We've all heard of the word "hangry," which is the feeling people experience when they are so hungry they become angry — but what does it mean to be "slangry"? It turns out that it's actually not too different from being hangry; all you need to do is substitute "hungry" with "sleepy." You've probably been there yourself — just think back to what it's like whenever you pull an all-nighter or two for exams. You're only still awake because of the grace of caffeine; you're on your way to school to actually the aforementioned exams when some jerk pushes you; on a normal day, you might have just brushed it off; but today, you're not taking crap from anyone and you let that jerk have a piece of your mind.
Congratulations! You just got slangry — that is, the emotion that people experience when they're so sleepy they actually become angry.
According to a recent segment on TODAY, over half of us have experienced feeling slangry at some point in our adult lives. TODAY host Savannah Guthrie reports that researchers have coined the term to describe what happens when we don't get enough sleep. Without your nightly seven-to-nine hours, you have a reduced ability to process your emotions and keep yourself in check.
Anger and irritation aren't the only problems that arise from lack of sleep. Some other things include your body acting like it's drunk, your immunity worsening, and quicker aging. According to lots of research, we need sleep for our bodies to recover and rejuvenate themselves and for our brain to be cleared of waste. Without this vital process, our bodies and mind simply can't keep up with our crazy lifestyles.
Though slanger is a real and sometimes excusable side-effect of not getting enough sleep, it's definitely not something you or your friends want to be dealing with all the time. Luckily, it can be avoided altogether with one easy trick — getting more sleep! Here are three ways to help you sleep more deeply and dream the slanger away.
1. The 4-7-8 Sleep Hack
Want to fall asleep in literally 60 seconds? Try the 4-7-8 sleep hack, which helps regulate your breathing to make you fall asleep faster. You can thank me when you're asleep.
2. Read
Yes, reading will actually help you fall asleep faster. According to researchers, immersing yourself in someone else's problems (and forgetting about yours) helps you relax — so find your favorite book, short story, magazine article, or other piece of reading and prepare to happily drift off.
3. Eat Some Dairy
Unless you're lactose intolerant, psychologist Dr. Fran Walfish recommends consuming some dairy before bed. She says that milk has a calming agent and melatonin, both of which help you relax and eventually drift off.
So don't put sleep off, my friends. Because while slanger and hanger can be charming at first, they get really old, really fast. Don't be that guy.
