You haven’t eaten breakfast and you’re starting to get snappy with everyone. You’re hangry. It’s not just a joke, it’s a real phenomenon. So, don’t forget to have some (preferably healthy) snacks around if you’re worried about your attitude.
Photo by Christopher Holden.
As news site Vox reports, recent research has pointed to the idea that being “hangry” is legit. The lower your blood sugar gets, the less fuel your brain has to function. While you can handle all the critical brain tasks like breathing and seeing, more complex things like turning a bickering argument about the dishes into a constructive conversation aren’t as simple. The result? You deal with the little things more impulsively, which leads to getting angrier easier:
The brain needs energy in order to function. And glucose, a simple sugar, is just about the only molecule that the brain will accept for fuel. So when the sugar in your bloodstream goes down, so does your brainpower. Low blood sugar can have a particularly large effect on high-level tasks that require self-control — because those tasks require an especially large amount of energy.
The simple way to deal with this is to keep some snacks nearby for those times when you have to go long periods of time without eating. You can also examine your eating schedule. If you tend to forget to eat during most of the day, and have one big meal in the evening with maybe a light lunch to hold you over, try spreading out your food intake throughout the day.
The science of “hangry” — how low blood sugar makes you a monster [Vox]
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