In 2015, after many years of common use, the word Hangry has finally been officially added to the major English dictionaries, including the Oxford Dictionary.
It is therein defined as (adjective): Bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger. E.g. I get very hangry if I miss lunch.
For those of us who have experienced ‘hanger’ (myself included), we admit it feels nice to have this unsettling and problematic emotion finally recognized and validated. But besides the English teachers and editors of the world finally recognizing this state of being both hungry and angry, perhaps if we looked at the physiological reaction that is actually happening within the body when this condition occurs, perhaps hanger will be even more widely acceptancd and fully understood, as a valid, yet temporary, physiological condition.
Basically what hangry boils down to is the drop in blood sugar levels when a person is hungry. Glucose (blood sugar) is the main fuel for the body and brain. When a person has low blood sugar it is difficult to regulate their moods, which leads to emotional reactions. When a person’s blood sugar drops to low levels, they experience hunger, and if that person feels something or someone is affecting their ability to obtain more food they may direct an intense emotion response in their direction. Researchers said if blood sugar levels fall too low the brain can actually react as if it's confronted with a life-threatening situation and go into survival mode. But it’s not really a conscious decision - it’s their blood chemistry really.
Nutritionists from the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics explain it further:
“When blood sugar is low the hypothalamus is triggered and levels of several hormones such as growth hormone, leptin and ghrelin are affected. This imbalance then causes a shift in neurotransmitters and suppresses serotonin receptors. Serotonin is a hormone that helps regulate mood and appetite. Cut off your body’s ability to process it and prepare for some mood swings. Anger and extreme frustration are common responses.
This is not to say that everyone who skips lunch (or is forced to skip lunch) will turn into a raging hulk before dinner. Blood sugar has to drop pretty low (e.g. normal range of 70-100mg/dl to below 55mg/dl) before hanger causing moderate hypoglycemia sets in. That may take several hours of not eating.”
However, some people are more susceptible to this condition than others. Hanger can be more intense in people with pre-existing medical conditions, such as hypoglycemia, diabetes, mood disorders (including depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder), as well as endurance athletes who are used to eating on a regular basis to keep up with their bodies increased metabolic demands.
Those with hypoglycemia and diabetes are already susceptible to spikes in blood sugar due to their issues with insulin. People with mood disorders are vulnerable to anything that may alter the delicate balance of hormones in their brain, especially serotonin. Endurance athletes are more susceptible to bouts of hanger as their training regimes have influenced their metabolic rates to be higher than the average person. They need to eat at more frequent intervals due to their increased muscle mass and high activity levels. They may feel the impact of hunger more acutely than others because of this.
The best thing people can do to avoid this hangry situation/physiological condition is to eat a combination of protein and complex carbohydrates every 4 hours to keep their blood sugar regulated (e.g. hummus & carrots, or cheese & crackers are ideal examples for snacks). Surely, this will keep them - and everyone around them - in a much better mood and harmonious environment.
To summarize, I found a nice flow chart that may be helpful to deal with, and even better, to prevent any hangry situations from happening in the future:
For further reading info on this topic:
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: http://www.eatrightacend.org/ACEND
Dietitians of Canada: http://www.dietitians.ca/
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