Low Melatonin And High Cortisol Levels Can Lead To Night Eating

Night eating is a syndrome which is a manifestation of disorders of sleep, mood and eating habits. Night eaters cannot control their appetites once dinner starts. Raiding the refrigerator regularly during the night before bedtime or even after going to bed is one favorite activity thereby suffering from insomnia and mood swings.

All of these symptoms come out at night. But when a night eater awakens in the morning he may have little or no appetite. This feeling of satiety will remain until he will feel hunger pangs in the afternoon where he will now partake of his first meal of the day.

The syndrome which is composed of a pattern of denial of food during the day and bingeing at night will eventually lead to weight gain and obesity.

Studies have shown that night eaters have inadequate levels of the hormone Melatonin, which has a role in the biorhythm, and abnormally high levels of Cortisol, a hormone that influences the mood of a person and which are found unusually high in persons with mood disorders. The low Melatonin levels can create havoc in the sleeping patterns of a person. A high Cortisol level stimulates the appetite thereby predisposing obesity, Type II diabetes, high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure.