The below full-length version of Night Feeders, by Kelly Senyei, appears in the current issue of Gourmet Live. Download the free Gourmet Live app to get this story and more.
In the above sleep-eating episode, a woman is seen bingeing on brownies while sitting on her bed. The remarkable feature of her eating is that after each bite of brownie, the woman extends her pinky finger of the feeding hand away from the other fingers, and then uses the pinky to shove remaining brownie crumbs into her mouth. The behavior is repeated in the same manner with each bite. It is clearly not a behavior she–or anyone else–would use while fully awake, as the feat of extending the pinky far away from the other fingers is quite difficult to do. This episode is an example of state-dependent (and state-specific) feeding behavior found with Sleep-Related Eating Disorder. Video clip and caption courtesy of Slow-Wave Films, LLC
I’ve woken up mid-sprint through my living room. I’ve woken up while unlocking my front door. I’ve woken up standing stock-still in my hallway. I’ve even woken up mid–fall down the stairs. And while I’ve done all of the above—and more—unconsciously in my sleep, there is one thing I have never done: Eat.
Unlike the experiences of most people suffering from sleep-related disorders, my occasional stumble into the living room or random stop by the hallway has never really been life-threatening. Rather, my tendency to sleepwalk is an activity that doctors regard as a stress-induced behavior, and one that studies have shown may affect up to 4 percent of the adult population, according to renowned sleep disorders specialist Carlos Schenck, MD.
But what if, one morning, I woke up to a bed full of candy wrappers? Or fell asleep after doing the dishes, only to wake to a kitchen full of peanut butter–smeared knives and a skillet on the stove set ablaze? Continue reading
