One of his most recent hits was a song called Candy. Perhaps now we know why… Robbie Williams, 43, has revealed he is suffering from Nocturnal Sleep-related Eating Disorder [NS-RED] – a condition which means he eats in the middle of the night, unaware he is doing so. The former Take That star admits he struggles to control his weight due to his nightly fridge-raids which see him ‘not eating kale, but sugar’. Battling the little known disorder for over 12 months has left him on a permanent daytime diet in an effort to counteract his night-time culinary proclivities. Speaking on his video blog he said: ‘I’m doing this very weird thing, and it’s been for over a year now, where I night-eat. ‘I am absolutely asleep and I get up, and I go and eat. I don’t do it on purpose - I’m not aware I’m doing it - but it happens. ‘And apparently in my sleep I don’t want kale; I want sugar and loads of it. ‘It’s been super weird, as you can imagine and leaves me not a lot of room for [eating] bad stuff during the day because bad stuff happens at night, when I am asleep. It’s just weird, but it’s what’s happening. ‘So there’s zero sad, shameful secret treats because I have my treat in the middle of the night when I don’t even know about it.’ NS-Red affects around 2% of the population, and is characterized by abnormal eating patterns during the night. Although not as common as sleepwalking, the two are often synonymous, and often sees sufferers walk into the kitchen, prepare food, and then eat it. In the morning they have no recollection of so doing – and only used plates, or crumbs, are tell-tale signs. While the condition may sound humorous, it can have serious consequences and a person can experience significant weight gain in addition to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes. When previously quizzed by a fan on Twitter about his sleep-eating habits, the 43-year-old singer explained that he tucked into less-than-healthy options. He wrote: ‘To answer what I ate - Macaroni and cheese (cold) and cookies dipped in peanut butter ..Lots of…’. Treatment of sleep-related eating disorders begins with an interview and may include an overnight stay in a sleep lab, where brain activity is monitored during the night. Medication sometimes can be helpful for these disorders; however, sleeping pills should be avoided, because they can increase confusion and clumsiness that can lead to injury. The Brit-winning star has previously spoken about his battle with his weight, and has long-struggled to keep himself lean. He was once cruelly dubbed Blobby Williams by commentators after unflattering photographs of him emerged. Robbie appeared to experience the phenomenon for the first time last year, tweeting in April 2016: 'So this actually happened: Sleep walking to the fridge. Then sleep eating. Found out the next day.' Robbie's wife Ayda Field later spoke out about her husband's unusual eating habits, as she revealed the star works hard to maintain his svelte shape. Speaking on Loose Women, she said: 'He was called fat when he was 15 in Take That, which I think is disgusting. He has been on a diet ever since.' And the pop star is so determined not to get out of shape, he always refuses sweet treats - even on his birthday and Christmas. The actress added: 'He always says no to pie at birthdays and Christmas... my man should be allowed to have pie!' Talking about Robbie's struggle with his own self-image, Ayda also revealed that the star constantly works because he's so terrified of failure. She explained: 'He works so hard and loves his fans so much. He wrote 65 songs for his latest album and never wants to let anyone down.' Source
