It’s that time of day. The morning went well, but the middle of the afternoon comes and your concentration and energy levels have plummeted. Like a car that’s run out of gas or a runner who has “hit the wall” and can go no further, many people find that sometime around 3:00 or 4:00 PM they fall into an afternoon slump. You can’t concentrate, your energy goes, and the vending machine is calling your name. The only thing you can think about is where to find the nearest candy bar. Where does the afternoon slump come from, and how can you avoid it?

If you rely on sugar and caffeine to jumpstart your energy early in the day, you may feel a slump later when the effects wear off and your blood sugar drops. Although small amounts of sugar or caffeine usually don’t cause a problem, larger amounts can cause an eventual major fall-off in energy, especially if they are used as quick-fix replacements for balanced meals.

If you’re trying to save time or calories, a lunch that is too light will not provide enough fuel to last through the afternoon. Some nutrition experts recommend eating at least a quarter of your days’ calorie needs at lunch time. Therefore, relying on a bowl of soup with a few crackers, a slice of pizza, or a diet frozen meal to provide lasting energy will probably not suffice. Supplement these foods with other foods to create a meal that satisfies hunger for more than a couple of hours.

For some people, a meal made solely from the carbohydrates found in grains, fruits, vegetables, and sweets will not supply enough long-lasting energy—even though they may contain a significant number of calories. Even though meals such as a fruit plate and a roll, or steamed vegetables over rice, can be healthfully low-fat and supply important nutrients, they may not maintain energy for more than two or three hours.

To avoid an afternoon slump, you may find relief by adding some low-fat protein to your carbohydrate-based meal. Some grilled chicken with fruit, tofu with steamed veggies, or beans in a salad might make a real difference between a quick fix and lasting energy.

For some people, a mid-afternoon snack is the key to curing the slump. True physical hunger is a signal that the body needs more fuel and, if ignored, will only get stronger and more out of control. Someone who needs “just a little something” to keep going until dinner may do very well with a piece of fruit, a handful of trail mix, or a small can of low-sodium vegetable juice and a handful of pretzels or crackers. But someone who needs enough fuel to get through a late-afternoon work-out or delayed dinner time will fare better with a small container of yogurt, a small dish of cereal, or even half a sandwich in addition to some fruit or juice.

Although many people turn to food in response, sometimes that afternoon slump has nothing to do with hunger. People who are low on fluids may do better in the afternoon by making a concentrated effort to drink more liquids throughout the day.

When you do experience a slump in energy, don’t try to fix it with a jolt of caffeine or sugar. You may just need a mental break after concentrating too long on a difficult or tedious task. Some people find it helpful to do a few neck and shoulder stretches, or to get up and move around for a few minutes.

Remember, a snack may provide a break, but it can also lead to undesirable weight gain, especially when the afternoon slump is really a signal for a break, not food. Switching gears to a different type of work, or even taking a few minutes to relax with a crossword puzzle, magazine, or a little conversation can do wonders to refresh and renew.

Some researchers believe that paying more attention to our individual biorhythms may hold promise. Some people are slow starters and do best saving complicated tasks for the afternoon. Others function at their peak early in the day, and trying to deal with difficult problems in the late afternoon can feel like banging their heads against a wall. For them, trying to arrange daily tasks with simpler, more mechanical tasks saved for the afternoon hours makes this period less of a problem.

The bottom line is that if an afternoon slump reflects the need for more food, then food that truly supplies needed fuel should be chosen. On the other hand, a slump that is caused by other factors should be dealt with appropriately.

(This article is from Karen Collins, RD, American Institute for Cancer Research.)