Night hunger syndrome is an eating disorder characterized by the ingestion of 50% of daily food consumption at night, after 7 pm. Usually, people who have this syndrome do not feel the need to eat during the day, which makes them eat in small amounts.
Despite the hunger that manifests itself voraciously at night, the syndrome still presents some symptoms such as insomnia, fatigue, drowsiness throughout the day, morning anorexia, irritation, headaches, anxiety, malaise, emotional loss and deconcentration.
As the body works more slowly at night, the hidden hunger syndrome causes weight gain in a short period of time and still causes secondary problems related to weight gain such as: hypertension, diabetes and cholesterol. It also causes insomnia, which also induces the body to react, causing problems such as those mentioned above.
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Some specialists and scholars of this problem believe that there must be a relationship between the syndrome and the person's stress level, in addition to emotional problems. However, it is important to seek medical assistance as soon as the change in times when the body releases the feeling of hunger and not only when weight gain is already in stage considerable. Usually, the onset of the syndrome occurs in individuals of both sexes aged between 20 and 30 years. Despite this, women seek more medical advice than men.
By Gabriela Cabral
Brazil School Team
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
DANTAS, Gabriela Cabral da Silva. "Nighttime hunger syndrome"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/saude/sindrome-fome-noturna.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.