According to this paper, Circadian Rhythm Profiles in Women with Night Eating Syndrome, “Patients with night eating syndrome (NES) – first described in 1955 – demonstrate a phase delay in the circadian pattern of food intake, manifested by evening hyperphagia, nocturnal awakenings with food intake, and morning anorexia.”
I would start by asking this question: is low serotonin a root cause and is tryptophan a possible solution? I’ll share why below and where to start in order to find a solution.
Before I do that let me explain the terminology used in the above quote: Circadian means it happens every 24 hours, hyperphagia is obsessive food-seeking behavior, nocturnal awakenings are waking in the night and anorexia refers to restricted eating in the morning.
There is no research supporting the use of serotonin support with either tryptophan or 5-HTP for night eating syndrome but I would still start here for the following reasons:
- this behavior happens in the evening and at night and it’s well recognized that serotonin levels are lower later in the day and at night
- carbohydrate cravings and addictions occur with low serotonin and cravings are most intense later in the day (typically afternoon and evening)
- obsessive behaviors are common with low serotonin
- insomnia or night-time waking is a common symptom with low serotonin
- doing a trial with either of these amino acids will very quickly confirm if low serotonin is a contributing factor or will rule it out
I would also have my client look at other low serotonin symptoms which would help confirm that low serotonin may be a factor for them: worry-type of anxiety, ruminations, PMS, irritability, rage or anger, TMJ, panic attacks, perfectionism, depression, low self-esteem and so on. You can see all the low serotonin symptoms here.
We typically start with a trial of tryptophan simply because so many of my clients do so well with it. The other reason is that 5-HTP can raise cortisol and cause a wired-tired feeling. That being said, some folks do better on one vs the other so if tryptophan doesn’t help then we trial 5-HTP. You can see the products I use with my clients here on the supplements blog.
I would love to see tryptophan or 5-HTP being more extensively – because it works so effectively and quickly, and is addressing the root cause – but also because there is research that does support the serotonin connection to night eating syndrome:
- Night eating syndome has been associated with “depression, emotional eating, sleep problems, and food addiction as well as with being overweight or with having obesity (especially as people age)” – all low serotonin symptoms.
- Night eating patients are “responsive to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment” (antidepressant/SSRI treatment)
- Bright light therapy may help with night eating because of it’s “serotonergic antidepressant mechanisms of action.” Night eating syndrome also shares features with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and it’s not uncommon to experience both. The winter blues or SAD is common with low serotonin. I write more about SAD and bright light here.
I’d also consider low blood sugar as a contributing factor. We would need to rule out the use of the sleep medication Ambien/Zolpidem which has been shown to cause amnesia and sleep related eating disorders which resolves when the medication is stopped.
As always, it’s not only the low serotonin we need to address. Tryptophan or 5-HTP offer quick relief but we must always do a full functional workup looking at diet, nutritional deficiencies, digestion, all hormones, toxins and infections (and so on) so we can address all possible root causes – and why serotonin is low in the first place.
I share some possible reasons for low serotonin on this blog on imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is another common sign of low serotonin.
Have you been diagnosed with night eating syndrome or do you feel you possibly fit the profile? Does it happen every night and what foods are you drawn to? Which low serotonin symptoms can you relate to and has tryptophan or 5-HTP helped? What about light therapy? And was an antidepressant prescribed?
Feel free to post your questions and feedback in the comments below.
Trudy,
Once again you hit right on the issue! I started experiencing all of these symptoms after contracting Covid in Feb 2020 and have long haul symptoms. Have gained 24 lbs – I’ve always held my weight so this is awful. My cortisol levels are very high and I have lymph all over but mostly in upper arms, belly( have always had six pack) thighs, rear end. I even have stored lymph on my face snd neck.
I had in-depth blood tests showing a type of anemia, infection, low D, you name it.
I have such anxious thoughts and pain when I try to sleep.
My circadians are all mixed up due to being an international traveler.
I absolutely want to, plan to get off of zolpidem.
I look toward your advice and will order from your site.
So grateful for your expertise and dedication to helping all,
Dayna
Dayna
Thanks for sharing and sorry to hear. Glad to hear this is helpful. I would also focus on lowering high cortisol. I find Seriphos to be very effective for this https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/seriphos-original-formula-anxiety-insomnia-cortisol/
Keep in mind Zolpidem/Ambien can be a big factor in night eating.
Hi Trudy
I have this issue of nighttime eating. I crave sweets, and sometimes chips. Even if I’m not hungry I feel like I have to have these things.
I suffer from anxiety and take alprazolam and have been treated for depression over the years. I brought the tryptophan you recommend. My question is when should I take it to see if it helps with this issue and perhaps the anxiety. I do t take the alprazolam 0.25 mg everyday. I am 66 years old and female. I am 5’5 and 140 lbs. I would like to lose 15 lbs.
I would also like to know how to get into your coaching program.
Thank you
Colleen
Colleen
The best way to determine if someone may have low serotonin is to look at the low serotonin symptoms, rate them on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being worst, do a trial of tryptophan or 5-HTP and rate the symptoms again right afterwards (in the next 2 to 30 minutes). Here are the symptoms https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/amino-acids-mood-questionnaire-from-the-antianxiety-food-solution/
This blog is a good introduction to tryptophan and low serotonin: Tryptophan for the worry-in-your-head and ruminating type of anxiety https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/tryptophan-worry-head-ruminating-type-anxiety/
It sounds as if you are new to the amino acids (and other anxiety nutrition solutions like gluten/sugar/caffeine removal, blood sugar control, gut health, pyroluria etc) so my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” is a great place to start. More here https://www.everywomanover29.com/store/aafsbook.html
I have never slept through the night without waking up to eat, i keep 2 rice cakes with almond butter and apple next to my bed. Before i go sleep i eat 2 eggs 1 banana and coconut yoghurt. I started 5htp in August 25 mg but had to build up to 125 mg over 6 months because it lost efficency. It made me fall asleep faster and sleep longer but still eating once a night. In January i couldn’t sleep more than 4 hours, wasn’t able to go back to sleep after i woken up. I now changed to 3 mg slow release melatonin and 500 – 1000 mg tryptophan i still wake up every few hours and eat. What can i do to sleep longer and not having to eat in the night? I eat a glutenfree dairy free sugar free diet. I also have pcos, pmdd, breast feeding and postnatal depression. Been taking 2.5 olanzapine for a year am slowly tapering with struggle. Night eating has been going for roughly 4 years. Thanks for any help.
Have you thought about Ashwaganda ksm66?
S
When someone has low serotonin we continue to increase the tryptophan until we get results and then if no benefits start to investigate other possible root causes like low GABA, parasites, high cortisol. However we always wait until the woman is no longer breastfeeding.
If low blood sugar is a factor, dietary changes can also make a big difference and is safe during breastfeeding. Light therapy has also been shown to be helpful for night eating syndrome and postpartum depression.
Are use five HTP every day and I have never heard you say that it raises your cortisol level…. is this bad long-term and the night eating I can’t stand it I have to have almond butter every night and I end up falling asleep with it sitting on my belly and then not eating all morning until I can get it out of me…… I am an epileptic and take anti-convulsant can I take tryptophan?
Lisa
I blogged about 5-HTP and cortisol here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/5-htp-can-raise-salivary-cortisol-does-this-cause-a-wired-tired-feeling/ and mention it in my book. It’s not good for someone with high cortisol that may be keeping them awake or causing night waking.
For someone on meds it’s always best to work with a knowledgeable practitioner and discuss with the prescribing doctor in case of a risk of serotonin syndrome. This applies to 5-HTP and tryptophan.
Hi.Im on your email list and read you lead on night eating! I had a very abusive childhood but have overcome so much through my faith in God and much counseling.I ALWAYS am tense and anxious and have many of the issues on the list on your article.I still take a small amount of psych meds because I don’t want to deal with the withdrawal yet but back to the night eating. I take seriously at bedtime and hate it..my sleep is disjointed..Im up 5 or 6 times a night and I stumble out and eat eat eat….Where to begin?Thanks,Marsha Williams
Marsha
As I mention in the blog we identify if low serotonin may be a factor and we typically start with a trial of tryptophan. For someone on psych meds it’s always best to work with a knowledgeable practitioner and discuss with the prescribing doctor because of a risk of serotonin syndrome.
If low blood sugar is a factor dietary changes can also make a big difference and anyone can do this at home. If you are new to the amino acids (and other anxiety nutrition solutions like gluten/sugar/caffeine removal, blood sugar control, gut health, pyroluria etc) my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” is a great place to start. More here https://www.everywomanover29.com/store/aafsbook.html
Why I get so depressed after 5 pm? I know the time because I start feeling depressed.
Carmen
There are many possible biochemical factors but in relation to this blog it’s well recognized that serotonin levels are lower later in the day and at night so this may be a cause.
Hi, Trudy, first of all I want to thank you for talking about and offering solutions to these problems. I listen to a lot of functional medicine practitioners and have gotten to be well over the past 2 years, but I was having sleep issues I could not resolve without your help.
Let me first say I don’t have a nighttime eating habit. However, I was waking up after 3-4 hours consistently, having ruminating thoughts, anxiety and second-guessing everything I said or did with other people. My heart would race and I would think I was a terrible person. Eventually I came to realize this was a reaction and that if I could just get through the night the world would look better in the morning.
I finally stumbled on your book through an email or something and bought it. I decided I would try GABA and then 5-Htp. I thought I experienced some improvement but that slowly tapered off and I was back where I started.
I went back and read your book repeatedly. On one occasion I read the section about low blood sugar. I can’t remember why it finally caught my attention, but I decided to eat more carbs or something that night and slept through the night! Who would have thought I had low blood sugar? Well I realized in the past I was so busy or so tired that I didn’t eat enough, and I also could see that when I “overate” I often slept well. The point I want to make here is that I never thought I would have low blood sugar! And there it was.
The next thing I learned from a different avenue was that, even though I was taking sublingual estrogen (I am post-menopausal), there was none showing up in my blood work. Randomly, the nurse practitioner where I go for bioidentical hormones decided to check my levels. There were none, so she started me on Estrace vaginal cream and eventually I moved to BiEst compounded due to cost. Another huge life-changing moment for me! It helped me sleep and my mood improved magically! I was an even newer person.
I still have to watch and make sure I eat enough at night, like sweet potatoes, and plenty of fat to feel full. I can fast at other times of day but never at dinner. I forgot to mention earlier that in my quest I switched to Tryptophan also. It works better for me than the other supplements. Sometimes I don’t take it and I wake up, but I don’t have that disabling anxiety. Still, I sleep much better on it. I am not sure why I seem to need it, like you said, what’s the cause? But for now I am happy to have it and thank you for getting your information out. If it wasn’t for you doing that, I wouldn’t be sleeping so well now and I wouldn’t have returned to work with more energy than coworkers half my age. I am truly grateful! I wanted to share my story because sometimes we are blind to our own situation and behavior, and that was true with me.
Charmaine
Thanks for sharing and so glad you figured out that low blood sugar was your issue. With low blood sugar glutamine can help and it’s also important to look at adrenal health
Dear Trudy, I appreciate your suggestion of trying tryptophan to shift this night-eating syndrome. I have your book and seem to be mostly a serotonin-deficient anxiety type, but sometimes carry a lot of physical tension as well. Similar to others’ comments above, my compulsion to eat excessively (evening hyperphagia) has worsened during the shut down of social and community interactions during the “pandemic”, also my tendency to over-drink wine or ale has got quite out of control since I sit at home alone every night. I have gained 10 pounds (in a year) and it keeps climbing at an ever-alarming rate! It used to be easy for me to just cut back on unnecessary carbs and regulate my weight, but not at all easy now. Normally I’ve been taking a 220 mg capsule of tryptophan before bed, so I will increase to an earlier dose of 220 mg at 6 pm, and the usual 220 mg at 11 pm, and sometimes 100 mg. GABA at bedtime. I’d appreciate your suggestions for dosage – should it be much higher? I also take 20 mg Citalopram daily (and can’t get through the withdrawal symptoms to get off it). I am now 74 years old and have gone from 144 lbs to 156.
Patricia
GABA works well when a client has physical tension that may be driving cravings and especially when they are using wine/ale to relax. It’s common for folks to have both low serotonin and low GABA. There is no dose recommendation for either tryptophan or GABA as it’s based on each person’s unique needs, and we increase as needed, and may also use it during the day too.
Since you are using Citalopram (an SSRI) be sure to discuss tryptophan use/changes with your prescribing doctor because of the potential risk of serotonin syndrome.
Intense carbohydrate cravings are a hallmark symptom of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). I know this 1st hand. ‘Enjoy you on HealthMeans talks…and now this site as well.
Steve
Thanks and welcome! Yes – hoping full-spectrum light and/or tryptophan/5-HTP is helping you.
Intense carbohydrate cravings are a hallmark symptom of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), the same with low serotonin levels. As an early participant in the NIMH SAD studies way back in the 1980’s I know this 1st hand. Last night I doubled my Tryptophan to 500mg and slept better and woke up feeling better. Now to get my circadian rhythms and cortisol levels to cooperate.
‘Enjoy you on HealthMeans talks, your regular emails…and now this site as well.
Hi Trudy,
So happy to have found your blog. I just read a study about using 5-HTP and L-Tyrosine to treat ADHD. It says that L-Tyrosine is a type of Tryptophan. Can you tell me the difference and what form of Tryptophan you recommend most for a female adult with ADHD?
Thanks so much,
Olga
Tyrosine and tryptophan are both amino acids and are very different so I’m not sure what you’re reading. I have clients do a trial with tyrosine when they have low energy, poor focus/ADHD, low motivation and low mood. More here. https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/tyrosine-focus-motivation-energy-good-mood-possibly-even-anxiety/
I have clients do a trial of tryptophan when they have the worry-in-your-head and ruminating type of anxiety https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/tryptophan-worry-head-ruminating-type-anxiety/
Sometimes 5-HTP helps with ADHD – ADHD: 5-HTP melts have been a miracle for one of my adopted kids https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/adhd-5-htp-melts-have-been-a-miracle-for-one-of-my-adopted-kids/ It’s a matter of figuring out root causes.
If you are new to the amino acids (and other anxiety nutrition solutions like gluten/sugar/caffeine removal, blood sugar control, gut health, pyroluria etc) my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” is a great place to start. More here https://www.everywomanover29.com/store/aafsbook.html
I’ve successfully taken tryptophan 2500mg for about 5 years for sleep. It has progressively decreased in effectiveness over the last 5-6 months. Now it’s almost like a sugar pill and increasing the dosage does not increase it’s effectiveness. Any ideas what’s happening and how to fix it? Melatonin and 5-HTP don’t work either.
Spencer
I focus on all possible anxiety nutrition solutions that may have contributed to the low serotonin and identify if something may have changed – like hidden gluten/sugar/caffeine, blood sugar control issues, gut health, pyroluria, various nutritional deficiencies, thyriod health, the season (winter or seasonal allergies), stress/trauma, new medication, excess EMF/wifi exposure, mold toxicity, heavy metals (lead can be released from bones as we age), Lyme and other infections etc
Also, the addition of something like collagen or gelatin can increase the need for some folks – https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/collagen-gelatin-lower-serotonin-increase-anxiety-depression/ I also have my clients check the product hasn’t changed.
And finally make sure someone still needs serotonin support and there isn’t another new cause for the sleep issues.
Hi Trudy,
Thank you for this informative article.
I was always in shape and in control of my eating (with no struggle), and pretty active. A separation and a bike accident with no apparent physical damage changed my life. I found myself waking up many times at night and stuffing my face with whatever I got my hands on. So I started measuring my food and restricting my calories to gain back control, and tried to stay on very low carb diet to mitigate damage of binging. This blew up leading to an overwhelming restrict and binge pattern. It did not help at all that I quit smoking and drinking in the middle of this chaos.
In over a year I came to a point where I wouldn’t keep anything in my pantry or refrigerator, and yet I had gained 10kg. My feet would walk me to buy chocolate in the middle of the night and I’d eat until I threw up, calm down and eat again during episodes. Abs gone, tighs rubbing, and minimal tendency to keep active.
Health Care here in Canada is very inefficient, and neither my family doctor nor multiple therapists I sought help from in the course of past two years have been of any help. I have now done my own research and started experimenting with a combo of Wellbutrin 150xl (family doctor finally prescribed after a year of contemplating) and l-tyrosine (500×2) along with D3 and B complex in the morning and noon + 5htp (200×2) in the evening and night. A month in, I’m having less frequent cravings, and more manageable episodes. I have actually started to feel full again once I eat, after such a long time.
Reading your article was heartwarming in that I may not be moving in wrong direction.
Thank you again.
Kevin
Sorry to hear you went through this and thank you for sharing. Stress has such an impact on our adrenals and neurotransmitters. It’s wonderful the amino acids and nutrients are helping with the wellbutrin (which can hopefully be tapered in the near future)
Keep us posted on how things improve and don’t forget all the dietary aspects too – more here in my book “The Antianxiety Food solution” https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/
How much and when is the best time to take 5-HTP for night eating syndrome?
Lily
I have clients start with 50mg and increase from there based on how much it helps. Serotonin support is best used midafternoon and evening. Be sure to read the amino acids chapter of my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” for detailed information https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/