Hangriness

Hello. Two blogs in rapid succession, due to the fact that I have just read the most interesting thing I have read in ages. And that is saying something because I read alot of things.

Have you heard the term 'hangry'? This term was coined, as far as i am aware, by the increasingly fabulous Amber Harrow nee Connolly and her substantially awesome husband Mr Pete Harrow (www.cockneytokiwi.blogspot.com/)

Hangry describes, as you can garner from the term, the intense, unpleasant emotional and physical sensations that one experiences when subject to a lack of, well, food.
The kind of feelings that can make you snap at your boyfriend, snap a blunt pencil, or just plain SNAP.
Titchy, short, snappy, angry, flustered, unable to think, moody, depressed even... when was the last time you ate?

I have been a sufferer of hangriness for as long as I can remember. I have also been a sufferer of poorly regulated blood sugars, for as long as I knew about human physiology and just what my symptoms (brain fog, irritability, heart palpitations, weakness, breathlessness) could mean.

I can recall hundreds of instances of losing my shit, due to hunger. One small instance: I remember coming home from a lengthy gym session and feeling sure I would hit my flatmate hard with the metal spatula she had left dripping grease on the bench with a wildlife of other dirty dishes, should she walk in the room. However post consumption of dinner, felt entirely more relaxed about the matter and able to smile blandly at her as she passed.

WELL! This article:

http://carlo-hamalainen.net/stuff/Gailliot%20Baumeister%20-%20The%20physiology%20of%20willpower:%20linking%20blood%20glucose%20to%20self-control.pdf

is the first scientific mention I have read of the underlying physiolgical explanation for HANGER.

Psychologists, including Freud, have known that self control, or the ability to override one's impulses, such as controlling attention, resisting impulsitivity, regulating emotions and refraining from criminal and AGGRESSIVE behaviour, relies on some sort of interal energy source. Previously, this energy source has been described by the 'folk notion' of 'will power'.

It is now becoming increasing clear (currently 50 studies) that the brain activity required for self control requires not just a 'metaphorical' well of energy, but hard core, physiologicaly, chemical energy in the form of GLUCOSE.

For those with little nutritional knowledge, glucose is the smallest chain of carbon and oxygen molecules that can be taken up by the cell and used for fuel in energy production. Most will know, glucose = energy. And the body needs energy to run every organ and system, and to no small degree the brain. Whilst only consisting 2% of body mass, the brain consumes a whopping 20% of your calorific intake. Hungry, hungry brain.

Today I Learned that whilst most pyschological process have relatively low energy requirements, self control is unusual in that it depends on relatively HIGH demands for energy, i.e.: glucose!

A further fascinating point is that acts of self control leave the body energy (glucose) deplete, and this impacts later acts of self control (for some reason I am seeing strung out parents refraining from yelling at/smacking their petulant children)...

The forms of behaviour that deplete and rely on this same pool of energy include emotion regulation, attention control, impulse control and performance optimsation (like telling a good joke well).

One last point that goes straight to the marrow for me is that one of the self-regulatory behaviours that has been studied and shown to be impacted by low glucose levels is accomodating behaviour in romantic relationships.

Re: my 'turn's out i'm crazy' post... I can think of more than a few occasions where the statement 'you're being crazy' could have been replaced with 'you're acting hungry'.

The paper itself goes into so much interesting detail, if you have an hour or so to digest it, you will have the joy of seeing the word 'parsimonious' used, probably for the first time.

To conclude, my word to the wise, get your blood sugars in control, and conquer your dreams, save you relationships, quit those bad habits, and refrain from criminal, amoral behaviour.

Banana anyone?