To control the desire to eat at dawn you should try to eat a regular daytime to avoid hunger at night, have fixed times to wake up and lie down for the body to have an adequate rhythm, and use techniques to avoid insomnia, such as take teas that help you sleep.
The person who usually has altered meal times, feeding mainly at night and dawn, may have Night Feeding Syndrome. This syndrome is also called the Night Eating Syndrome and is linked to increased chances of having problems like obesity and diabetes.
Tips to control the urge to eat at dawn
Some tips to control the urge to eat at dawn are:
- Make a small snack before bed, such as skimmed yogurt and 3-4 crackers without filling;
- Take teas that soothe and facilitate sleep, such as chamomile tea or lemon balm;
- Take light snacks like fruits and simple cookies to bed, to eat if you wake up at will;
- Do physical activity in the early evening, to leave the body tired and to facilitate sleep;
- Take passion fruit juice during dinner.
If you work at night, know what to eat at: Working at night increases weight.
Check out more tips in the following video:
How to know if it is the Night Feeding Syndrome
People with nocturnal eating syndrome have symptoms such as:
- Difficulty eating in the morning;
- Eat more than half the calories of the day after 7:00 p.m., with a higher intake between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
- Wake up at least once a night to eat;
- Difficulty sleeping and staying asleep;
- High level of stress;
- Depression.
People with this syndrome also usually eat more calories than healthy people, and so the risk of obesity is greater.
The diagnosis of nocturnal feeding syndrome is difficult to do because one must observe the behavior of the individual and there is no specific test for diagnosis. These individuals, when evaluated, often report that they can not go back to sleep without eating and are aware of what they eat.
There is still no specific treatment for nocturnal eating syndrome, but in general the individual should do behavioral psychotherapy to improve nighttime eating habits, and some medications can be used to improve insomnia and mood, depression.
See more information on improving insomnia:
- Ten tips for a good night's sleep
- How to Plan a Good Night's Sleep
- Know what to eat before bed
