Lesley Cusack, 55, has Nocturnal Sleep-Related Eating Disorder. She said that she only finds out what she’s eaten at night when she looks through the leftovers and trash in the morning.
Csack, who is from Warrington, Cheshire in the UK, binge-eats, chops up food, and tries to cook it while sleeping. She also says she’s tried to eat paint, Vaseline and washing powder. She’s even broken some teeth and bruised herself while trying to cook while sleeping.
"I tend to find opened tins of things or packets and I’ve no idea whether I’ve eaten some of them cold or not,” she said.
‘I’ve found soup in pans, but also in bowls. It all can get rather messy. I’ve put alarms on my doors in the hope it will wake me up. I simply turn it off in my sleep. I’m trying to lose weight but it’s a constant battle. I can follow a diet to the letter but it goes to pot at night,” she added.
"One weekend, I came down to find the cake slice covered in butter. I’d used it while making cheese sandwiches"
"The worst things that I know I’ve eaten are emulsion paint, Vaseline, cough syrup, raw potatoes and soap powder. The night I ate paint was the only time I’ve ever woken up. I can still remember standing in the kitchen touching my mouth and being very confused,” she said.
Due to her night eating, Cusack has gained weight and now weighs about 230 lbs. As a result, she eats fruits and salads during the day and joined a diet club.
Cusack’s doctors have not been able to find an explanation, but Cusack believes she has Nocturnal Sleep-Related Eating Disorder (NSRED).
"I had started to find bits of mess downstairs, but I didn’t realize it was me. It was a while before I worked it out, but when I did, I felt very embarrassed and guilty,” she said.
"There were times when I felt extremely depressed through trying to hide it,” she added.
Cusack, a retired department store manager and divorced mother of three, says she only recently told her family of her disorder. The turning point was the realization that she was going outside to raid the freezer in her shed.
"I was terrified at the thought of leaving the door open or having an accident outside," she said.
"Using the cooker, kettle and sharp knives means it’s only a matter of time before something more serious happens,” she added.
Cusack lives alone.
"My bedding and night clothes are constantly getting stained and need washing. I’m always finding a trail of food leading downstairs,” she said.
‘"The disturbed nights, waking exhausted with stomach cramp, feeling sick and finding food in the bed has become almost normal,” she added.
Dr. Paul Reading, President of the British Sleep Society, said that cases like Cusack’s are rare but not unknown.
"A proportion of adult sleep-walkers will eat and even cook during apparent sleep, often consuming foods they would not normally enjoy," he said.
"Weight gain and guilt are common consequences."
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