Hands down the most common question people ask me is “So what do I do to avoid the 3 pm slump?”
And the answer most people get from other medical professionals is to avoid certain foods. Avoid dairy. Avoid gluten. Avoid sugar. Avoid all carbs.
My answer is, you need to ADD things to your day to keep you going. But adding caffeine isn’t the answer.
The midafternoon energy crash isn’t because of things you are doing that you need to stop. It’s usually due to things your body is MISSING and because it doesn’t have what it needs, it slows down. Makes sense, right?
So what do we add to beat the 3 pm slump?
This answer isn’t easy because it’s not as simple as eat more X, or add in Y. The best way to prevent the afternoon slump is to reframe your entire day. And if that seems daunting, just start with your morning routine.
- Wake up at the same time every day.
- Eat breakfast.
- Eat breakfast within an hour of waking up.
- Eat breakfast within an hour of waking up that includes 30 g protein + healthy fat + fiber.
- Eat every 3-4 hours after that.
- Eat 20-30 g protein + healthy fat + fiber together every time you eat.
- Think of snacks as mini meals and not just a protein bar or a quick carb.
- Drink coffee WITH meals or after them, not alone.
- Get outside and enjoy movement and sunshine every day. Ideally before noon.
- Practice good sleep hygiene and go to bed at the same time every night, ideally at a time that gives you 7-8 hours of sleep.
Sounds like a lot. And of course, you don’t have to start with ALL of this at once. But these are the basics of a nourished, healthy lifestyle that supports energy needs throughout the entire day. And if you don’t have a healthy foundation in place, your body is not going to thrive each day. It may survive, but anyone asking me this question is tired of just surviving. And wouldn’t we all prefer to thrive each day?
And for those of you asking, “But why wont caffeine help?” Consider this:
Are you drinking caffeine first thing in the morning, before a glass of water, before any food, before anything else you do? Caffeine before food surges cortisol levels and adds to an already dominant sympathetic nervous system in the morning. Yes, we naturally want cortisol to rise in the morning, it’s what helps get us up and going. But we don’t want it rising so high that the resulting crash later leaves us frozen. This also sets our blood sugar off on the wrong foot in the morning and we don’t want to start the day with a blood sugar roller coaster that we won’t be able to get off all day.
Coffee also is dehydrating and depletes mineral stores. Before we indulge in this comforting morning beverage, it will help your afternoon self to first get in some water, minerals, and food, to help hydrate, replenish mineral stores, and keep blood sugar steady. What we do in the morning especially sets the tone for the rest of the day. If you want steady energy all day long, you’ve got to start with how you fuel your morning.
If you’re relying on caffeine again in the afternoon to get through until evening, you’re again riding an energy roller coaster that is going to leave you more depleted than you started. The best thing you can do in that afternoon energy crash is to drink water, add minerals, and possibly add a PHFF snack. Give it a try next time and see how you feel vs your usual caffeine hit.
Are ready to reframe your day and have more energy? Start with breakfast. Once you’ve got that down, you can add in more things from the list above.
If you’re thinking, “wait, I already do these things and I STILL feel awful at 3 pm!” then there’s probably more going on that we can look at with an HTMA test. Many things including iron dysregulation, sluggish thyroid function, and blood sugar imbalances can all lead to chronic fatigue.
Regardless of the source though, I work with all clients to focus on this list first. It is the foundation for healthy metabolic function and drives other body systems to operate optimally. We need this in place before we can layer on other protocols for healing.
