If it were, the third coffee would fix it. It doesn't, reliably — and the reason is that most afternoon crashes are being treated as a stimulant shortage when they're usually one of three other things.
1. It's frequently a lunch problem
A lunch that's mostly fast carbohydrate with very little protein tends to be followed, an hour or two later, by exactly the flat feeling people blame on the hour of the day. Same clock, different lunch, different afternoon. Worth testing on yourself for a week before you buy anything.
2. More caffeine after 2 p.m. borrows against tonight
Caffeine's half-life runs several hours, which means the afternoon fix is still measurably present at bedtime. That produces a shorter, lighter night, which produces a heavier next afternoon, which asks for more caffeine. It's a loop with a direction, and the direction isn't good.
3. The reset is often physical, not chemical
Standing up, going outside, drinking something cold. Unglamorous, and more effective than the third cup for the simple reason that it interrupts the state instead of masking it.
Where a protein drink helps is the first one. MYND Sparkling Protein Water is 20 grams of whey protein isolate with zero sugar and no caffeine — cold, light, and something to hold that isn't a fourth coffee.
The MYND take-away: Before you add another stimulant to the afternoon, look at what you ate at noon. The 3 p.m. slump is usually built at lunch.
