Alexithymia is not related to severity of night eating behavior: a useful distinction from other eating disorders.

Objective: Patients affected by Night Eating Syndrome (NES) complain of insomnia, mood, anxiety and overeating, which have all been linked to difficulties in dealing with emotions, but no research has examined the levels of alexithymia among NES patients. We compared the levels of alexithymia among samples of: NES patients, insomniac patients who do not eat at night, and a control group.

Method: The study included 153 participants: 34 with NES, 47 with insomnia, and 72 in the control group.

Nocturnal eating is part of the clinical spectrum of restless legs syndrome and an underestimated risk factor for increased body mass index.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of night eating syndrome (NES) in a large cohort of patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS).

Methods: Our cross-sectional study included 120 patients examined at the University of Bologna Centre for Sleep Disorders, Bologna, Italy, and met all four International RLS criteria for the diagnosis of RLS. Each patient underwent a semistructured telephone interview investigating demographic data and general health status, RLS features and severity, presence of excessive daytime sleepiness, and presence of NES.