NES was first described by Stunkard et al. Night eating syndrome (NES) is characterized by excessive eating just before going to bed or after waking up at night, which can result in difficulty in controlling body weight. Sleep duration and sleep-wake schedule characteristics in the two groups were opposite, suggesting differences in the sleep pathophysiology mechanisms. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that evening hyperphagia was significantly and independently associated with higher body mass index, shorter sleep duration, later sleep-wake schedule, and higher insomnia score, while nocturnal ingestion was significantly and independently associated with younger age, smoking habit, living alone, earlier sleep-wake schedule, and higher insomnia score. Participants with evening hyperphagia and nocturnal ingestion had significantly higher anxiety scores ( p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively) and depression ( p < 0.001 for both) than those without NES. Of the 8348 participants, 119 (1.5%) were categorized in the evening hyperphagia group, 208 (2.6%) in the nocturnal ingestion group, and 8024 in the non-NES group. Those who consumed food after sleep initiation at least twice a week were determined to have nocturnal ingestion.

Participants who consumed at least 25% of daily calories after dinner were defined as having evening hyperphagia.

This web-based cross-sectional survey aimed to elucidate the differences between the two core symptoms of night eating syndrome (NES): evening hyperphagia and nocturnal ingestion in the general Japanese population aged 16–79 years.

What is the opposite of nocturnal