatonin) and we’re just beginning to understand the vast array of interactions among these body chemicals that can affect how we eat when we’re barely functioning on minimal sleep.' blogs.webmd.com/from-our-ar...

There are other articles relating to this so have a look and you'll see that it's something that is related to tiredness and that's something that RLS sufferers are only too familiar with! No wonder so many of us overeat at night! Add to that any compulsive overeating due to DAs and we're sunk! Information is power though so perhaps knowing these things can help in finding ways to overcome them. (Maybe sleeping!!!!!!!! Ha Ha)