Symptom 6: Increased Nighttime Alertness
Chronobiology, the science of biological rhythms, has long established that our bodies operate on a roughly 24-hour cycle, the circadian rhythm. This rhythm influences everything from hormone secretion to body temperature. For individuals with NES, there appears to be a misalignment in this rhythm. While most people’s cortisol levels (often termed the ‘awakening hormone’) peak in the morning, those with NES might experience spikes during the night. Such hormonal shifts can explain the heightened alertness when the world around is bathed in moonlight.
The consequence of waking up multiple times at night to eat has a domino effect. Fragmented sleep often means an inability to achieve deep REM sleep, critical for cognitive functions and emotional balance. This lack of restorative sleep can lead to increased alertness. Paradoxically, the very act of waking up disrupts sleep, which in turn causes heightened wakefulness, making subsequent sleep even harder to achieve.
As the day’s chaos recedes, the night often acts as a canvas for deep introspection and rumination. For someone with NES, the quiet of the night can amplify feelings of restlessness. This mental state of hyper-awareness, combined with the physiological disruptions, can lead to a heightened sense of alertness. Activities like reading or even working become ways to channel this energy, interspersed with bouts of eating.
Over time, this increased nighttime alertness can transform into a deeply ingrained habit. The act of waking up, eating, and engaging in activities becomes ritualistic. The brain, ever so adaptive, starts associating nighttime with alertness and activity. It’s a classic case of reinforcing a behavior pattern through repetition. (6)
