Is "Hangry" a Real Thing?

It's Karen here, and I have always believed (from unfortunate personal experiences) that "hangry" is a real thing. Anyone else agree? After years of spending time with me, I am pretty sure my husband is now a walking glucometer, and can sense from my mood that my blood sugar is quickly dropping to dangerous levels. His nice way of saying I'm turning into a gremlin is to say "Let's get you some food." He's a good man. But it turns out, there is a physiological reason why some people get angry when they're hungry!

When you haven’t eaten for a while, the level of sugar (glucose) in your bloodstream decreases. When it gets too low, it triggers a cascade of hormones, including cortisol (a stress hormone) and adrenaline (the fight-or-flight hormone). These hormones are released into your bloodstream to raise and rebalance your blood sugar.

For some lucky people, the release of cortisol can cause aggression or anger. Low blood sugar can also interfere with other brain functions, such as those that help us control impulses and regulate our primitive drives and behavior.

Gosh, this explains so much. And sometimes understanding what drives our behavior goes a long way towards being able to identify and correct it in the future. It is actually quite empowering to know the "why" behind your behavior! So for all the fellow hangry peeps out there...go forth, eat regularly, and always carry a snack with you ;)