How Nature & Other Physical Environments Impact Your Focus, Cognition & Health | Dr. Marc Berman

This episode introduces neuroplasticity—which is how our brain and nervous system learn and acquire new capabilities. I describe the differences between childhood and adult neuroplasticity, the chemicals involved and how anyone can increase their rate and depth of learning by leveraging the science of focus. I describe specific tools for increasing focus and learning. The next two episodes will cover the ideal protocols for specific types of learning and how to make learning new information more reflexive. 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 Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Introduction (00:00:32) Sponsors: AG1, LMNT, Waking Up (00:03:50) Plasticity: What Is it, & What Is It For? (00:06:30) Babies and Potato Bugs (00:08:00) Customizing Your Brain (00:08:50) Hard-Wired Versus Plastic Brains (00:10:25) Everything Changes At 25 (00:12:29) Costello and Your Hearing (00:13:10) The New Neuron Myth (00:14:10) Anosmia: Losing Smell (00:15:13) Neuronal Birthdays Near Our Death Day (00:16:45) Circumstances for Brain Change (00:17:21) Brain Space (00:18:30) No Nose, Eyes, Or Ears (00:19:30) Enhanced Hearing and Touch In The Blind (00:20:20) Brain Maps of The Body Plan (00:21:00) The Kennard Principle (Margaret Kennard) (00:21:36) Maps of Meaning (00:23:00) Awareness Cues Brain Change (00:25:20) The Chemistry of Change (00:26:15) A Giant Lie In The Universe 00:27:10) Fathers of Neuroplasticity/Critical Periods 00:29:30) Competition Is The Route to Plasticity 00:32:30) Correcting The Errors of History 00:33:29) Adult Brain Change: Bumps and Beeps (00:36:25) What It Takes to Learn (00:38:15) Adrenalin and Alertness (00:40:18) The Acetylcholine Spotlight (00:42:26) The Chemical Trio For Massive Brain Change (00:44:10) Ways To Change Your Brain (00:46:16) Love, Hate, & Shame: all the same chemical (00:47:30) The Dopamine Trap (00:49:40) Nicotine for Focus (00:52:30) Sprinting (00:53:30) How to Focus (00:55:22) Adderall: Use & Abuse (00:56:40) Seeing Your Way To Mental Focus (01:02:59) Blinking (01:05:30) And Ear Toward Learning (01:06:14) The Best Listeners In The World (01:07:20) Agitation is Key (01:07:40) ADHD & ADD: Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder (01:12:00) Ultra(dian) Focus (01:13:30) When Real Change Occurs (01:16:20) How Much Learning Is Enough? (01:16:50) Learning In (Optic) Flow/Mind Drift (01:18:16) Synthesis/Summary (01:25:15) Learning With Repetition, Forming Habits As always, thank you for your interest in science! Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8 Feb 20211h 27min

This episode is all about the two major kinds of dreams and the sorts of learning and unlearning they are used for. I discuss REM-associated dreams that control emotional learning and their similarity to various trauma treatments such as ketamine and EMDR. I also discuss Non-REM dreams and their role in motor learning and learning of detailed, non-emotionally-laden information. I relate this to science-backed tools for accessing more of the types of sleep and learning people may want. Other topics are listed in the time stamps below. 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   00:00:30 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up   00:03:00 The Dream Mask   00:06:00 Cycling Sleep   00:08:10 Chemical Cocktails of Sleep   00:13:00 Motor Learning   00:16:30 High Performance with Less Sleep   00:17:45 Rapid Eye Movement Sleep   00:20:30 Paralysis & Hallucinations   00:23:35 Nightmares   00:24:45 When REM & Waking Collide   00:25:00 Sleeping While Awake   00:26:45 Alien Abductions   00:29:00 Irritability   00:30:00 Sleep to Delete   00:32:25 Creating Meaning   00:34:10 Adults Acting Like Children   00:36:20 Trauma & REM   00:37:15 EMDR   00:39:10 Demo   00:44:25 Ketamine / PCP   00:45:45 Soup, Explosions, & NMDA   00:48:55 Self Therapy   00:50:30 Note About Hormones   00:51:40 Measuring REM / SWS   00:53:15 Sleep Consistency   00:56:00 Bed Wetting   00:58:00 Serotonin   00:59:00 Increasing SWS   00:59:50 Lucidity   01:02:15 Booze / Weed   01:03:50 Scripting Dreams   01:04:35 Theory of Mind   01:07:55 Synthesis   01:10:00 Intermittent Sleep Deprivation   01:11:10 Snoring Disclaimer   01:11:40 New Topic   01:15:50 Corrections   01:17:25 Closing Remarks   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Feb 20211h 16min

In this episode, I discuss a simple and reliable measurement called your "temperature minimum" that you can use to rapidly adjust to new time zones when traveling and to offset the bad effects of nocturnal shift work. I also discuss tools for adjusting sleep and waking rhythms in babies, teens, new parents and the elderly. 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   00:00:30 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up   00:04:15 The bedrock of sleep-rest cycles   00:07:05 Night owls and morning larks   00:08:22 “The perfect schedule”   00:11:04 The 100K Lux per morning goal   00:15:15 Keeping your biological clock set   00:16:15 Reset your cortisol   00:21:22 Jet Lag, death and lifespan   00:23:00 Going East versus West   00:28:45 The key to clock control   00:31:01 Your Temperature Minimum   00:36:30 Temperature and Exercise   00:41:20 Eating   00:42:50 Go West   00:44:15 Pineal myths and realities   00:51:13 The Heat-Cold Paradox   00:53:45 Staying on track   00:55:30 Nightshades   00:57:00 Emergency resets   00:57:30 Psychosis by light   00:58:05 Shift work   01:02:40 The Temperature-Light Rule   01:04:20 Up all night: watch the sunrise?   01:06:45 Error correction is good   01:08:20 NSDR protocols/implementation   01:10:44 The frog skin in your eye (not a joke)   01:16:39 Why stress turns your hair white   01:17:24 Ovaries or testes?   01:18:25 Babies and bright light   01:21:40 Polyphasic sleep   01:25:25 Ultradian cycles in children   01:27:38 Teens and puberty   01:29:50 Light before waking for better sleep   01:31:20 Older people and circadian rhythms   01:33:48 Sleepy Supplements   01:42:00 Red Pills & Acupuncture   01:43:50 Highlights   01:48:30 Feedback and Support   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

25 Jan 20211h 49min

“Office Hours” — In this episode, I answer your most commonly asked questions about science-supported tools for accessing more alertness, better learning, and quality sleep. I also cover when to exercise, time meals, and how to systematically vary your temperature to achieve specific effects on your nervous system. 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 Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction   00:00:31 Sponsors: AG1 & LMNT   00:05:50 Moonlight & Fire   09:25:00 Red Light: Good & Bad   00:15:45 Why Blue-Blockers Are Unscientific   00:19:20 Eyeglasses, Contact Lenses & Windows   00:22:05 Adding Up Your Lights   00:24:30 “Netflix Inoculation” With Light   00:25:25 How The Planet Controls Your Energy   00:27:00 A Season For Breeding (?)   00:31:15 Melatonin / Serotonin   00:33:50 Epinephrine vs Adrenaline: Same? Different?   00:35:00 Exercise & Your Sleep   00:40:30 Neuroplasticity & Food/Chemicals/NSDR   00:44:10 Using Sound & Smell To Learn Faster   00:46:45 Dream Meaning & Remembering   00:48:15 Waking Up Paralyzed   00:49:40 Nap/Focus Ratios For Accelerated Learning   00:52:45 Hypnotizing Yourself   00:54:05 Smart Drugs   01:01:10 Magnesium: Yay, Nay, or Meh?   01:02:10 How Apigenin Works   01:04:30 Serotonin: Slippery Slope   01:05:35 The Frog Experiment   01:08:35 Temperature   01:10:30 Morning Chills   01:28:00 Eating For Heating   01:30:30 Vagal Pathways For Gut-Brain Dialogue   01:31:50 Sex Differences   01:33:50 Self Experimentation   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

18 Jan 20211h 41min

Today's episode provides a host of information on what makes us sleepy, sleep soundly, and feel awake and alert. It covers a broad range of tools for anyone wishing to improve their sleep and wakeful state. The science and logic for each tool are described. 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 Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction   00:01:23 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT, Waking Up   00:06:54 What Is Sleep Really For?   00:09:33 Sleep Hunger   00:11:09 Caffeine: Devil & Angel   00:15:34 Timing Your Sleep Properly   00:17:30 Release Your Hormones (At The Right Times)   00:18:45 (Pineal) Melatonin Warning   00:24:30 Strange Vision Is Good Vision   00:32:50 Blue Light Is Great!   00:37:00 The Real Problem With Smartphones   00:38:30 Blind / Low Vision People   00:39:45 Using Exercise & Food To Set Your Clock   00:42:00 The Power of Sunset   00:45:43 The Healthy Holes In Your Skull   00:48:15 Bad Light   00:51:11 Light Location   00:53:00 Fire / Candlelight   00:54:00 When To Eat   00:54:40 How To Wake Up Earlier   01:08:00 Using The Body To Control The Mind   01:10:00 Drugs & Supplements   01:18:00 Sleep Walking   01:20:00 Office Hours   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

11 Jan 20211h 21min

Today’s episode provides an introduction to how the nervous system works to create sensations, perceptions, emotions, thoughts and behaviors, as well as how we can change our nervous system—a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity. The information sets the stage for all Huberman Lab podcast episodes that follow by covering neurons, synapses, brain chemicals and the rhythms that control our ability to focus, learn and sleep… and more. Thank you for your interest in science. We'll see you next week! Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Use Ask Huberman Lab, our new AI-powered platform, for a summary, clips, and insights from this episode. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction   00:02:25 Sponsors: AG1 & LMNT   00:07:57 What is the Nervous System   00:07:25 Deja Vu   00:08:09 How War, Guns & Soap Shaped Our Understanding of the Brain   00:10:47 Jennifer Aniston Neurons   00:11:58 Sensations   00:13:30 Magnetic Sensing & Mating   00:14:51 Perceptions & The Spotlight of Attention   00:16:33 Multi-Tasking Is Real   00:17:45 Bottom-Up vs. Top-Down Control of Behavior   00:18:38 Focusing the Mind   00:21:47 Antidepressants   00:25:01 Thoughts & Thought Control   00:25:56 Actions   00:30:40 How We Control Our Impulses   00:33:44 Neuroplasticity: The Holy Grail of Neuroscience   00:38:34 The Portal to Neuroplasticity   00:43:53 Accelerating Learning in Sleep   00:47:29 The Pillar of Plasticity   00:52:22 Leveraging Ultradian Cycles & Self Experimentation   00:57:17 Summary   00:58:03 Zero-Cost Support, Feedback, Reviews   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4 Jan 20211h 1min

Welcome to the Huberman Lab podcast, a new podcast from Dr. Andrew Huberman. The podcast can also be found on YouTube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

21 Dec 20204min