Sleep Med Psychophysiol.  2011 Jun;18(1):5-9.

Sleep-Related Eating Disorder

• Park YM

Abstract

Sleep-related eating disorder (SRED) is a newly recognized parasomnia that describes a clinical condition of compulsive eating under an altered level of consciousness during sleep. Recently, it is increasingly recognized in clinical practice. The exact etiology of SRED is unclear, but it is assumed that SRED might share features of both sleepwalking and eating disorder. There have been also accumulating reports of SRED related to the administration of various psychotropic drugs, such as zolpidem, triazolam, olanzapine, and combinations of psychotropics. Especially, zolpidem in patients with underlying sleep disorders that cause frequent arousals, may cause or augment sleep related eating behavior. A thorough sleep history is essential to recognition and diagnosis of SRED. The timing, frequency, and description of food ingested during eating episodes should be elicited, and a history of concurrent psychiatric, medical, sleep disorders must also be sought and evaluated. Interestingly, dopaminergic agents as monotherapy were effective in some trials. Success with combinations of dopaminergic and opioid drugs, with the addition of sedatives, has also been reported in some case reports.

Keyword

Sleep related eating disorder; Zolpidem; Parasomnia; Sleepwalking; Eating disroder

MeSH Terms

Arousal
Benzodiazepines
Consciousness Disorders
Dopamine Agents
Eating
Feeding and Eating Disorders
Feeding Behavior
Humans
Hypnotics and Sedatives
Parasomnias
Psychotropic Drugs
Pyridines
Sleep Wake Disorders
Somnambulism
Triazolam
Benzodiazepines
Dopamine Agents
Hypnotics and Sedatives
Psychotropic Drugs
Pyridines
Triazolam