Only Eating at Night: What Nighttime Hunger Means and When It's an Eating Disorder Sign

When we think about food-related behaviors in eating disorders, we often focus on the “what” and the “how.” But one important factor that tends to get ignored is the “when.” For those with eating disorders, disordered behaviors often involve the timing of meals and snacks—and for many, this means only eating at night. When someone eats (or doesn’t eat) can be a sign of an eating disorder and can perpetuate certain disordered patterns. This often shows up as restricting food during the first part of the day and eating all or most of one’s calories later in the day or at night.