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Reading graphs

A Shape That Doesn't Come Back Up in the Afternoon

Within the same day, the earlier peaks and the later peaks are different heights. What to look at is how the peak heights change.

The graph

An example curve where morning doses rise but afternoon doses stay low The horizontal axis runs from 06:00 to 00:00. The vertical axis is how well the body is moving, relative to that person's own range — higher is better movement. Doses are marked at 07:00, 11:00, 15:00, 19:00. The highest point is around 12:20. higher lower 07:00 11:00 15:00 19:00 06 09 12 15 18 21 24 An example curve where morning doses rise but afternoon doses stay low The horizontal axis runs from 06:00 to 00:00. The vertical axis is how well the body is moving, relative to that person's own range — higher is better movement. Doses are marked at 07:00, 11:00, 15:00, 19:00. The highest point is around 12:20. higher lower 07:00 11:00 15:00 19:00 06 09 12 15 18 21 24
  • Response through the day
  • Time a dose was taken
An illustration created for education. It does not stand for the response to any particular medication or dose, and real curves differ from person to person.

This shape is read as a row of peaks, not a single peak. You scan from left to right and find where the height turns.

In the illustration above, the first two peaks rise high, but the last two are noticeably lower. The spacing between dose times stays the same all day. It’s the same medication taken at the same intervals, but only the afternoon peaks stay low.

There’s an order to reading it. First, check whether the spacing between dose marks is even. If the afternoon dose was taken late, what looks low might just not have come up yet. Once you’ve checked the spacing, find from which dose onward the peak height turns.

“The medication doesn’t work as well in the afternoon” is a common way to put it. Translated into a curve, that becomes a specific sentence like this: starting from the third dose, the peak settles at about half height. The amount of information carried into a clinic visit is completely different.

What to look at

  • Scan the peak heights from left to right Whether the first two and the last two are noticeably different heights.
  • About what time the height turns Where in the day this shape changes is the core of it.
  • The spacing between dose marks Check first whether the spacing is even, so you can read the height difference correctly.
  • The width of the afternoon peak Whether it only rose low, or rose low and stayed short as well.

Worth recording when you see this shape

  • The time of every dose that day If even one is missing, you can't pin down which dose was low.
  • The best time and output for each dose To compare peak heights, you need both the morning and the afternoon.
  • When lunch was and what it was This lets you see whether it overlapped with the first afternoon dose.
  • How active the morning was This lets you check whether it's more pronounced on days with more morning movement.
  • Whether it turns at the same time of day across several days This separates a recurring pattern from a one-off day.

The shape of the curve is material for describing your situation. Decisions about the type, dose, or timing of medication belong with the clinicians who look after you.

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