Question:
On Oct. 28, NBC Dateline ran a segment on something they called sleep
related eating disorder which is where a person sleep walks to the
refrigerator and eats sometimes odd combinations of food out of the
refrigerator.
The name assigned to it implies an eating disorder, but I have a friend
who suffers from this and as a witness, I have to say it is definitely
sleep related.
My friend has not been able to get even any aknowledgement of her problem
and even the Dateline segment said doctors have only documented about 100
cases.
However, this is a major concern to my friend first because of the
embarassment of it and second, she is particular about her diet, yet her
"night rounds" as she calls them know no boundaries.
I am wondering if anyone in this website knows of a treatment, a sleep
center in Connecticut or just any plain old advice I can pass onto my
friend, since she is not "plugged in" computer wise. Any information would
be greatly appreciated.
Answer:
Regarding that Dateline segment....I was initially asked to be the
subject, but declined. That Harvard Doctor (Winkleman) is the world's
foremost specialist on this sleep-eating disorder, and he hasn't been able
to do ANYTHING at all for me.
I just watched a taped version of that segment, and that woman was exactly
like me and my mother (so, I guess 2% of the world's sleep eaters live in
my house).
Here's what I would like to know from you before I continue (because I
could write for hours about this....hey, they want me to be on
Oprah...wonder if your friend could be on also)....DOES YOUR FRIEND USE
ANY CAFFEINE PRODUCTS? I have a strong suspicion it is related to this
disorder. I will tell you why I think this in the next chapter.
There is a Chinese hebal product called Dunhuang 272 Herbal Belt that
is effective of adjusting sleeping-eating problems. By wearing the
belt, you don't have to take in any more pills.
If you want to know more about the herbal belt, please let me know.
