We've all been there. You're in the middle of your day, trying to get things done, and suddenly, you feel it—a pang of hunger so sharp that it's more than just a craving. You're not just hungry; you're irritated, snappy, and everything around you seems to test your patience. What started as a slight grumble in your stomach has turned into full-on rage. Now you don't even know whether you are hangry or angrier, or maybe something weirdly in between.

This crazy jumble of emotions is what people refer to as being "hangry," a bright and clever portmanteau of the words "hungry" and "angry." Wanting to eat something is a little different, though, from being hungry enough that you start to feel it seep into your mood and your patience. Most people have; if they haven't, then there's probably a good chance that you know someone who has.

What is Hangry, really?

Being "hangry" isn't exactly a medical diagnosis, per se, but it is most definitely a real phenomenon.

Some folks just get angry or irritable or even emotional if they don't eat for some time. The presentation of hanger varies from person to person: some lash out in frustration while others may feel anxious, feel down, or totally crazed. Some people might even feel this way if they do not eat enough during the day. But why does hunger cause such an emotionally evocative feeling? What is the physics behind it?

As explained by experts, hanger is triggered by a biochemical reaction in your body, especially once your blood sugar levels have dropped. Without food intake, your blood sugar (glucose) levels drop low. Since glucose is the primary fuel for your brain, the situation starts getting out of hand when it does not get its due.

How You Become Hangry?

The moment your blood sugar drops, it triggers a cocktail of hormones that balance things out in your body.

Among these two other vital players are stress hormones: cortisol and adrenaline. One is termed the "stress hormone" as it's one released at moments of stress to help you cope while the other is your "fight-or-flight" hormone. Both of them are released into your blood to help raise and stabilize your blood sugar levels. These stress hormones, however, will also mess with your emotional regulation.

Cortisol can trigger aggression in some; one's lower brain functions interfere with higher brain activities like that which guides impulse control and emotion regulation. In other words, when your body runs low on fuel, you're left with a rage in the throes of said irritability and crankiness-the kind we've all come to refer to as hanger. Let's find out why your stomach growling can turn into you growling, and how to tame the inner beast of hunger.

The Inner Beast: The Science Behind Why Your Stomach Growling Can Turn into You Growling and How to Calm It Down

Role of Serotonin: Your Gut's Secret Weapon

One of the major players in the control of your mood is the chemical that most people have heard of called serotonin. This is known as the "feel-good" chemical. An astonishing 90% of serotonin is produced in your gut, not your brain. So if your gut is well-fed, it will churn out plenty of serotonin, which will keep your mood level and hold the bright smiling side of you in place. Dotted lines connect the nerves via pathways of neurotransmitters, including serotonin. When you skip meals, your gut's serotonin production slows down.

Without enough serotonin, your mood becomes volatile- something like a cranky toddler who overslept: cranky, cranky, uncooperative. That is why you don't really care if your partner is breathing too loudly until you get hungry.

Blood Sugar: A Rollercoaster Ride

Your brain needs glucose to operate. Low blood sugar will make you function as though you were trying to run a smartphone on 1% battery if it works at all, things don't work quite the same.

Your brain can't do decision-making, impulse control, or regulate your emotions. And low blood sugar can even trigger the release of cortisol and adrenaline that leaves you feeling more stressed than when you started. Low serotonin levels paired with more stress hormones mean that when the pangs of hunger catch you, you may feel like snapping at everyone in line.

A study published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience revealed that the gut can send distress signals to the brain, influencing mood regulation and stress responses. Another Cell study has demonstrated how disruptions in gut health could alter mood and behavior, thus underlining the radically intertwined nature of the brains and the digestive system.

Next time you get angry because you skipped breakfast, it's just biology being a little dramatic.

Other Effects of Being Way Too Hungry

Hunger does not make all individuals respond in a similar manner. While not every individual becomes hangry, all people are affected by hunger in different ways. Some may become tired, drowsy, or unfocused. Others may become clumsy or notice a surge in mistakes. Those who do not have control over their temper and lack impulse control are still far more susceptible to hangriness.

While there is no direct link between multiple episodes of hanger and personality disorders, hunger has many negative physical ramifications other than causing a short temper.

Hunger is how your body lets you know it needs to be fueled; depriving your body of fuel for too long has emotional and physical aftermaths. Regardless, whether you feel hangry or just a little cranky when you haven't eaten, learn how to pay attention to the signs your body is giving you and fuel it with balanced meals. Regular feeding in addition to adding some mood-stabilizing foods to the diet can help control those pesky hunger-induced mood swings.

Hangry Cure: Five Foods to the Rescue

1. Bananas – Rich in natural sugars and fiber, bananas will give you a quick energy boost while stabilizing your blood sugar.

2. Nuts and Seeds – Almonds or sunflower seeds have protein and healthy fats that satisfy hunger for longer.

3. Greek Yogurt – High on proteins and probiotics, Greek yogurt supports your gut well-being and satisfies your hunger pangs.

4. Chana (Roasted Chickpeas) – A popular Indian snack, roasted chana is a high-protein, fiber-rich option that can provide long-lasting energy

5. Poha – This Indian dish is lightweight and nutritious, offering balanced carbohydrates with the help of fiber that can quickly satisfy hunger.

As per the World Health Organization (WHO), globally, over 1.2 billion people ages 30 to 79 have hypertension. The number has increased from 650 million in 1990 to 1.2 billion in 2021. This increase is attributed to many factors, including lifestyle factors, which include salty indulgence, stress, and screen time which has been increased. These three impact your blood pressure levels, know how.

What Are The Three S Worsening Your Blood Pressure?

Salt

As per the Harvard Heart Publishing, an average American consumes the equivalent of about 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt per day, which is 50% more than the recommended amount.

About a third of healthy people and about 60% of people with high blood pressure are salt sensitive.

How does salt affects blood pressure?

When you consume too much sodium, your body holds on to extra water to balance the sodium levels. This added fluid increases the volume of blood in your vessels, which in turn raises your blood pressure and forces your heart to work harder. High sodium intake can also reduce the effectiveness of certain blood pressure medications. For example, diuretics help eliminate excess sodium and water, while vasodilators work by relaxing the blood vessels. However, a high-sodium diet makes your body retain fluid again, refilling those relaxed vessels and undoing the medication's effects.

Stress

As per the official publication of State Medical Society of Wisconsin, stress can cause hypertension through repeated blood pressure elevations as well as by stimulation of the nervous system to produce large amounts of vasoconstricting hormones that increase blood pressure. Factors affecting blood pressure through stress include white coat hypertension, job strain, race, social environment, and emotional distress.

As per National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, around 50 million American adults live with hypertension, defined as a systolic blood pressure over 139 mm Hg or diastolic pressure over 89 mm Hg. In about 95% of these cases, the condition is classified as "essential" hypertension, meaning there’s no single identifiable cause. However, experts agree that multiple factors—including stress—can contribute to rising blood pressure in these individuals.

Screentime

As per a 2024 study published in Cureus, hypertension is a major risk factor for coronary artery disease. The study links the increased accessibility of smartphones with the increasing hypertension.

This study explored the relationship between screen time and blood pressure (BP) among young adults.

The study also noted that higher screen time was more common among individuals using multiple devices. The prevalence of elevated BP in the sample was 35.8%, aligning with national data and raising concerns about the cardiovascular health of young adults.

Previous studies support these concerns. For instance, Nang et al. and Martinez-Gomez et al. linked prolonged TV viewing to higher BP and an adverse cardiovascular risk profile in adolescents. However, these relied on self-reported data. Other risk factors, such as age, gender, obesity, inactivity, and substance use, have also been linked to hypertension.

Women’s reproductive health is a sensitive subject. Even though there have been many advancements in women’s healthcare, large gaps in research and medical well-being of women have been observed. The general lack of information regarding women’s healthcare and education have also been highlighted in the recent years.

While you may think it is not a matter of urgency, a new report found a very concerning toxin in tampons, levels of which were higher than what is even allowed in drinking water.

A new report from two groups, the Women's Environmental Network (WEN) and Pesticide Action Network UK, has raised serious concerns. They found harmful chemicals in many of the menstrual products sold in regular stores across Britain. The study was particularly worried about finding pesticides, especially glyphosate, which is the most common weed killer used worldwide, in these products that women use in a very sensitive part of their bodies.

Disturbing Levels of Pesticides Detected

The findings are quite shocking. Tampons are a largely used menstruation product, which soaks the menstrual blood by insertion in the vaginal canal. The World Health Organization, a global health authority, has said that glyphosate probably causes cancer. Even more alarmingly, one box of tampons had levels of glyphosate that were 40 times higher than what's legally allowed in drinking water!

It's thought this happens because the pesticide might be sprayed on the cotton crops that are used to make tampons. The report also found another dangerous chemical called chlorpyrifos in some tampons. This is an insecticide that's actually banned in the UK because it can harm the brain and nervous system.

The report was very clear about how serious this is: they said that for some chemicals, there's no safe amount, so any trace found in period products should be less than what can even be detected.

Direct Threat to Health

There's worry about how these chemicals might affect health. This is because a part of the body that absorbs things very easily, the vagina, lets chemicals skip the body's natural cleaning systems and go straight into the blood. People are saying this isn't just careless, it's actually dangerous. They also feel it's wrong that these kinds of chemicals are still in period products today.

Lack of Regulation and Impact on Farmers

The report pointed out a major problem: there are no specific rules in the UK for these products. Manufacturers don't have to tell you what's in their products, and there are no laws to stop pesticide residue from ending up in the final product you buy.

The issue also affects cotton farmers. The report highlighted that "cotton farmers are being exposed to toxic pesticides at concerning levels." Many of these farmers are women, and they face health risks every day from working with these dangerous pesticides both on their farms and even in their homes.

Demands for Clearer Information and Change

People are strongly demanding that the industry be more open. It's simply not okay that users don't know what's in products they use on such private parts of their bodies. There's an urgent need for companies to be transparent (show all ingredients), take accountability (be responsible for their products), and make real changes in how things are done. This is because everyone who has a period deserves better and safer products.

The report asks the government to act quickly:

• Test period products very strictly.
• Make it a legal rule for companies to list every ingredient and extra chemical.
• Include organic, disposable period products in free school programs.

Concern regarding pollution and how it affects our health is a worry that affects many of us worldwide. As years pass on by, the pollution levels are also increasing, and so is our mortality risk. The World Health Organization (WHO) explains that exposure to air pollution is strongly linked with stroke, ischaemic heart disease, lung diseases etc. However, these are not the only things you must worry about when it comes to air pollution exposure. A new study shows that it could also affect the way our brain functions.

A study from Italy, published in a science journal called iScience, found a really important clue in our genes. It seems that when we breathe in polluted air, it can actually change how our genes work in the brain. Think of it like flipping a switch that creates the perfect conditions for diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's to start growing.

Early Warning Signs and High-Risk Groups

The researchers saw some worrying changes even in young adults. Their brain tissue showed signs of DNA damage that looked a lot like what you'd see in someone with Alzheimer's – but decades before they would normally be diagnosed. This is a huge red flag.

Certain jobs also put people at a higher risk. If you're a miner, factory worker, or driver, you're exposed to more polluted air. Even people who work with plastics face a hidden danger from tiny particles called nanoparticles that can get into their brains.

But here's some good news: this discovery could mean doctors can check for these changes without needing to do anything invasive, like surgery. They might be able to test for something called extracellular vesicles. These are like tiny packages that carry material from damaged brain cells. So, if we can test for these packages, it could give us an early warning sign from the brain itself.

Understanding the Complexities and Taking Precautions

It's clear that being generally unhealthy and breathing polluted air from a young age can increase your risk of these brain conditions. However, we still need a lot more research to fully understand how everything is connected. Experts from News Medical have pointed out that studying air pollution is tricky because the air we breathe in the real world is a mix of many different pollutants.

To help protect yourself on days when pollution levels are high, organizations like Asthma + Lung UK suggest some simple steps:

• Stay indoors as much as possible.
• Avoid exercising outside, especially vigorous activity.
• If you're walking, try to stay away from busy roads with heavy traffic.
• Keep your car windows closed when driving in traffic.
• If you do want to be active outdoors, try to do it earlier in the day, as the air tends to be cleaner then.

Looking Ahead: Prevention and Policy

There's a big call for more research to understand how air pollution affects younger people and other parts of our brain's thinking abilities. The results of this research could lead to exciting new ways to prevent these diseases. It could also push for better safety rules in workplaces, stricter environmental standards to clean up our air, and even new laws to protect public health from air pollution.