Link between binge eating and sensory need?

[ksheehan88]

A friend posed an interesting question to me after I complained about binge eating and my teeth hurting because of clamping my jaw when I have panic attacks/meltdowns...

She put it to me that perhaps I binge because I need oral sensory stimulation. I'm never hungry when I binge, and not always do it wen depressed... a lot of times its anxiety that drives it.

 

[Judge]

Consider rumination as a common trait of ASD. The pain you may be experiencing during binging may actually be brought on because of grinding your teeth while being asleep. Yet you frequently notice the discomfort/pain with conscious panic attacks and meltdowns.

Something to think about anyways. I sometimes experience later/delayed pain from bruxism, while not being able to consciously account for when it initially happened. Making it that much more confusing for me at times to rationalize cause and effect.

 

[the_tortoise]

I could see it being sensory seeking. I like to chew things -- it helps me focus and it calms me when I get stressed out or just overstimulated/worked up.

 

[Sid Delicious]

I don't really have an issue with binge eating (tends to be the opposite), but a couple of family members do and they stick to pure protein (fish, meat, eggs) when in binge mode and say that helps to reduce it. Carbs tend to mess up your blood sugar level, which keeps you in a spike-crash-binge cycle for much longer.