Sleep Eating Disorders - Diagnosis
Accurate history from patient's partner and Polysomnogram with video recording of the sleep episode can help in diagnosis of Sleep-Related Eating Disorder
Self Screening Questionnaire to suspect Nocturnal Sleep-Related Eating Disorder (NS-RED).
- Do you have a loss of appetite in the morning?
- Has your health declined from eating foods that are high in calories?
- Do your eating episodes interrupt your sleep causing insomnia?
- As a result, are you exhausted during the day?
- Have you been told by your partner or others that you eat strange forms or combinations of food or consume toxic or inedible substances?
- Have you unknowingly injured yourself in the kitchen at night?
If your answer is yes to these questions then you may be suffering from Nocturnal Sleep-Related Eating Disorder (NS-RED).
History: In the history the doctor will need to know when the eating binges began, how often they occur and how long they usually last. The doctor will also need to know the complete medical history, along with any past or present drug and medication use.
The doctor needs to be informed if the person has any other sleep disorder or if any of the family members suffer from sleep problems. It will also be helpful to fill out a sleep diary for two weeks. The sleep diary will help the doctor study the sleep architecture. This data gives the doctor clues about what is causing the problem and how to correct it.
Polysomnogram: If indicated the doctor may ask the person to undergo an overnight sleep study. This is called a Polysomnogram. The Polysomnogram charts the brain waves, heartbeat, and breathing as a person sleeps. It also records how the arms and legs move. The best sleep study will also record the entire sleep episode on video, replete with details of odd nocturnal behaviors. This study will help reveal if the eating binges are related to any other sleep disorder.
