Night Eating Syndrome is a stress-related eating, sleeping, and mood disorder. It is different than binge eating in that someone with NES will eat a large amount of food continually during the evening hours. Binge eaters tend to overeat in a short period of time. The person feels more comfortable eating after dinnertime and has no appetite for breakfast and barely eats all day. People who engage in night eating will frequently have trouble sleeping and wake up during the night to eat, usually comfort foods such as starch or carbs. There is likely a genetic, emotional and biological component to night eating syndrome.

Studies show that NES may be more of a “body thing” than a “mind thing,” unlike many other eating disorders.  It has been linked to stress as well as the “biological clock” – NES may be partly due to a malfunctioning eating timetable set by the body as a result of stress.

To be diagnosed with Night Eating Syndrome at least 50% of a patient's daily intake of food must be consumed after 6-8 p.m. It is estimated that only 1-2% of people in the general population has the disease during their lifetime, and almost 25% of obese persons have NES.