We’ve all been through the feeling. You skip lunch and find yourself snapping at everyone around you.
The internet coined that feeling as being ‘hangry’, which combines the words hungry and angry. And now finally science has caught up with what we already know. That hangry is a real phenomenon.
Thanks to a report by New Scientist, we not only know that a lack of food can change your mood, but we also have an explanation for it.
Turns out that there is a link between your blood sugar levels and the hormones that trigger aggression and anger. So when your blood sugar’s low, it can be difficult to concentrate, resulting in anger.
As scientist and columnist Simon Oxenham discovered, low levels of blood sugar prompt the body to release cortisol and adrenaline, two chemicals associated with heightened stress.
There is also an increase in the neuropeptide Y levels, which is the hormone connected to aggression.
But don’t worry we’ve got a cure: Pack lots of snacks.