Irritability while fasting can rise with hunger, thirst, poor sleep and missing caffeine. Learn why anger builds during Ramadan and practical ways to manage it.
Forty minutes to go until iftar, the meal that breaks the fast. The queue for Ramadan pide outside the bakery stretches round the corner, someone at the front is holding places for two, and the person behind you keeps checking their watch. A scene you would normally laugh off is making something boil inside you today. When you get home, all it takes is for your child, laying the table, to knock over a glass, and your voice comes out much louder than you intended. The regret that follows is familiar: "I shouldn't have been like that while fasting." Irritability while fasting is something many people experience throughout Ramadan, something that is joked about but rarely taken seriously. In this article we look at the physical and psychological causes of this irritability, the times of day when it increases, and what you can do to protect both yourself and those around you.
Why Does Irritability While Fasting Happen?
Increased irritability while fasting is not a character flaw. It is the body and mind's response to a change in their familiar routine. This response has several sources.
A drop in blood sugar
Over a day spent without eating for many hours, blood sugar levels can fall. The brain perceives the reduction in its energy supply as a kind of alarm. Attention narrows, patience runs short and reactions to small triggers grow bigger. Much of what is commonly known as being "hangry" is linked to this.
Caffeine and nicotine withdrawal
For someone who starts the day with tea or coffee and smokes a few cigarettes during the day, fasting is also a period of withdrawal. Especially in the first days of Ramadan, headaches, restlessness and short temper are typical signs of this withdrawal. People often assume it comes from hunger; in fact a large part of the irritability may stem from the absence of a habitual substance.
Thirst
Particularly when Ramadan falls in the hotter seasons, going without water for long hours can cause tiredness, headaches and difficulty concentrating. As physical discomfort grows, it is natural for emotional tolerance to shrink.
Disrupted sleep
Getting up in the night for suhoor, the pre-dawn meal, staying up late after iftar and leaving early for work in the morning all shorten total sleep time and create broken sleep. A sleep-deprived mind struggles noticeably to regulate emotions. We discuss sleep and mood changes during Ramadan in more detail in our article on mood during Ramadan.
The pressure of "I must be patient"
For many people, Ramadan is the month of patience, self-restraint and spirituality. This expectation can be a source of strength; but on the other hand, when a person gets angry they blame themselves twice: once for getting angry, and again for getting angry "while fasting". This second layer of guilt can increase tension even further.
At What Times of Day Is It Harder?
Not every hour of a fasting day is the same. Noticing that irritability tends to concentrate in certain time slots allows you to be prepared for those hours.
- The early morning: For those who cannot get back to sleep after suhoor, or who sleep little, the morning begins with tiredness. Caffeine withdrawal is also felt most at this time.
- The afternoon: These are the hours when energy levels are lowest while the workload still continues. Meetings, tension with customers and traffic can feel more challenging in this slot.
- The last hour before iftar: For many people this is the riskiest hour of the day. The rush to get home, heavy traffic, the bakery queue, the dishes still to be finished in the kitchen and the moment when hunger peaks all come together.
Knowing which part of your own day is difficult for you helps you simplify those hours as much as possible.
How Does Irritability While Fasting Show Up in Daily Life?
In traffic
Traffic close to iftar time is one of the tensest scenes of Ramadan. Everyone is trying to get home at the same time, horns sound more often, and even a small jam can turn into an argument. We discuss the general dynamics of anger behind the wheel in our article on road rage. During Ramadan, hunger and tiredness are added to these dynamics.
At work
In workplaces where people who are fasting and people who are not work side by side, tension can surface in different ways. An employee who is fasting may respond more sharply to colleagues' requests because of low energy in the afternoon. For those who work directly with customers, staying patient can become even harder.
At home
During Ramadan the load within the home often increases. Preparing the iftar table, getting up for suhoor, hosting guests: in most families these responsibilities rest mainly on one person's shoulders, usually a woman's. Someone who has spent hours in the kitchen while fasting may react very strongly to even a small criticism made just before iftar. The children's noise, a partner arriving late, or a broken plate can be the moments when this accumulated tiredness spills over.
Let's say your partner walks in half an hour before iftar and says, "Lentil soup again?" The sentence itself may be innocent; but for someone who has been hungry and on their feet for hours, it can trigger the feeling that their effort is going unseen. In moments like these, the real subject of the argument is usually not the soup but feeling unseen and exhausted.
In young people who are fasting
Irritability while fasting is also common among teenagers who have recently started to fast. Young people try to fast while coping both with the high energy needs of a growing body and with the load of school, private tutoring centres and exam preparation. A young person preparing for the LGS or YKS (Turkey's national high-school and university entrance exams) who cannot concentrate on a practice test in the afternoon and then snaps at a sibling is an understandable picture. When parents do not expect adult-level self-control from a teenager during this period, plan their sleep and meals together with them, and do not take their irritable moments as a personal attack, tension at home eases.
At the same table as those who are not fasting
When people who fast and people who do not live or work together, a delicate balance is sometimes needed. Someone who is fasting may feel quietly hurt by a person eating next to them; someone who is not fasting may feel constantly judged. Talking about these differences openly, with mutual respect and at a calm moment, prevents unspoken resentments from spilling out as anger.
Saying "I'm Fasting, I'm Irritable": An Explanation or an Excuse?
"Sorry, I'm fasting" can be an honest explanation that makes irritability understandable. Letting those around you know about your state helps them understand you better. The problem begins, however, when this sentence becomes a justification for being hurtful to others.
The fact that irritability has physical causes does not remove responsibility for the behaviour that comes from it. Shouting, belittling or being harsh with children hurts the other person whether you are fasting or not. The aim here is not to blame yourself, but to manage your behaviour while being aware of your irritability.
For many people, the meaning of fasting is not only abstaining from food and drink but also watching one's words and anger. This perspective can be a powerful source of motivation for managing irritability. Patience is not never feeling anger; it is being able to choose how to act while you feel it.
You cannot always stop anger from arriving; but when it does, you can usually choose how much room to give it.
Practical Ways to Manage Anger During Ramadan
Prepare before Ramadan
If you have a tea, coffee or smoking habit, gradually reducing the amount a few days before Ramadan begins can soften the effects of withdrawal in the first days. Bringing your bedtime a little earlier a few days in advance also eases the transition.
Don't skip suhoor
Skipping suhoor, or getting by on just a few mouthfuls, can increase the drop in energy during the day. Taking in enough fluid at suhoor and choosing meals that keep you full for longer can help reduce irritability in the afternoon. If you have a particular dietary condition, consult your doctor or a dietitian.
Build in a "buffer time" before iftar
Simplify the last hour before iftar as much as possible. Do the shopping before midday, prepare part of the meal the day before, and if possible avoid leaving it to the last minute to get home for iftar. During that last hour, avoid difficult phone calls, important decisions or contentious subjects.
Save difficult conversations for after iftar
If you need to talk to your partner about the budget, to your child about schoolwork, or to your sibling about a disagreement, plan it for after iftar, once you have rested a little. Hunger and tiredness are the greatest enemies of a calm conversation.
Catch the first signs of anger
Anger usually starts in the body: a clenched jaw, a hot face, tightened hands, quickening breath. When you notice these signs, pause for a moment. Breathing out slowly and deeply a few times, stepping away from the situation for a short while, or washing your face can stop the anger from peaking. You can find different ways of calming down in the moment in our article on calming down when you're angry.
Share the load
If iftar preparations at home are one person's responsibility, talk about it. Laying the table, doing the shopping, washing up, looking after the children: when these tasks are shared, both tiredness and tension decrease.
Balance movement and rest
Avoiding heavy physical exertion, while taking short walks during the day and a short rest whenever you can, balances the body's energy. A short walk after iftar can also help both digestion and a calmer mind.
Reduce stimulation
A hungry, tired mind is more sensitive to noise, crowds and a heavy flow of information. In the afternoon, rather than scrolling through news and social media feeds on your phone, taking a short break in silence, working in a quieter corner at work if possible, or listening to calm music you enjoy on the way home lightens the load on your nervous system. As small stimuli decrease, your patience for larger ones increases.
Treat yourself with compassion
If you lost your temper one day, do not turn it into a verdict such as "I've ruined my fast, it was all for nothing." If you hurt someone, apologise, learn from what happened and start afresh the next day.
When Should You Seek Professional Support?
Irritability related to fasting usually eases after the first days of Ramadan and passes with the holiday that ends it. However, speaking to a professional may be helpful if:
- Your anger is not limited to Ramadan and you lose your temper often for much of the year
- You notice that you cannot control yourself in moments of anger, say things you later regret, or damage objects
- Your anger is frequently directed at your partner or children
If anger is turning into physical violence, or if you or someone close to you is in danger, call 112 (emergency services). Also, if you have a chronic illness or take regular medication, be sure to consult your doctor before fasting; some physical conditions can increase irritability and may need medical assessment.
How Is Anger Addressed in Therapy?
In therapy, anger is treated not as a "bad" emotion to be suppressed but as a natural emotion that people can learn to manage. In a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approach, the situations that trigger anger and the thoughts and bodily reactions accompanying them are first mapped together. For example, you might notice how the thought "Nobody sees my effort" makes anger grow in a moment of criticism.
Then concrete skills that can be used in moments of anger are practised: breathing techniques, stepping away briefly, expressing your needs without blame. The feelings that lie beneath anger, such as tiredness, feeling unseen or inadequacy, are also discussed. Individual therapy offers a safe space in which to build a healthier relationship with your anger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does getting angry while fasting break the fast?
This is a religious question, and it is better to consult religious scholars for an answer. From a psychological point of view, feeling irritable is a natural reaction; what matters is how you act with this feeling. Rather than blaming yourself excessively, it is more useful to take concrete steps to manage your anger.
Why am I more irritable in the first days of Ramadan?
In the first days the body has not yet adjusted to the new routine; caffeine and nicotine withdrawal is also felt most during these days. As the body adapts over a few days, irritability is generally seen to decrease.
My partner gets very irritable while fasting. How can I support them?
Not raising contentious subjects in the hours before iftar, sharing the housework and knowing their hardest hours can all help. It is also important to talk at a calm time, without blame, about how their irritability affects you. If anger frequently turns into hurtful behaviour, the subject should be addressed at a calm moment after iftar.
Will giving up smoking at the same time as fasting increase irritability?
Nicotine withdrawal can increase restlessness and short temper in the first days. Even so, for many people Ramadan can be an opportunity to start cutting down or stopping smoking. Getting support during this process makes it easier to cope with withdrawal symptoms.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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