A rare health condition could be causing some people to eat while they’re sound asleep. 

Sleep-related eating disorder (SRED) is an abnormal behavior called parasomnia that occurs during sleep.

The condition causes a person to eat — and in some cases even prepare food — while asleep, according to experts.

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Kara Becker, a certified eating disorders specialist and national director of eating disorder programs for Newport Healthcare in California, told Fox News Digital that people who experience this sleepy snacking usually have no recollection of it the next morning.

A person can have more than one sleep-eating event per night — and it can happen even if the person isn’t hungry, Becker noted.

Certain medications can cause SRED, as can smoking cessation, alcohol and drug use, stress, narcolepsy and dieting, according to the expert.

Drug-induced SRED can also occur after taking sedative-hypnotic drugs to treat insomnia, Cleveland Clinic noted on its website.

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Symptoms of the disorder can include repeated episodes of “out-of-control” eating and drinking when asleep, eating strange combinations of foods, or loss of appetite in the morning, Becker said.

The expert also flagged the dangers that can come with cooking or eating during the night, such as fires, burns and cuts.

Symptoms of the disorder can include repeated episodes of “out-of-control” eating and drinking when asleep, eating strange combinations of foods, or loss of appetite in the morning.  (iStock)

Fox News Digital also spoke to clinical psychologist Kelly Baron, PhD, director of the behavioral sleep medicine lab at the University of Utah, about symptoms and dangers of non-REM parasomnia.

SRED can cause dental issues and can interfere with weight-loss goals, Baron noted.

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“In some cases, the person could cook and injure themselves or run into things,” she warned. 

“People can eat non-food items at times,” Baron said. “I wrote a case series with a colleague and one patient had eaten dog food in his sleep or a casserole with his hands, making a big mess.”

People with SRED could “fall or bump into things” or cut or burn themselves during an episode, an expert warned. (iStock)

Consuming large amounts of calories without mindfully eating is “not recommended for anyone and can be very disruptive to adequate nutrition consumption,” Becker added.

“Some may even consume hazardous substances at night without knowing, putting their health immediately at risk.”

So who is at risk?

SRED episodes are more likely to occur with lack of sleep, so conditions like snoring and obstructive sleep apnea can be risk factors, according to Cleveland Clinic’s website.

People are more likely to have SRED if they’re closely related to someone who sleepwalks, if they feel stressed out or sleep-deprived during the day, if they suffer from an eating disorder, or if they have anxiety or depression.

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“For other people, having another sleep disorder can trigger sleepwalking behavior, including night eating, so having a sleep evaluation is really important,” Baron advised.

Those suffering from this condition should be evaluated at a sleep center, an expert said. (iStock)

For some people, sleepwalking is an inherited risk that continues from childhood into adulthood, according to Baron.

Treatment options

There are several treatment options for SRED, including reducing and eliminating triggers and addressing other sleep disorders, Baron told Fox News Digital.

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People can also implement techniques to improve sleep behaviors and try taking medication, the expert said.

Becker also suggested implementing safety precautions at home, like installing locks on kitchen cabinets and refrigerators and removing dangerous obstacles.

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People with SRED should also get “plenty of regular sleep,” she encouraged, as the condition can heighten with sleep deprivation.

“It’s also recommended to participate in a sleep study so that your health care provider can better understand your nighttime activity,” she said.

SRED is most common in women under 20 years old, according to Cleveland Clinic. (iStock)

SRED is a condition separate from night eating syndrome (NES), which causes people to feel compelled to eat before bed or to wake up multiple times in the night to eat and then return to bed, Baron said.

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SRED is most common in women under 20 years old, according to Cleveland Clinic, but it can occur in anyone. 

Between 1% and 5% of adults experience parasomnia.

Experts suggest seeking a health care provider if SRED episodes are suspected.

The morning after former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday afternoon, Dr. Marc Siegel spoke to Fox News about the “miraculous” outcome.

Appearing on “America Reports,” the Fox News medical contributor and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center expressed his admiration for Trump’s reaction in what he described as a “war zone.”

“The crowd kept its composure when this was going on … They were led by President Trump’s rally cry, raising his fist, saying ‘Fight’ and not giving up,” Siegel said.

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“From a medical point of view, that idea of showing courage, and then showing compassion, reaching out on social media to the families of the victim and those who were injured, also sends the right message.”

The doctor also noted the quickness with which Trump got down when the shots were fired and then was led off the stage, which showed an “adroitness.”

“You don’t know what you’re going to do in that situation,” he said.

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Siegel also emphasized how “miraculous” it is that the former president survived the incident.

“I’ve been talking to emergency room doctors, vascular surgeons and trauma surgeons all over the country this morning, and nobody can remember a case like this,” he said. 

“I’ve been talking to emergency room doctors, vascular surgeons and trauma surgeons all over the country this morning, and nobody can remember a case like this,” Dr. Siegel said.  (Dr. Marc Siegel)

In particular, the doctor noted how rare it is for someone to be only grazed by a bullet from a high-powered file.

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“I trained in the Bellevue [Hospital Center] emergency room, I took care of gunshot victims countless times, and I never saw anything from a high-powered rifle that only grazed something.”

Audience members duck in the crowd during a shooting attempt at a campaign rally for GOP presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump at Butler Farm Show Inc. on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Getty Images)

“People can recount someone being grazed by a bullet — I’ve seen that in the ER, but never from a high-powered rifle,” Siegel said.

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The doctor stressed the small chance of Trump escaping this alive — “especially since it’s next to the part of the brain that is absolutely uniformly deadly, over 95% deadly, if he’d been hit in the brain there.”

Strokes are the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of disability, according to the American Stroke Association. 

“Stroke is injury to the brain from impairment of blood flow,” Dr. Sandeep Kumar, Department of Neurology, Stroke Division, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, told Fox News Digital in an email.

“A normal blood supply is vital for the brain to function normally and for preservation of its structure. Interruption of the blood flow deprives the affected parts of the brain from receiving oxygen and other nutrients with the result that these tissues start disintegrating rapidly.”

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When a person suffers from a stroke, it can affect their ability to speak and comprehend, Dr. Kumar noted. 

There can also be a loss of sensation in different parts of the body, loss of vision or an inability to walk or stand. 

Read on to learn more about stroke symptoms, preventative measures you can take and the road to recovery.

1. What are the different types of strokes?
2. What are the main symptoms of a stroke?
3. What can I do to prevent a stroke?
4. What is the recovery process after having a stroke?

1. What are the different types of strokes?

There are two main types of strokes: ischemic and hemorrhagic. 

Ischemic strokes are by far the most common, accounting for 87% of all strokes, according to the American Stroke Association. 

“Blood flow to the brain can be compromised when the blood flowing to the brain in a cerebral artery is blocked off either by a blood clot or a plaque. This is called an ischemic stroke,” Dr. Kumar told Fox News Digital. 

A less-common type of stroke is hemorrhagic. In those cases, “the blood vessel supplying the brain ruptures leading to bleeding within the brain tissue. Bleeding can directly damage brain cells or deprive the surrounding tissues from receiving adequate oxygen and nutrients,” Dr. Kumar said. 

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There’s also a transient ischemic attack (TIA), which is called a “warning stroke” or a “mini-stroke,” according to the American Stroke Association.

 This “warning stroke” is caused by a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain. If you have this type of stroke, don’t disregard it. Call 911 right away. 

There are several different types of strokes a person could face, but ischemic strokes are by far the most common.  (iStock)

Strokes with an unidentifiable cause are labeled as cryptogenic strokes, according to the American Stroke Association. 

2. What are the main symptoms of a stroke?

The following are common symptoms of TIA or a stroke, as highlighted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 

• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or trouble understanding speech
• Sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause
• Sudden trouble seeing from one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination

The NIH notes that symptoms can occur rapidly, or slowly, developing over hours and sometimes even days. 

An acronym important to remember is F.A.S.T. Below is how you can identify if someone is having a stroke, using the F.A.S.T acronym, as provided by the American Stroke Association. 

F = Face Drooping: “Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person’s smile uneven?”

A = “Arm Weakness: Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?”

S = “Speech Difficulty: Is speech slurred?”

T = “Stroke is an emergency. Every minute counts. Call 911 immediately. Note the time when any of the symptoms first appear.”

3. What can I do to prevent a stroke?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sais that around 80% of strokes are preventable. 

One thing you can do to prevent a stroke is to live a healthy lifestyle, filled with proper diet and adequate exercise.  (iStock)

While the average age for a stroke is 65 and older, according to Lifespan, the average age is decreasing. In the United States, 10 percent of people who have a stroke are under the age of 45. 

“People who develop strokes usually have underlying risk factors,” Dr. Kumar told Fox News Digital.

“The most important among these are high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking, heart disease, especially a condition called atrial fibrillation.”

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Kumar noted the importance of screening for these underlying conditions with your doctor. Be sure you’re following advice from your doctor for testing, and follow instructions regarding medication that may be needed if these conditions are found. 

Embracing a healthy lifestyle can also help reduce stroke risk. 

Kumar noted the following as things you can do to promote a healthy lifestyle and reduce your risk:

• Get regular physical exercise
• Eat a balanced diet
• Ensure good sleep
• Avoid excess alcohol
• Manage stress
• Stop smoking

4. What is the recovery process after having a stroke?

The recovery after a stroke can be long and challenging. Some patients may not reach full recovery. 

Not every patient’s road to recovery will look the same. 

“Many stroke survivors are left with enduring disabilities that prevent them from getting back to their usual routines. These can include simple tasks like eating, dressing, toileting, bathing or other aspects of self-care,” Kumar wrote in an email to Fox News Digital. 

“Others may find that they are unable to engage in other normal day-to-day activities like reading, writing, driving. Even those individuals who have recovered fully feel very vulnerable and cannot shake off the shadow of a stroke on their lives; they may end up curtailing things that they enjoyed, such as going on family vacation, fearful that a stroke may strike again.”

Because of these life-altering changes that stroke survivors endure, they will need support from those around them, including medical professionals and loved ones.

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The exact needs that a stroke survivor requires in order to recover will vary, depending on each individual’s case. Factors like how severe the stroke was, which area of the brain was affected, how soon a patient received medical attention and the overall health of the patient can all play into the recovery process, according to Northwestern Medicine. 

Stroke survivors will need support from those around them to help them get through their difficult recovery.  (iStock)

“Needs of a stroke survivor for coping and adjustments are varied. A number of patients who have lingering impairments, such as limb weakness, walking difficulty, speech impairment, benefit greatly from rehabilitation,” Kumar said. 

“Rehabilitation includes physical and occupational therapy that is targeted towards restoring the lost function, such as improving limb strength in a limb that was weakened from the stroke. In other instances, the loss of function cannot be completely regained; rehabilitation in such [a] situation can be helpful in developing compensatory adaptation strategies that can help an individual transition to independence. These may include the use of prosthetics or mobility devices.” 

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Some patients also have cognitive impairments they deal with after a stroke, as well as other pragmatic issues, Kumar noted, such as those related to employment, finances and housing. 

“Social workers and other community support can be essential to help navigate these challenges,” Kumar said. 

A chemotherapy drug could cause “significant” hearing loss among cancer survivors, according to a study from the University of South Florida and Indiana University.

Researchers tracked 100 testicular cancer survivors who received a chemo drug called cisplatin for an average of 14 years, as a press release from USF noted.

Among the participants, who averaged 48 years of age, 78% of them reported experiencing “significant difficulties in everyday listening situations.”

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This was reportedly the first study to assess potential hearing loss among cancer survivors.

“Patients receiving cisplatin-based chemotherapy are at high risk for permanent hearing loss, and for some, that hearing loss will progress years after chemo treatment,” lead author Victoria Sanchez, associate professor in the USF Health Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, told Fox News Digital in an email. 

“This hearing loss affects how people hear in everyday life, like a noisy restaurant or other social gatherings.”

Cisplatin is a type of chemotherapy drug that contains the metal platinum, according to the National Cancer Institute’s website.

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The IV-administered drug is approved to treat bladder cancer, ovarian cancer and testicular cancer, the NCI states, either alone or in combination with other medications.

Higher doses of cisplatin were linked to more severe cases of hearing loss, the researchers found.

Cisplatin is a type of chemotherapy drug that contains the metal platinum, according to the National Cancer Institute’s website. (iStock)

Those at highest risk included patients with poor heart health or high blood pressure.

“It was surprising to see that cardiovascular conditions are related to increased hearing loss and progression of hearing loss, which speaks to the need for patients to consider healthy lifestyle choices to help protect their ears,” Sanchez said.

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The ears are especially vulnerable to the drug because they cannot filter it out, according to the USF researchers.

“This leads to inflammation and the destruction of sensory cells that are critical for coding sound, causing permanent hearing loss that can progressively get worse well after cisplatin treatments are completed,” the release stated.

Researchers tracked 100 testicular cancer survivors who received a chemo drug called cisplatin for an average of 14 years. (iStock)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved cisplatin for testicular cancer treatment in 1978, according to the NIH.

Packaging labels for the drug warn of the potential for ototoxicity, which involves damage to the inner ear as a side effect of medication.

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“Hearing loss can be unilateral or bilateral and tends to become more frequent and severe with repeated doses,” the packaging stated.

“Decreased ability to hear normal conversational tones may occur.”

It is unclear whether the drug-induced ototoxicity is reversible, according to the packaging.

“If a hearing loss is identified, treatment and help for hearing loss is available,” the lead study author said. “Health care providers can talk to patients about their risk of hearing loss and a plan for survivorship.” (iStock)

Based on the findings, the researcher recommends that cancer patients talk to their health care providers about possible hearing loss as a side effect of treatment and to receive hearing evaluations while receiving chemotherapy. 

“Check your hearing if you have any concerns,” Sanchez advised.  

“If hearing loss is identified, treatment and help for hearing loss is available. Health care providers can talk to patients about their risk of hearing loss and a plan for survivorship.”

The ears are especially vulnerable to the drug because they cannot filter it out, according to the USF researchers. (iStock)

Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, noted that cisplatin is a “highly effective treatment” for testicular cancer, improving the cure rate from 10% to 90% when used in combination with other drugs. 

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“[The drug has a] very high degree of side effects, [including] hearing loss, which is very well-known, in up to 80% of patients,” Siegel, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital via email. 

A cost-benefit analysis should be performed for all treatments, the doctor advised.

“High doses of chemotherapy (especially ones that are platinum-based) and radiation to the head, ear or brain can cause damage and hearing problems in one or both ears,” the ACS stated.  (iStock)

“Since this is a potentially deadly cancer, the benefits are generally worth the side effects, until newer, less toxic and equally effective treatments are developed,” Siegel said.

The main limitation of the study, according to Sanchez, is that all of the patients were very similar — males treated for testicular cancer.

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“We need to conduct additional studies to understand women treated with cisplatin and for other types of cancers,” she said.

The goal is that the research will lead to alternatives in chemotherapy treatment plans and preventative medications to reduce the risk of hearing loss, according to USF.

“Hearing loss related to cancer treatment is often permanent (doesn’t go away), but a hearing aid might help.”

The American Cancer Society warns on its website of the potential for chemotherapy drugs to impact hearing.

“High doses of chemotherapy (especially ones that are platinum-based) and radiation to the head, ear or brain can cause damage and hearing problems in one or both ears,” the ACS stated. 

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“Hearing loss related to cancer treatment is often permanent (doesn’t go away), but a hearing aid might help.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the FDA, the ACS and several manufacturers of branded cisplatin medications requesting comment.

Fox News Digital publishes an array of health pieces all week long on medical research, disease prevention, healthy eating, cutting-edge surgeries and more. We also feature personal stories of families overcoming great medical obstacles.

As your Sunday continues, check out some of the top stories from this past week that you may have missed or have been meaning to check out. 

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See our full selection of health stories at http://www.foxnews/health. 

Let’s dive in …

1. What it’s like to live with stiff person syndrome

A little-known neurological disorder has been thrust into the spotlight after a documentary revealed singer Celine Dion’s struggle with stiff person syndrome. Two patients share their daily struggles with Fox News Digital. Click here to get the story.

2. As moms microdose on mushrooms, some doctors urge caution

Some moms claim that “magic mushrooms” can ease stress and anxiety, but others warn of dangers. Fox News Digital speaks with mushroom advocate Peggy Van de Plassche and Dr. Adam D. Scioli, chief medical officer of Caron Treatment Centers in Pennsylvania, about weighing the risks and benefits. Click here to get the story.

Peggy Van de Plassche, left, a Canada-based former business and finance executive, quit her job to focus on the psychedelic industry. (Peggy Van de Plassche/iStock)

3. Scientists say they may have found the cause of lupus

Researchers from Northwestern Medicine in Chicago and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston claim they have found a “molecular defect” that leads to lupus, the autoimmune disease that affects around 1.5 million Americans. Here’s what to know. Click here to get the story.

A facial “butterfly rash” is one of the hallmark symptoms of lupus. (iStock)

4. Ancient Egyptians likely tried to treat cancer, study finds

Lesions found inside an ancient skull could suggest early surgical cancer care, say researchers from the University of Cambridge in the U.K. See the amazing photos. Click here to get the story.

Skull 236, left, and skull E270, right, revealed interesting findings about ancient medicine. (Tatiana Tondini, Albert Isidro, Edgard Camarós, 2024)

5. Experts warn of denial dangers after Biden’s debate

After the president’s “terrible” debate recently, health experts are warning of the dangers of denying cognitive symptoms and calling for a medical investigation. Click here to get the story.

President Biden is shown on stage during a campaign rally at Girard College on May 29, 2024, in Philadelphia. Amid the ongoing fallout from Biden’s lackluster debate performance on June 27, experts continue to react to potential signs of cognitive decline in the 46th president. (Getty Images)

6. Ask a doctor: ‘Why do I keep getting nosebleeds?’

Nosebleeds can be startling, but in most cases they aren’t serious. Two doctors explain what causes them and how to stop the flow. Click here to get the story.

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7. Relieve stress with this 3-minute stretching routine

A wellness expert demonstrates 7 stretches that reduce tension in the body and mind. See the photos and descriptions, and “feel better in no time.” Click here to get the story.

Walter Gjergja, the Switzerland-based co-founder and chief wellness officer at Zing Coach, has created a simple three-minute stretching routine exclusively for Fox News Digital. (Walter Gjergja)

8. Are tanning pills safe? Experts share potential risks

Some people are trading UV rays for tanning pills, as numerous social media influencers have raved about the supplements – but the dangers could outweigh the glow. Click here to get the story.

For more Health articles, visit foxnews.com/health

This week’s top health stories include stiff person syndrome struggles, ancient Egyptian cancer care, a lupus breakthrough and more. (Carrie Robinette/Tatiana Tondini/iStock)