Supporting Behaviour During a Fasting Period

Published On: 15 January 2025

Some of the individuals we support regularly undergo periods of fasting. This might be due to specific medical needs, cultural beliefs, or religious holidays and festivals. Some people may also choose to fast for personal wellbeing reasons.

What is fasting?

Fasting usually involves abstaining from eating and / or drinking for a period of time. A fast can be complete or partial, lengthy or intermittent.

Many people find fasting straightforward and are able to function as usual, with little impact on their day-to-day lives. For others, however, going without food and drink can affect their thoughts, feelings and behaviour, and they may need additional support from us during this time.

Impact of fasting on behaviour

When the human body is deprived of food and water for long periods, it can potentially have a range of cognitive, emotional, and physiological consequences. The severity of the impact depends on the individual’s mental state and physical health, and the duration and frequency of the fasting.

While some preliminary studies show an improvement in cognitive function and overall wellbeing linked to fasting, there are other studies that show that short-term fasting can have a negative impact on mental wellbeing.

When experiencing prolonged hunger or thirst, some children, young people and adults may experience headaches, nausea, lethargy, mood changes, and sleep disruption – all of which can affect their behaviour.

Supporting individuals during fasting periods

There’s no doubt that limiting or omitting food and drink can be challenging for some individuals, so we need to consider ways we can offer support during these times.

We also need to remember that our support may extend to our colleagues and other staff members, not just the individuals in our care.

1: Show compassion, understanding and respect

Individuals who are fasting may be doing so out of choice, or because they have been encouraged or advised to do so by someone else, such as a medical practitioner. When we know and understand the underlying reasons for the fast, we can decide on the best support strategies.

For example, if we know that a child, young person, or adult we support is fasting for religious reasons, we can find out more about their beliefs and engage in conversation with them about it to show our interest.

2: Prepare others

In many of our organisations, the person fasting may be surrounded by others who are not. This can sometimes prove challenging, as they may see people eating and drinking when they are not able to join in themselves. This can sometimes result in feelings of ‘otherness’, resentment, and isolation.

We can check in with the individual to see whether they would be happy for us to inform other people in the setting about their reasons for fasting, to help foster a wider feeling of inclusion, support, and understanding. Of course, this would need to be decided on a case-by-case basis, as for some people, fasting is a deeply personal practice and they may not want others to know.

3: Reduce demands

Feeling hungry or thirsty can be all-consuming and make it difficult for individuals to engage in activities and tasks. For example, it may be hard to muster the energy for sports and team games when we are lacking regular sustenance, and seemingly simple tasks may feel overwhelming.

We can use our knowledge of individuals to create a lower-demand environment where we adapt what we do to make sure we meet their needs. For example, this might mean limiting vigorous activity, modifying tasks, or reducing the number of requests we make.

It’s also important to make reasonable adjustments for staff who may be fasting and carefully manage their workload during these periods.

4: Collaborate to adapt the environment

When someone is fasting, we may need to consider ways to adapt the environment to best support them.

Through open, two-way conversations, we can involve them in discussions about what works best for them. For example, they might prefer to go somewhere else during mealtimes; they may need a quiet area for private reflection; or we might have to ensure that we are both physically and emotionally available at different times, so that they can reach out for support when required.

By including individuals in our decision-making, and listening to their suggestions, we can create an environment that best supports their needs. We can also offer reassurance and comfort to those who are struggling with feelings of hunger or thirst.

5: Engage with families

Parents and carers can offer valuable insights into what an individual needs and what works best for them when they are struggling. In some instances, parents, carers and other family members might be taking part in the fast, too.

If we engage effectively with families, we can expand our knowledge and understanding of a person and their reasons for fasting and share information with our colleagues about how best to support the whole family unit.

Show professional curiosity around fasting

Knowing that someone is fasting can often help us to understand behaviour we might be seeing. For that reason, we need to be vigilant and sensitive to individuals’ needs and ensure that we offer timely and appropriate support during fasting periods.

We can educate ourselves around key religious and cultural practices, and always extend respectful care, not only to the individuals we support, but also to our co-workers and colleagues.