Why do I feel shaky when I skip breakfast?

Feeling shaky when you skip breakfast is often related to going too long without food, which can make some people sensitive to changes in blood sugar and trigger a stress-hormone response.

After an overnight fast, your body may be running on lower available glucose than usual, and your liver’s stored glycogen helps keep blood sugar steady until you eat. In some people, skipping breakfast can lead to a drop in blood sugar or a blood-sugar swing that causes the body to release hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Those hormones can make you feel:

• shaky or jittery
• sweaty
• hungry
• lightheaded
• irritable or anxious
• like your heart is racing

This is not always true hypoglycemia in the medical sense, but the symptoms can feel similar. It may happen more if you drink coffee on an empty stomach, exercise in the morning, are dehydrated, or are especially sensitive to blood-sugar changes.

To help prevent it, try a breakfast that includes protein, fiber-rich carbohydrates, and some healthy fat, since that combination tends to help keep blood sugar steadier than eating mostly simple sugars. Drinking water in the morning can also help.

If the shakiness is frequent, severe, or comes with confusion, fainting, chest pain, or heavy sweating, it’s a good idea to see a healthcare professional, because blood-sugar problems or other conditions can sometimes be involved.