Majority of Brits get ‘tangry’ – angry because they’re tired, research reveals

You’ve heard of being ‘hangry’ but now scientists suggest you can also get ‘tangry’ – that’s tired and angry. 

Nine in ten identify with the feeling, a poll of 2,000 suggests, with one in five admitting they act like a different person.

Telltale signs of being tangry include overreacting to trivial things, cited by 49 per cent, constant complaining (43 per cent), impatience (42 per cent) and being in no mood to chat (40 per cent).

Tangry people often slam down phones (36 per cent) and struggle to concentrate at work (35 per cent), researchers found.

They also row with partners (30 per cent), snap at others (29 per cent), eat junk food to try and perk up (28 per cent), cry or get emotional easily (27 per cent) and swear under their breath about everything (17 per cent).

‘Tangry’ means to be angry due to tiredness (Stock Image)

The survey of 2,000 Brits was carried out for Bensons for Beds in collaboration with sleep expert Dr Sophie Bestock to develop a ‘Sleep Calm and Carry On’ programme to improve the country’s sleep wellness.

It revealed that signs of tiredness can include slow reaction speed, getting words mixed up and wearing an item of clothing inside out. 

The study also revealed nearly one in five Brits – 18 per cent – admit that they suffer from extreme mood swings and feel like a different person when they are tangry.

But three quarters of us do at least eventually apologise after tangry tantrums.

As well as impacting mood, tiredness can impact concentration (50 per cent), appetite (27 per cent) and relationships (27 per cent). 

Seaside resort Brighton and Hove is apparently the tangriest city in the UK with 81 per cent of residents regularly frazzled.

It is followed by Belfast (67 per cent), Cardiff (66 per cent) and Liverpool, Oxford and Sheffield (each 65 per cent).

Lisa Richards at Bensons said: ‘Whether it’s crying at the slightest thing or swearing under your breath about everything we are all guilty of having a “tangry” episode now and again.’

The average adult only manages six and a half hours sleep each night with 43 per cent routinely feeling tired when they wake up and fatigue typically peaking at around 3pm.

Sleep expert Dr Sophie Bostock said: ‘Our sleep, wellbeing and behaviour are intimately linked.

Around 30 per cent of tangry people row with their partners (Stock Image)

Seaside resort Brighton and Hove (pictured) is apparently the tangriest city in the UK with 81 per cent of residents regularly frazzled

‘A lack of sleep can alter the emotional control centres of the brain, making us more sensitive to stress, and reducing self-control.

‘Some people become more impulsive and aggressive.

‘This survey is also a valuable reminder that many of us can feel like a different person when we are sleep deprived and can lash out in ways we later regret.’

Bensons sleep plan aims to educate people about the significance of sleep and its impact on both mental and physical health.