Palworld Sanity and Food
Palworld Pals lose sanity while working, while hungry and while injured. Below roughly 50% sanity they slow down, and near zero they stop working and can become depressed. Sanity is restored by a Hot Spring, beds matched to the Pal's tier, Salad or high-quality cooked food, and time in the Palbox. Keeping a stocked Feed Box, one bed per assigned Pal and a Hot Spring makes sanity self-managing.
- Sanity work threshold
- Roughly 50% before slowdown
- Fastest recovery
- Hot Spring plus beds
- Depression cure
- Hot Spring, rest, Low Grade Medical Supplies
- Hunger source
- Feed Box — never a chest
What actually drains sanity
Sanity falls fastest on Pals doing jobs they hold at low suitability level, on Pals that cannot reach food, and on Pals working overnight without a bed. Combat damage and status effects add on top. Sanity is not a hidden timer: watch the Palbox list and the lowest Pal tells you which part of the base is misconfigured.
- A Pal juggling four suitabilities burns sanity faster than a specialist.
- Food in a chest does nothing; only a Feed Box feeds Pals.
- Cold and heat weather drains sanity without the right beds.
The permanent fix
One Hot Spring, one bed per assigned Pal at the correct tier, a Feed Box kept full by a berry plantation or ranch, and a roof over the sleeping area removes sanity management for the rest of the run. Cooked dishes such as Salad restore more sanity than raw berries, so a Cooking Pot pays for itself.
- Upgrade beds when you upgrade base tier — a Straw Bed stops keeping up.
- Cook rather than feeding raw: cooked food restores both hunger and sanity.
- Rotate depressed Pals into the Palbox; they recover while stored.
Food economy
Food demand scales with Pal count, not with base tier, so the cheapest fix for a starving base is fewer, better Pals. A berry plantation plus a Chikipi ranch covers early demand; a wheat plantation, mill and Cooking Pot covers the rest of the game and produces sanity-restoring dishes as a by-product.
- Two berry plantations per five working Pals as a rough baseline.
- Cakes need Flour, Milk, Egg, Honey and Red Berries — plan for breeding.
- Keep 200+ food in the Feed Box before logging off on a server.
Where to go next
- Palworld items and food
Recipes, effects and unlock levels.
- Palworld guides
Medicine, cooking and sanity walkthroughs.
- Palworld base building
Layouts that keep Pals fed.
- Palworld Pals database
Food intake per Pal.
Palworld Sanity and Food FAQ
How do you increase sanity in Palworld?
Build a Hot Spring, give each assigned Pal a bed of the right tier, keep the Feed Box stocked with cooked food such as Salad, and store badly affected Pals in the Palbox to recover.
What happens when a Palworld Pal's sanity hits zero?
The Pal stops working and can become depressed, which also slows recovery. Rest it in a Hot Spring or the Palbox and treat it with Low Grade Medical Supplies if it is also ill.
Why are my Palworld Pals starving with food in the base?
Pals only eat from a Feed Box. Food stored in chests is invisible to them, so place a Feed Box inside the working area and keep a plantation or ranch feeding it.
Does cooked food restore more sanity in Palworld?
Yes. Cooked dishes restore more hunger and more sanity per item than raw ingredients, and a Cooking Pot with wheat and berries is cheap to run.