Food & feelings

Afternoon crash: how to find what lines up with it for you

Wiped out a couple of hours after lunch? Plenty of people feel flat in the early afternoon. For some it follows certain lunches; for others it tracks sleep, a long morning without food, or simply the time of day.

Why it's hard to work out

Afternoon crash rarely has a single obvious cause, and memory is unreliable: we remember the dramatic days and forget the ordinary ones. A short daily record turns guesses into comparisons.

Things besides food that can play a part

How to find your own pattern

  1. Log what you eat in a few words, including drinks and snacks.
  2. Check in once or twice a day. Check in mid-afternoon, around 3pm, so your energy slider reflects the dip.
  3. Give it about two weeks. You need days with and without a food to compare.
  4. Compare, then test. If a pattern shows up, change one thing for 7 days and compare.

What a Nourity comparison looks like

Example: "On days with one food, your energy was 17% lower (9 days vs 22). Moderate confidence."

An example, not real data. Nourity only shows a pattern after 14 days and at least 5 days with and without a food, with a confidence level.

If symptoms are frequent, severe, new or worrying, please talk to a doctor. A food and mood record is a useful thing to bring along.

Curious how your meals and your days line up?

Take the free 60-second food-mood check: six quick questions, no sign-up, and you'll know what to note first.

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