Control Your Vagus Nerve to Improve Mood, Alertness & Neuroplasticity

This episode explains how we sense chemicals through smell, taste, and pheromones. How things smell and taste and chemicals in the tears, breath, and on the skin of others have a profound effect on how we feel, what we do, and our hormones. I explain the 3 types of responses to smell, the 5 types of tastes, the possible existence of sixth taste sense, and how the act of sniffing can make us learn and focus better. I explain how smell and taste reflect brain health and can assess and even promote brain regeneration. I discuss how eating specific categories of foods makes us crave more of those foods, including how to make sour things taste sweet and develop a heightened sense of smell and taste.  Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:06:02 Sensing Chemicals: Smell, Taste & Chemicals That People Make To Control Each Other 00:09:10 Vision Protocols Recap (Brief) & Correction 00:12:20 Color Vision: Excellent Resource: What is Color? (The Book) 00:13:54 How We Sense Chemicals: Enter Our Nose, Mouth, Eyes, Skin 00:17:28 The Chemicals From Other People’s Tears Lower Testosterone & Libido 00:21:16 SMELL: Sniffing, A Piece of Your Brain In Your Nose, 3 Responses To Smells 00:24:40 Smells & Memory: Why They Are So Powerfully Associated 00:26:40 Pheromone Effects: Spontaneous Miscarriage, Males & Timing Female Puberty 00:28:56 Sniffing Creates Alertness & If Done Properly Can Help You Focus & Learn Better 00:34:00 Protocol 1: Sniffing (Nothing) 10-15X Enhances Your Ability to Smell & Taste 00:35:50 Smelling Salts, Ammonia & Adrenaline  00:38:25 How You Can Become A Human Scent Hound, Detecting Cancer, & Tasting Better 00:43:45 Smell As A Readout Of Brain Health & Longevity; Regaining Lost Sense Of Smell 00:48:30 Dopamine, Sense Of Smell, New Neurons & New Relationships 00:50:20 Why Brain Injury Causes Loss Of Smell; Using Smell To Gauge & Speed Recovery  00:53:33 Using Smell To Immediately Becoming Physically Stronger 00:54:40 Smelling In Our Dreams, Active Sniffing In Sleep, Sniffing As a Sign Of Consciousness 00:57:35 Mint Scents Create Alertness By Activating Broad Wake-Up Pathways  00:59:48 Protocol 2 Pleasant Or Putrid: The Microwave Popcorn Test, Cilantro, Asparagus, Musk 01:03:00 Skunks, Costello, All Quiet On The Western Front   01:04:32 TASTE: Sweet, Salty, Bitter, Umami, Sour; Your Tongue, Gustatory Nerve, NST, Cortex 01:08:45 Energy, Electrolytes, Poisons, Gagging, Amino Acid & Fatty Acid Sensing, Fermentation 01:13:48 Our 6th Sense of Taste: FAT Sensing 01:15:05 Gut-Brain: Your Mouth As An Extension Of Your Gut; Burned Mouth & Regeneration 01:19:30 Protocol 3: Learn To Be A Super-Taster By Top-Down Behavioral Plasticity 01:22:20 The Umami-Sweet Distinction: Tigers Versus Pandas 01:25:05 Eating More Plants Versus Eating More Meat, Cravings & Desire 01:27:15 Food That Makes You Feel Good Or Bad: Taste Receptors On Our Testes Or Ovaries 01:30:05 Biological Basis For The Sensuality of Umami and Sweet Foods 01:32:28 Appetitive & Aversive Sensing: Touching Certain Surfaces, Tasting Certain Foods 01:33:35 Amino Acids Are Key To Life, The Maillard Reaction, Smell-Taste Merge, Food Texture 01:39:00 How Processed Food Make You Crave More Processed Foods 01:39:44 Protocol 4: Invert Your Sense of Sweet & Sour: Miracle Fruit; Swapping Bitter & Sweet 01:43:03 Pheromones, Desire To Continue Mating: Coolidge Effect Occurs In Males & Females 01:46:40 Do Women Influence Each Others Menstrual Cycles?  01:49:19 Recognizing the Smell Of Your Romantic Partner  01:50:30 Differences In Odor Detection Ability, Effects Of Hormones 01:53:00 We Rub The Chemicals Of Others On Our Eyes and Skin, Bunting Behavior 01:56:40 Summary Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

21 Juni 20211h 55min

This episode I describe how we see, meaning how our eyes focus, convert light information into electricity the rest of the brain can understand and how our brain creates the incredible thing we experience as “sight”. I also describe how we can train and support our visual system to improve at any age. I describe more than a dozen protocols to support depth perception, offset near-sightedness, improve mood, sleep, and our ability to focus (both visual focus and our mental focus generally). I also explain how to use eyesight to improve our levels of alertness and why visual hallucinations, lazy eyes and colorblindness occur. I also describe various compounds that may assist in supporting visual health and possibly improve our vision. Many simple, zero-cost protocols and a lot of scientific mechanisms are covered in this episode in clear language anyone can understand-- it is for anyone that values their brain and whether eyesight, young, adult-age or advanced age. Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors: AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction   00:00:31 Sponsors: AG1 & LMNT   00:04:51 Protocol: Concurrent Training For Endurance, Strength, Hypertrophy   00:07:24 The Senses, Vision, Seeing & What We Should All Do To See Better   00:10:35 Our Eyes: What They Really Do, & How They Work   00:14:30 Converting Light Into Electricity Language: Photoreceptors, Retinal Ganglion Cells   00:17:00 We Don’t See Anything Directly: It Is All A Comparison Of Reflected Light   00:19:35 Dogs, Cats, Snakes, Squirrels, Shrimps, Diving Birds, & You(r View Of The World)   00:24:05 Everything You See Is A Best Guess, Blind Spots   00:25:50 Depth Perception   00:28:00 Subconscious Vision: Light, Mood, Metabolism, Dopamine; Frog’s Skin In Your Eyes   00:32:00 Blue-Yellow Light, Sunlight; & Protocol 1 For Better Biology & Psychology   00:35:00 Protocol 2: Prevent & Offset Near-Sightedness (Myopia): Outdoors 2 Hours Per Day   00:42:00 Improving Focus: Visual & Mental; Accommodation, Your Pupils & Your Bendy Lens   00:48:50 Protocol 3: Distance Viewing For 20min For Every 90 Minutes of “Close Viewing”   00:52:20 Protocol 4: Self-Generated Optic Flow; Move Yourself Through Space Daily   00:54:26 Protocol 5: Be More Alert; Eyelids, Eye Size, Chin Position, Looking Up Versus Down   00:59:21 Protocol 6: Sleep In A Very Dark Room To Prevent Myopia (Nearsightedness)   01:02:55 Color Vision, Colorblindness, Use Magentas Not Reds   01:04:32 Protocol 7: Keeping Your Vision Sharp With Distance Viewing Every Day   01:06:05 Protocol 8: Smooth Pursuit   01:08:48 Protocol 9: Near-Far Visual Training 2-3 Minutes 3-4 Times a Week   01:13:33 Protocol 10: Red Light, Emerging Protocol To Improve Photoreceptors & Vision   01:16:20 Dry Eyes; Blinking, Protocol 11   01:18:40 Lazy Eye, Binocular Vision, Amblyopia; Triggering Rapid Brain Plasticity; Protocol 12   01:24:48 Protocol 12: Determine Your Dominant Eye; Near-Far Training   01:27:57 Visual Hallucinations: The Consequence of An Under-Active Visual Brain   01:29:47 Protocol 13: Snellen Chart: A Simple, Cost-Free Way To Test & Maintain Vision   01:33:00 Vitamin A, Lutein, Idebenone, Zeaxanthine, Astaxanthin, Blood Flow   01:44:20 Summary of Protocols, Vital Point About Blood & Oxygen For Vision   01:46:00 Episode Length, Captions, Zero-Cost Support, Instagram, Searching Topics   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

14 Juni 20211h 46min

This episode I discuss endurance: our ability to perform effort over extended amounts of time. I describe the four kinds of endurance: muscular endurance, long duration (single-set) efforts, and the two kinds of high intensity interval training (HIIT). I discuss efficiency of effort and maximizing quality of effort, and a hydration formula. I review how our heart literally gets stronger when we oxygenate muscles properly. I also discuss motivation for long bouts of work and the visual physiological basis of the "extra gear" we all can leverage for effort. Finally, I review how accelerating as we fatigue can allow us to access untapped energetic resources. Thank you to our sponsors: AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:05:45 Why Everyone Should Train Endurance 00:09:49 All Episodes Now Searchable at hubermanlab.com & The Neural Network 00:11:28 How To Maintain Muscle 00:12:56 Endurance: It’s Not What You Think, Crossover With Brain Function 00:14:38 Energy; Many Paths To ATP: Creatine, Glucose, Glycogen, Fat; Ketones 00:18:00 The Vital Need For Oxygen: But Why? 00:19:00 What Allows Us To Endure (Anything)? 00:20:46 The 5 Things That Allow Us To Persist/Endure & What Causes Quitting 00:22:50 Why You Quit: It IS All In Your Mind 00:27:19 The “90% Mental” Myth 00:28:10 The Critical Need For Carbohydrates & Electrolytes (& Sometimes Ketones) 00:30:10 Phospho-Creatine, Glycogen, pH, Temperature Is Key 00:31:36 Using Your Blood, Heart, & Lungs To Go Longer, Further, With More Intensity 00:35:40 An Excellent Review on the Science of Training Adaptations (See Caption On YouTube) 00:37:15 The 4 Kinds of Endurance 00:38:53 Muscular Endurance: Powerful for Everyone: Posture, Performance, Resilience 00:41:50 Protocol For Building Muscular Endurance. No Major Eccentric Component 00:48:40 How to Make Muscles More Resilient: Mitochondrial Respiration, Neuronal Firing 00:51:31 Long Duration Endurance: 12minutes or More, One “Set”, Efficiency of Movement 00:57:00 Why Everyone Should Train Long Duration Endurance: Capillaries In Muscle & Brain 01:01:00 Two Distinct Types of High-Intensity Interval Training: Anaerobic & Aerobic 01:02:20 Anaerobic HIIT: 3-12 Sets, Work:Rest Ratio of 3:1 or 1:3; Quality of Repetitions is Key 01:07:00 Maximizing Oxygen Utilization, Heart Rate & Nerve-Muscle Energy Utilization 01:10:59 Aerobic HIIT; 1:1 Work:Rest Ratio, Tapping Into All Energy Utilization Systems 01:15:20 Building A Stronger Heart & Better Brain: Eccentric Loading the Heart: Stroke Volume 01:20:10 Resistance & Weight Training: Useless for the Brain? What Is Good For the Brain? 01:23:25 The Strength-Endurance Tradeoff; How Long to Wait Between Workouts 01:25:45 Breathing During Endurance, Explosive and Weight Training: Nose, Mouth, Gears 01:29:50 Intercostals & Diaphragmatic Breathing: Warming Up Intercostals Is Useful 01:31:00 Increasing Motivation & Adrenaline 01:32:10 Eliminating the “Side Cramp” With Physiological Sighs 01:34:45 Accelerating Through “The Wall”: Accessing Alternative Fuel Sources; Ketone Use 01:37:50 Hydration: Why Hydrate, How To Hydrate, & How Much Fluid To Drink 01:41:35 “The Galpin Equation”; Gastric Emptying Time, Adapting Hydration Mid-Training 01:44:20 Boosting Mitochondrial Density With Cold; Wait 6 Hours Before Cold/Between Training 01:46:00 Accelerating Recovery with 5 Minute Parasympathetic Down-Shift After Training 01:48:00 Leveraging The Visual System During Effort, Milestones; Dilation & Contraction; Pacing 01:53:10 The Physiological Basis of Your “Extra Gear”, Accessing Your “Kick”, Steve Prefontaine 01:56:00 Programming Examples; Concurrent Training 01:57:57 Caffeine, Magnesium Malate to Reduce Soreness, Nitric Oxide, Beta-Alanine 02:00:00 Synthesis; Next Episodes, Zero-Cost Ways to Support, Sponsors, Sources Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

7 Juni 20212h 1min

In this episode, I describe how our brain and nervous system control muscle tissue and how to leverage that for muscle maintenance, growth (hypertrophy) and recovery. I explain how neurons control muscle contractions and limb movements. I explain muscle metabolism and muscle fiber recruitment. I detail protocols for increasing muscular growth and for neuro-muscular recovery. I explain the effects of deliberate cold, anti-inflammatory agents, and anti-histamines on training progress. I describe science-supported protocols using certain weight load ranges, total sets per week, training intensity, frequency, and in-between set activities if one's goal is to increase muscle growth, strength or endurance. I review three foundational compounds and nutrients and three optimization compounds and nutrients that have been shown to improve neuro-muscular performance. Finally, I explain how to leverage exercise and weight training to enhance cognitive function. Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

31 Maj 20212h

This episode I describe the science of fat loss, including how fat is mobilized and oxidized (burned) and how to increase fat burning by leveraging the nervous system. Most people don't realize it, but our neurons connect to our fat and release epinephrine/adrenaline to facilitate fat oxidation. Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction   00:00:31 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up   00:06:00 Fat Loss: The Key Role of Neurons   00:08:44 The First Law of Fat Loss   00:11:00 Neurons Connect To Fat! (& That Really Matters)   00:13:38 5 Pillars of Metabolism: Sleep, Essential Fatty Acids, Glutamine, Microbiome, Thyroid   00:19:20 Mindset Truly Matters: Amazing Examples of Beliefs on Fat Loss   00:23:08 Our Brain Talks To Our Fat   00:25:00 The Most Incredible & Dangerous Fat Loss Agent   00:27:28 Losing Fat Is a Two-Part Process: Mobilization and Oxidation   00:32:25 The Critical Role of Adrenaline/Epinephrine, But NOT from Adrenal Glands   00:34:45 Fidgeting & Shivering: A Powerful Science-Supported Method For Fat Loss   00:41:24 How Fidgeting Works: Promotes Epinephrine Release into Fat. “N-E-A-T”   00:44:55 Two Ways of Using Shivering To Accelerate Fat Loss   00:47:30 White, Brown & Beige Fat; & Using Cold-Induced Shiver To Burn Fat   00:50:25 How To Use Cold Properly To Stimulate Fat Loss: Succinate Release Is Key/Shiver   00:52:26 Exact Protocols: (1-5X per week); Don’t Adapt! Submerge and Exit “Sets & Reps”   00:56:15 thecoldplunge.com see “protocols” tab Cold-Shiver-Fat-Loss Tool (cost free)   00:58:03 If Fat-Loss Is Your Goal, Avoid Cold Adaptation: Remember Polar Bear Swimmers   00:58:17 Irisin: Underwhelming; Succinate Is The Real Deal   01:00:00 Brown Fat, Why Babies Can’t Shiver and Becoming a Hotter Furnace, Adding Heat   01:01:55 Ice On Back of The Neck, Cold Underpants: Not A Great Idea For Fat Loss   01:04:00 A Key Paper For the Aficionados: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2826518/   01:05:00 Spot Reduction: There May Be Hope After All. Targeting Specific Fat Pads.   01:09:20 Exercising For Fat Loss: What Is Best? High Intensity, Sprinting, Moderate Intensity?   01:13:30 Exercising Fasted: Does It Truly Accelerate Fat Loss/Oxidation.   01:16:30 The 90 Minute Rule: After 90 Minutes, The Fasted Exercisers Start To Burn More Fat   01:18:15 If High-Intensity Training Is Done First, The Benefits of Fasting Arrive Before 90min.   01:22:44 Post-Exercise Metabolic Increases: How To Bias This Toward Fat Oxidation   01:26:05 A Protocol For Exercise-Induced Fat Loss; Adrenalin Is The Effector   01:28:50 Supplements/Compounds For Fat Loss Part: Caffeine Fidgeting, & Caffeine Adaptation   01:34:30 Ephedrine, Fenfluramine: Removed From Market Due to Safety Concerns   01:35:22 GLP1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide 1), Yerba Mate, Guayusa Tea, Semaglutide   01:40:30 Berberine, Metformin: Glucose/Insulin Reduction, Increase Fat Oxidation: But Caution   01:41:28 Gardner Lab Results: What You Eat May Not Matter, But Adherence Is Key Tool   01:43:00 examine.com & Enter “Yerba Mate”: Lowers Heart Rate Even Though Is a Stimulant   01:44:35 Acetyl-L-Carnitine: Facilitates Fat Oxidation   01:48:00 Summary List of Tools & How Nervous System Controls Fat Loss   01:51:20 Cost Free & Other Ways To Support Our Podcast, Making Sure We See Feedback   Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

24 Maj 20211h 49min

This episode I discuss the science and practice of learning physical skills: what it involves at a biological level, and what to focus on during skill learning at each stage to maximize learning speed and depth. I also describe what to do immediately after a training session (note: this is different than the optimal protocol for cognitive skill training) and as you progress to more advanced levels of performance. I also cover the science of skill-based visualization which does have benefits, but only if done correctly and at the correct times. I discuss auto-replay of skill learning in the brain during sleep and the value of adding in post-training ‘deliberately idle’ sessions. I cover how to immediately improve limb-range-of-motion by leveraging cerebellum function, error generation, optimal repetition numbers for learning and more. As always, scientific mechanism, peer-reviewed studies and science-based protocols are discussed.  Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 : https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction   00:00:31 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up   00:06:28 Skill Acquisition: Mental & Physical   00:08:40 Clarification About Cold, Heat & Caffeine   00:12:45 Tool: How To Quickly Eliminate the Side-Stitch ‘Cramp’ & Boost HRV Entrainment   00:16:08 Physical Skills: Open-Loop Versus Closed-Loop   00:18:50 Three Key Components To Any Skill   00:21:00 Sources of Control for Movement: 1) CPGs Govern Rhythmic Learned Behavior   00:23:30 Upper Motor Neurons for Deliberate Movement & Learning   00:25:00 Lower Motor Neurons Control Action Execution   00:25:26 What To Focus On While Learning   00:27:10 The Reality of Skill Learning & the 10,000 Hours Myth   00:28:30 Repetitions & The Super Mario Effect: Error Signals vs. Error Signals + Punishment   00:34:00 Learning To Win, Every Time   00:39:26 Errors Solve the Problem of What To Focus On While Trying to Learn Skills   00:43:00 Why Increasing Baseline Levels of Dopamine Prior To Learning Is Bad   00:44:40 The Framing Effect (& Protocol Defined)   00:46:10 A Note & Warning To Coaches   00:48:30 What To Do Immediately After Your Physical Skill Learning Practice   00:53:48 Leveraging Uncertainty   00:56:59 What to Pay Attention To While Striving To Improve   01:04:45 Protocol Synthesis Part One   01:07:10 Super-Slow-Motion Learning Training: Only Useful After Some Proficiency Is Attained   01:11:06 How To Move From Intermediate To Advanced Skill Execution Faster: Metronomes   01:16:44 Increasing Speed Even If It Means More Errors: Training Central Pattern Generators   01:19:12 Integrated Learning: Leveraging Your Cerebellum (“Mini-Brain”)   01:22:02 Protocol For Increasing Limb Range of Motion, Immediately   01:28:30 Visualization/Mental Rehearsal: How To Do It Correctly   01:33:50 Results From 15 Minutes Per Day, 5 Days Per Week Visualization (vs. Actual Training)   01:35:34 Imagining Something Is Very Different Than Actually Experiencing It   01:37:58 Cadence Training & Learning “Carryover”   01:39:00 Ingestible Compounds That Support Skill Learning: Motivation, Repetitions, Alpha-GPC   01:43:39 Summary & Sequencing Tools: Reps, Fails, Idle Time, Sleep, Metronome, Visualization   01:46:20 Density Training: Comparing Ultradian- & Non-Ultradian Training Sessions   01:49:24 Cost-Free Ways to Support Us, Sponsors & Alternate Channels, Closing Remarks   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

17 Maj 20211h 47min

This episode I explain the science of heating and cooling the body, a process called thermoregulation-- and how to apply that knowledge to significantly improve physical performance. I describe the three areas of our body that can remove heat (or bring heat into the body) faster than anywhere else, why that is so, and how proper cooling of these areas with specific protocols can allow people to perform 200-600% more volume and repetitions of resistance exercises at the same weight loads, or to run, cycle or swim significantly further. I also describe how to use directed cooling of so-called glabrous skin: the bottoms of feet, palms and face, to significantly enhance recovery times from exercise. Also, why the common practices of trying to heat up or cool the body via the torso or whole-body submersion in cold can be inefficient and/or dangerous-- and the better alternatives. Finally, I discuss the temperature-effects of caffeine, alcohol and anti-inflammatory compounds. The information in this episode is focused on mechanisms and tools for increasing athletic or exercise performance. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Introduction (00:00:31) Sponsors: AG1, LMNT (00:05:08) Physical Performance & Skill Learning (00:06:40) Optimal Learning Protocol (Recap): 4 Steps (00:08:31) Variables Impacting Physical Performance (00:10:00) Temperature Is the Dominant Variable (00:12:08) Understanding Mechanism Is Key (00:13:42) Heat: The Enemy of All Performance (& Why) (00:16:30) Blood Flow & Sweating & Piloerection (00:22:35) Heat Is What Limits Effort: Even If You Feel Fine/Motivated (00:25:29) Proper Cooling Can Double, Triple, Quadruple (Or More) Your Ability (00:26:42) Heat Induced Confusion & Death (00:30:02) The Three Body Parts Best For Heating & Cooling Your Whole Body (00:31:38) Face, Palms, Bottoms of Feet; Glabrous Skin (00:33:00) Arterio-Venous Anastamoses (AVAs) Are Super Cool(ing)! (00:37:15) Palmar Cooling Can Supercharge Your Athletic Performance (00:38:35) ATP, Pyruvate Kinase & Heat (00:40:55) Palmer Cooling Outperforms Anabolic Steroids Several-Fold (00:43:45) Increasing Endurance, Willpower & Persistence (00:46:33) Cardiac Drift, & Moving the ”I Quit” Point (00:50:44) Deliberate Heating: Myths and Better Protocols (00:53:20) Protocols For Self-Directed Cooling To Vastly Improve Performance (00:59:23) How To Use Cold To Recover Faster & More Thoroughly (01:02:05) Ice Baths & Cold Showers Can Prevent Training Progress: mTOR, etc. (01:06:29) Alcohol, Caffeine, NSAIDs: Their Temperature Effects Matter (01:09:44) Are Stimulants Counter Productive For Performance? It Depends. (01:12:00) The Caffeine Rule & “Caffeine Adaptation” (01:14:20) NSAIDs for Training: Performance Enhancements & Risks (01:17:00) The Best Way to Explore Your Own “Parameter Space” (01:18:35) Tools: How To Try (01:21:35) Cost-Free Support, & Additional Support & Resources Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 Maj 20211h 20min

This episode I describe the biology of two essential hormones we all make: cortisol and adrenaline (also called epinephrine). Cortisol and adrenaline powerfully regulate our levels of energy, focus and immune system function. I describe various science-supported tools and practices to increase or decrease cortisol and/or adrenaline, depending on one's specific needs and goals. I also describe the biology of nootropics, and how cortisol and adrenaline can improve or degrade learning. Finally, I review the scientific data and tools for timing the release of these hormones to improve memory, energy and immune system function. Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction   00:00:31 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up   00:05:41 Energy & Your Immune System, & Learning Faster   00:08:34 Why & How Intermittent Fasting Increases Growth Hormone   00:11:56 Why Your Stomach Growls   00:13:09 Hot Baths & Hormones   00:14:35 Energy, Adrenaline (Epinephrine), & Cortisol   00:15:48 Cortisol & Cholesterol, Competition With Testosterone & Estrogen   00:17:54 Adrenaline (Epinephrine) Is Your (Immune System’s) Best Friend   00:18:48 Cortisol Basics In Two (Actually 1) Minute/s   00:19:48 Adrenaline Basics In Two Minutes   00:21:32 Tool: Time Your Cortisol Peak To Waking Using Specific Light Intensities   00:27:20 Brief Increases In Cortisol & Adrenaline Boost Energy, Focus & Immunity   00:30:04 Ways To Increase Adrenaline, Epinephrine & Cortisol & Why That Is Good   00:35:00 Does Mindset During Stress Matter?   00:36:15 Protocols: Adrenaline Breathing Described   00:39:00 Practices To Increase Energy Without Increasing Stress   00:45:00 Using Stressors to ENHANCE Our Immune System: Science & Tools   00:55:11 Timing Thyroid Release For Energy   00:57:02 Adrenaline/Stress Increase Performance & Memory. IF They Are After Learning   01:02:45 An Optimal Learning Protocol   01:03:20 Coffee Changes Your Brain & Increases Connectivity Of “Anxiety Circuits”   01:05:43 Nootropics: Two Kinds, & How & Why They Work, “Neural Energy”   01:09:00 Biology of Comfort Foods: From Negative to Positive Feedback Loops   01:14:00 Bombesin: Energy Without Eating   01:15:00 How Stress Makes Our Hair Gray, & How To Prevent Stress-Induced Graying   01:18:05 Blunting Chronic Cortisol, Including: Ashwagandha & Science Of   01:25:50 Licorice Increases Cortisol & Blood Pressure, & Reduces Testosterone (by Glycyrrhizin)   01:28:50 Apigenin: Anti-Cortisol   01:29:53 Protocols For Optimizing Energy & Immune System Function (& Learning)   01:37:00 When Fasting, Exercise, Cold & Intense Breathing Become Detrimental   01:39:00 Prescription Compounds   01:39:47 Tools For Accessing Alert & Calm States of “Energy”: Separating The Brain & Body   01:42:11 Ways To Apply Knowledge Presented Today   01:43:20 No-Cost Ways To Support Us, Feedback, Sponsors, Patreon, Partners, “Office Hours”   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Maj 20211h 42min