How to Stay in Flow and Avoid Energy Crashes

Năo-I-Know
Nov 11
5 min read

Updated: Nov 11

In this article, we will cover:

What could be causing your energy crashes (spoiler: it’s not laziness or lack of effort)
How small bursts of movement wake up dopamine and kickstart flow
Why shifting your surroundings keeps your brain from dozing off
The right way to take breaks so focus and creativity can come back online
Easy daily tweaks that keep your energy steady without another caffeine hit

Alright, let's be honest, half of "staying productive" is trying not to crash by 3 p.m. That moment where your eyes glaze over, aimless scrolling, and that constant feeling that your brain is buffering. Sound familiar? Your body isn't a laptop you can keep open forever. So, if you are stuck in a cycle of feeling half-alive after lunch, read on!

Several factors, other than a lack of willpower, can cause energy crashes. It could be poor sleep, blood sugar spikes, dehydration, and mental overstimulation that drain dopamine - your brain’s get-up-and-go molecule.

A recent paper on dopamine points out that constant overstimulation and instant gratification (from screens, WhatsApping, social media) can dull your brain’s dopamine system, the same one that drives focus, motivation, and energy. Unfortunately, the fix isn’t a “try harder”, “just do it”, or any other motivational quote.

The real fix is managing your biology, not bullying your willpower. Try these daily energy hacks. The kind that actually works and doesn't sound like a Pinterest board.

Daily Energy Hacks You Haven’t Heard a Million Times

1. Step outside: Morning light is your brain’s daily reset. Get outside soon after waking; clouds don’t matter. It’s not about brightness but timing and colour. Early sunlight hits your eyes with short blue light (around 460 nm), which cues your brain to wake up, sync your clock, and sharpen focus. Harvard and Brigham researchers found this habit resets your rhythm faster than a green light and boosts alertness and reaction time. Even quick exposure helps; your brain just needs that “rise and shine” signal.

Note: Blue light is free; it’s in the morning sky, even on cloudy days. Green light rules indoor spaces (office lights, lamps, screens), but it won’t sync your system. A few minutes of real daylight beats any artificial glow.

2. Your Brain Needs Electrolytes, Not Just Water: Your brain runs on charged particles, sodium, potassium, magnesium, not just plain H₂O. Even a tiny dip in hydration, around 0.5–0.7% of body weight, can make you feel foggy or cranky, long before you’re technically “dehydrated.” A Nutrients (2019) study found that people who rehydrated with electrolyte water bounced back faster in mood and focus than those who drank plain water. Bottom line? Electrolytes help your body hang on to fluid and keep your neurons firing smoothly. So a pinch of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon in your morning glass isn’t just trendy, it’s a smart way to wake your brain up.

3. Micro-Exercise to Boost BDNF: Your brain LOVES movement! Do 60 seconds of intense movement every hour, squats, jumping jacks, pushups, anything that makes your heart skip a beat. Every workout sends a surge of signals that can boost levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a compound that helps grow and protect neural connections. This paper found that exercise often raises BDNF, and a few studies linked those changes directly to less fatigue or sharper focus. Translation: moving your body feeds your brain, but it’s consistency, not one heroic workout, that builds real mental stamina!

4. Breathe through your nose: Breathing through your nose boosts nitric oxide, your body’s natural vessel relaxer, by up to fifteen times, especially when you hum or exhale slowly. That nitric oxide widens blood vessels and improves oxygen delivery to your brain, helping you stay focused and calm under pressure. In one Swedish study, healthy adults showed a fifteenfold increase in nasal nitric oxide when humming versus quiet breathing. Try two minutes of nasal inhales with slightly longer exhales when your energy dips, and insert a short hum of your fav tune ; it’s a natural way to reset focus without a caffeine hit.

5. Cold Face Dunk, Not Full Showers: Scientists use it to stop panic attacks! Submerge your face in cold water (10–15°C) for 15 seconds. This flips your body’s chill switch, the same reflex that kicks in when you dive underwater. It slows your heart, tells your nervous system to calm down, and basically hits the reset button. You don’t need a full-on ice bath to survive the 3 p.m. crash!

6. Caffeine + Theacrine Stack (basically your buddy, focusNAO): This isn’t new to seasoned biohackers. In a controlled study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, trained athletes who combined theacrine with caffeine showed faster reaction times, steadier focus, and up to 38% longer endurance compared to caffeine or placebo alone. They stayed sharp under pressure, more alert, less jittery. Guess what, Theacrine is an active ingredient in focusNAO! So pairing your coffee with focusNAO will help you feel smooth, not spiked.

7. “Visual Reset” Breaks Instead of Mindless Scrolling: Every 90 minutes, look up. Shift your gaze about 5 meters away (or just look out the nearest available window) for 20 seconds, then take a short walk. Fighter pilots use this gaze-plus-movement reset mid-flight to fight fatigue, and it works; it re-syncs your attention networks so you can focus longer.

Ten to twenty minutes of doing something mindless, e.g walking, breathing, lying on the floor, questioning your existence, lets your prefrontal cortex reboot. That’s when ideas sneak back in. Your best thoughts don’t happen at your desk; they show up in the shower, on a walk, or halfway through a kaya toast.

8. restNAO for Night-Time Recharge: This blend works quietly while you sleep to help your brain reset, and supports your energy to stay steady for the next day: no grogginess, and no hangover. The only side effect is clean recovery and feeling refreshed!

Rice Bran Extract (Gamma Oryzanol & Beta Sitosterol): Natural antioxidants that lower nighttime stress signals and ease your body into rest mode, setting the stage for deeper sleep.
Magnesium Glycinate: The most absorbable form of magnesium, known for boosting GABA - your brain’s chill neurotransmitter, so you can actually relax instead of just lying there overthinking. The glycinate part matters too: glycine, the amino acid it’s bound to, supports better sleep quality, calms inflammation, and protects your brain and body from stress. Together, they’re like the dream team for real rest. Magnesium eases tension, glycine deepens recovery.
5-HTP: The precursor to serotonin and melatonin, gently supports mood and helps your sleep cycle sync up the way it’s supposed to.

Together, they help you drift off naturally, sleep deeply, and wake up feeling human again, not like you’ve been in a bar fight with your alarm clock.

9. Sound Frequency Modulation: Certain sound frequencies, like 40 Hz gamma waves, may help sharpen focus and reduce mental fatigue. Some studies suggest they can nudge the brain toward a more concentrated state, though results are mixed. You can explore playlists with 40 Hz binaural beats to see if they work for you.

10. Write Your To-Do List by Hand at Night: Not for productivity bragging rights but for sanity. Getting tomorrow’s chaos out of your head and onto paper offloads mental clutter, eases that low-grade “what if I forget something” anxiety, and frees up brain space for better problem-solving tomorrow.

Start your morning like a champion and not like you survived a small war to wake up. Move enough to keep your dopamine from dozing off, and wind down with rest instead of doom-scrolling yourself into insomnia. Do that and unlock new levels of productivity and endless good vibes.