Night binges, has it happened to you?

When we talk about night binges we are referring to irrepressible urge to eat and not just by biting something. It is born from an emotional state that implies suffering, whether it be anxiety, a feeling of emptiness, sadness or all at once. In the same way that these episodes start from a mental state of suffering, when they end emotions such as shame or guilt can appear.

Psychological aspect and causes

• For balancing a misaligned image of yourself: when this symptom occurs within a picture of with or without anorexia, that is, within the framework of a eating disorder Along with a series of other symptoms typical of the picture, it can respond to a mismatch in the representation of oneself. In this case, one would see oneself outside the canons of acceptable physical beauty and that would be tried to control through the feeding control.
• For control distress: in certain cases these episodes can be forms of regulate some kind of distress which, otherwise, becomes unmanageable. It can be an anguish related to the own representation of oneself, or the result of some disorder of the attachment bond.
• Product of a conflict: it has been seen that people who have lived traumatic conflicts how sexual abuse can develop symptoms of the eating disorders, like visits to the fridge at night. Their function would be to defend themselves against the possibility of being abused again by developing a body that is no longer desirable for the abuser.
•  Imbalances in attachment bonds: binges on food may appear at night, especially in adolescents, due to a change in the relationship with important people: a separation, a move, a loss, etc. This fact has been seen to be more frequent in people with a dependent personality.

Night binges and anxiety: how to stop them?

When nighttime binges occur outside of a psychopathological picture, they are usually related to anxiety states who seek to be soothed through ingestion. We know that eating also helps to regulate emotions through endorphin secretion and the recovery of the mechanical energy of the body. The problem comes when you resort to ingesting after hours and in a reactive way (I wake up restless, anxious, with an uncomfortable emotional state and I resort to eating whatever it takes to modulate that internal state). So we are using an inappropriate resource (since it can have consequences for health) that comes to supplement our own ability to modulate these internal states. Since nighttime binges are an artificial modulator of anxiety, we must be able to replace them with natural and healthy modulators. Those who clearly see that they cannot resolve this issue on their own and may need help.

Sleep habits and hygiene

• Go to sleep at same hour every day.
• Establish a routine before going to sleep (a bath, a reading time, etc.) It should be a relaxing activity.
• Avoid the intake of stimulants (tea, coffee, tobacco…) in the last four or five hours before going to bed.
• Finish dinner at least an hour and a half before going to bed.
• Go to the bathroom before bed.
• Play sports regularly (not close to bedtime)

Balance our emotions

• Grow a social life healthy (find time in good company, with people with whom we tune in)
• Have fun is one of the best emotional regulators that exist, whether it is watching a funny movie, going to the theater or telling jokes with friends, it is important to cultivate spaces of fun in our lives
• Sport, and if you also enjoy it better, it should not be experienced as a tedious obligation, but as something you connect with. If you find it difficult to do it on your own, look for a group sport.
• Time for him self care. It is important to seek wellness spaces by doing activities that interest you, that contribute and make you connect with a feeling of personal fulfillment or simply that make you feel good.
• Affection and love, closely linked to the first point, without a doubt the most therapeutic element in life. Give affection, take care of those around you, help those who need it, there are few more therapeutic things you have to help others and promote a good environment with kindness and warmth.

Diagnosis

Binge eating at night may be typical of an eating disorder, or it may be behavior typical of someone with a personality disorder. In this case it is important to do a accurate diagnosis to be able to administer an adequate treatment and to stop the binge eating.

Psychotherapist

Nighttime binges can have causes that are not always easy to understand, and for this reason it is important with experience that you can tackle this problem with knowledge of the facts. It is also essential that a true trust relationship and a feeling of being truly understood and contained in their most painful and overflowing emotions, since the psychotherapeutic relationship is a healing factor beyond the theoretical school to which said therapist is assigned.

• You have to differentiate the be hungry one night and have a bite to eat, with the irrepressible impulse resulting from an emotional state of suffering from the nocturnal binge.
• In this case, it can respond to causes ranging from a eating disorder one personality.
• It is essential to put yourself in the hands of a psychotherapist make an accurate diagnosis and determine the most appropriate treatment.

Enric Artés Clinical Psychology Specialist