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Having Trouble Sleeping While Pregnant? Keep Tabs On Your Eating Habits

Experiencing some difficulty falling asleep (and staying asleep) is not uncommon for women who are pregnant. There are, however, some ways that you can make falling asleep harder on yourself. We’re talking about binge eating.

Some eating disorders in the United States can be linked to sleep patterns, such as feeling the need to eat to go back to sleep. For some, this eating pattern may also occur while they are not aware of it, such as when sleepwalking. For others, it is defined as “night eating syndrome” –– which refers to having to eat or feel full before being able to sleep.

What is the difference between late-night snack cravings and night eating syndrome? Here are a few ways you can assess if you’re suffering from the latter:

• Lessened appetite for breakfast or morning meals
• Inability to fall asleep once waking up in the middle of the night
• Eating the bulk of your daily food intake after normal dinner hours

While binge eating as it relates to sleep can affect both men and women, it’s more common with women. This is particularly important to note for pregnant women, as they can be susceptible to binge eating during and after pregnancy. This can interrupt sleep patterns (especially if you feel the need to eat to go back to sleep) and negatively impact your overall health through the increased intake of calories. Disrupted sleep can also result in less deep sleep, more hours spent awake in the middle of the night, additional discomfort and breathing issues.

Ways to Avoid Binge Eating at Night

Thankfully, there are some techniques you can use to curb nighttime food cravings. The sleep experts at My CPAP Club have compiled a list of ways to avoid or treat night eating syndrome. They include:

• Stress management instruction (if sleeping patterns are anxiety-related)
• Prescribed medication
• Limiting caffeine intake
• Treatment at a monitored sleep lab (for observation of brain pattern and activity)

If you’re pregnant and experiencing difficulty sleeping or wrestling with binge eating at night, the solutions you need start at My CPAP Club. Call us today at 1-888-272-7050 or contact us online with this or any other sleep disorder questions.