Being Hangry Is Real and Scary

My own Bruce Banner into the Incredible Hulk transformation becomes frightening.

“Order that damn thing yourself!” I yelled at my wife. What started as a routine over the phone food order turned me into a raging maniac. I yelled a few more choice words and knew I had lost control. I felt like a car in a skid, powerless to stop. She knew the problem. She has seen it all too often.

“You need to eat something,” she said. I did. A while later, I calmed down. It happens to me on many days. One or two hours before a meal, my blood sugar craters, and I explode into “hangry” epithets. I am not diabetic. But no matter how many times it happens, I always miss the cues. My wife is growing tired of it. I am as well. It is like when Dr. Bruce Banner turns into the Incredible Hulk.

The adverb, hangry, is a contraction of hungry and angry. Although there are many other symptoms of hunger, such as thirst, fatigue, and headache, anger is the most devastating to those around the afflicted. There are theories why some people get it, and others do not. One that makes sense is that individuals with short temper fuses are most prone. I am sad to say that I fit the bill. I have always been demanding and expect a lot, perhaps too much, of myself and others.

Like any other habit, I want to break this one. I now have a snack before bedtime, and pieces of fruit or cheese in between meals. As long as there are some fat and protein, not too many carbs, it works. Low blood sugar, or glucose, can trigger both the hunger and anger responses. Not only that, but it turns out the same genes do as well. (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-babble/201607/why-do-we-get-hangryhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-babble/201607/why-do-we-get-hangry)

Thus, if we are prone to anger easily, then we tend towards hanger too.

It is not pleasant to be out of control. If I eat a snack or meal too high in carbs or sugars, two to three hours later, a hanger attack is imminent. Foods that are high in fat and protein stretch the hours until hunger and anger develop. Busy lives interfere with proper eating and meal planning. But I am retired, so I don’t have that excuse any longer.

I know that my preventable episodes as an irrational and raving lunatic need to stop. I know how to do it. I must now turn knowledge into action. To quote Yoda, “There is no think, just do.”

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