Why Do I Overeat Only At Night? I’ve been stuck in a strange eating pattern: I’m never hungry during the day, but I’m ravenous at night. I just can’t stop eating, even waking up in the wee hours to head into the kitchen to scrounge for snacks. As a result, I’ve gained almost 45 pounds—which adds even more stress to my already hectic life. What could be going on?
All signs point to night-eating syndrome (NES), in which people consume more than half of their daily food intake after 6 P.M. Its main culprit is stress, and considering women’s busy lifestyles, it’s no surprise that NES is on the rise in women. The antidote: 30 minutes of moderate walking, which has proven to return eating patterns to normal by lowering the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine. No time for exercise? Eat two daytime meals that incorporate foods rich in B complex vitamins. These nutrients double the brain’s production of stress-reducing serotonin.
