Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions characterised by abnormal patterns of eating. These abnormal eating patterns often lead to concerns about body weight and shape. Eating disorders may appear in various forms, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating disorders.
If left untreated, eating disorders can impact various aspects of a person’s life, from physical and mental well-being to sleep. In fact, research has identified a strong and complex relationship between eating disorders and sleep.
How Are Sleep And Eating Disorders Linked?
Studies show that there is a significant link between eating disorders and sleep. Multiple studies have shown that insufficient sleep is a significant feature of almost all eating disorders. Almost 57% of people suffering from eating disorders report experiencing some form of sleep problems, such as difficulties falling asleep, hypersomnia, parasomnia and early morning or midsleep awakenings.
Supporting these findings, a study conducted in 2023 found that patients with anorexia spend more time awake during the night and have more sleepless nights as compared to those without anorexia.
A study conducted in 2012 reported that mothers suffering from Binge Eating Disorder (BED) during or before pregnancy are more likely to experience sleep problems during pregnancy and may also report dissatisfaction with sleep 18 months after giving birth.
Another study from 2012 had similar conclusions, where it was found that Binge eating in women was associated with sleep problems such as poor or disturbed sleep, difficulty falling asleep and sleepiness at work
A study in 2018 investigated sleep patterns in women with anorexia and bulimia nervosa. The results of the study indicated that both anorexia and bulimia were linked to significantly worse sleep quality compared to a healthy control group, which suggests that there is a strong link between eating disorders and sleep issues.
Another study from 2021 found that poor sleep was associated with symptoms of anorexia in women. The interesting finding was that the severity of anorexia symptoms was directly proportional to the severity of sleep issues, suggesting a link between the two.
Thus, there is a lot of evidence suggesting that eating disorders can lead to sleep issues as well.
Why Do Eating Disorders Cause Sleep Disturbances?
Eating disorders can lead to sleep disturbances due to multiple reasons, such as:
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Hormonal Imbalance
Changes in appetite and eating disorders can impact the production of hormones that regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycles. For example- malnutrition in anorexia may impact brain function, altering the production of hormones that control sleep and wakefulness.
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Disrupted Circadian Rythm
Certain eating disorders, like anorexia, and night-eating syndrome (an eating disorder that involves food consumption at night instead of during the day), can disturb the body’s natural sleep cycle, making it difficult for people to maintain a healthy sleep schedule.
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Comorbidity
Eating disorders often co-occur with anxiety and depression, both of which are known to cause insomnia. The stress and worry associated with these conditions can make it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep
Conclusion:
Eating disorders and sleep share a circular and complex relationship, There is ample evidence to suggest that eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia and binge eating can cause sleep disturbances by disrupting the hormonal balance in the body. Sometimes even sleep issues can worsen the symptoms of an eating disorder, Thus, eating disorders and sleep issues like insomnia are interrelated. In conclusion, it is important to know that eating disorders are treatable and one can overcome sleep issues from eating disorders by developing healthy sleep habits and seeking professional help at the right time
References:
- Asaad Abdou, T., Esawy, H. I., Abdel Razek Mohamed, G., Hussein Ahmed, H., Elhabiby, M. M., Khalil, S. A., & El-Hawary, Y. A. (2018). Sleep profile in anorexia and bulimia nervosa female patients. Sleep Medicine, 48, 113–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2018.03.032
- Eating Disorders and Sleep. (2021, March 2). Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/mental-health/eating-disorders-and-sleep
- Malcolm, A., Toh, W. L., Crocker, K., & Phillipou, A. (2022). The contribution of sleep to anorexia nervosa severity. Eating and Weight Disorders: EWD, 27(4), 1563–1568. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-021-01286-2
- Mehr, J. B., & James, M. H. (2022). Sleep disruption as a potential contributor to the worsening of eating disorder pathology during the COVID-19-pandemic. Journal of Eating Disorders, 10(1), 181. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-022-00704-9
- Menculini, G., Brufani, F., Del Bello, V., Moretti, P., & Tortorella, A. (2019). Circadian rhythms disruptions and eating disorders: Clinical impact and possible psychopathological correlates. Psychiatria Danubina, 31(Suppl 3), 497–502.
- Psychiatric co-morbidity in women presenting across the continuum of disordered eating—ScienceDirect. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2024, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1471015314001342?via%3Dihub
- Ralph-Nearman, C., Williams, B. M., Ortiz, A. M. L., Smith, A. R., & Levinson, C. A. (2021). Pinpointing core and pathway symptoms among sleep disturbance, anxiety, worry, and eating disorder symptoms in anorexia nervosa and atypical anorexia nervosa. Journal of Affective Disorders, 294, 24–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.06.061
- Sleep and Eating Disorders. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2024, from https://withinhealth.com/learn/articles/sleep-and-eating-disorders
- Sleep and eating disorders: Current research and future directions—ScienceDirect. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2024, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352250X19301988
- Sleep disturbances and binge eating disorder symptoms during and after pregnancy—PubMed. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2024, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23024439/
- Sleep Disturbances Are Common in Eating Disorders—Eating Disorders Review. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2024, from https://eatingdisordersreview.com/sleep-disturbances-are-common-in-eating-disorders/
- Sleep Problems and Eating Disorders: Something to Sleep On | Exchanges. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2024, from https://uncexchanges.org/2017/07/25/sleep-problems-and-eating-disorders-something-to-sleep-on/
- Sleep problems are associated with binge eating in women—PubMed. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2024, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22331832/
- https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/displeased-woman-feeling-confused-while-reading-email-computer-eating-salad-night_25910193.htm#fromView=search&page=1&position=0&uuid=d5a0b9ec-1f6f-45a6-8c16-7639328f0031
