Half-life is the time required for the body to clear about half of a compound's circulating amount, which helps explain how long one logged exposure can remain relevant.
Why it matters for logging
Half-life shapes the gap between an observed effect and the moment a dose is logged. A short half-life can produce sharp on-off swings. A longer half-life can blur the link between a log entry and an outcome reading the next day. Reading a journal without a sense of clearance time risks attributing variability to a recent dose when an earlier exposure is still active.
Short, medium, and long half-life patterns
Practical exposure patterns vary by compound class.
- Short half-life agents can produce narrower attribution windows.
- Medium half-life compounds can blur same-day comparisons.
- Long half-life compounds can create carryover across days.
Interaction with dose timing
When stacks shift, half-life is the variable that decides whether a new entry is independent or still riding the prior dose. Stable timing lets the log treat each entry as a comparable signal rather than a blurred carryover.
Relation to washout and cycles
A washout period only resets attribution if it is at least several half-lives long for the compounds in scope. Shorter pauses can feel like a reset. Residual exposure may still influence mood, sleep, or workout readings during that span.
Practical action step
Note the expected half-life class when adding a new compound, and use that class to interpret whether a later reading is still connected to an earlier exposure.
Uncertainty and limits
- Half-life estimates often come from healthy adult studies that may not match individual clearance.
- Co-ingestion, hepatic load, and renal function can shift clearance in ways a label cannot predict.
Cross-site references
How this appears in Unfair
Unfair uses half-life class to interpret whether two log entries should be treated as one exposure or two, and to warn when cycle pauses look too short for meaningful attribution.
Clinical safety note
If symptoms suggest accumulation, hold further escalation and review with a clinician before changing the pattern.