July 12, 2021 • 2hr 4min

Maximizing Productivity, Physical & Mental Health with Daily Tools

Huberman Lab

In this episode, Dr. Andrew Huberman discusses science-supported tools and protocols for enhancing focus, learning, creativity, sleep, physical strength, endurance, and overall brain and body health. He explains each protocol in detail, including the rationale behind it and how it can be adjusted for individual needs. Huberman frames these tools in the context of a 24-hour day to illustrate how one might incorporate them into a daily routine.

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Key Takeaways

Morning routine: Write down wake-up time, take a walk outdoors, view sunlight for 10-30 minutes
Delay caffeine intake 90-120 minutes after waking to avoid afternoon crash
Fast until noon to increase focus and alertness
Optimize deep work: 90-minute focused sessions, elevate visual gaze, use white noise
Exercise 5 days/week alternating strength and endurance in a 3:2 ratio
Use non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) like hypnosis to reset mind and body midday
View late afternoon/evening light to support sleep and dopamine cycles
Eat dinner with starchy carbs to promote serotonin and calm sleep
Optimize sleep with cool room, warm bath/shower, and supplements like magnesium

Introduction

In this episode, Dr. Andrew Huberman discusses science-supported tools and protocols for enhancing focus, learning, creativity, sleep, physical strength, endurance, and overall brain and body health. He explains each protocol in detail, including the rationale behind it and how it can be adjusted for individual needs. Huberman frames these tools in the context of a 24-hour day to illustrate how one might incorporate them into a daily routine.

Topics Discussed

Protocol 1: Record Your Daily Waking Time & Temperature Minimum (8:50)

Huberman recommends writing down your wake-up time each morning to determine your temperature minimum, which is typically about 2 hours before your average wake time. Knowing your temperature minimum is valuable for:

Shifting your circadian rhythm
Optimizing meal timing
Determining the best time for focused work

"The temperature minimum is the time in each 24 hours cycle that your body temperature is lowest. I don't sleep with a thermometer in my mouth or elsewhere, and I don't think you should either. Instead, I know that the lowest temperature that my body will be at across the 24 hours cycle tends to be 2 hours before my typical wake up time and I want to know that number."

Protocol 2: Self-Generate Forward Motion (Outdoors) (12:07)

Taking a walk first thing in the morning has several benefits:

Reduces activity in the amygdala, lowering anxiety
Creates "optic flow" which calms the nervous system
Helps transition from sleep to wakefulness

"Getting into a mode of forward ambulation and especially experiencing visual flow has a powerful effect on the nervous system. The effect it has is essentially to quiet or reduce the amount of neural activity in this brain structure called the amygdala."

Protocol 3: View Natural Light For 10-30min Every Morning (17:00)

Viewing sunlight within the first hour of waking is crucial for:

Setting circadian rhythms
Promoting alertness
Supporting hormone production
Enhancing mood and metabolism

"Getting sunlight in your eyes first thing in the morning is absolutely vital to mental and physical health. It is perhaps the most important thing that any and all of us can and should do in order to promote metabolic well being, promote the positive functioning of your hormone system, get your mental health steering in the right direction."

Protocol 4: Hydrate Correctly (26:50)

Huberman recommends drinking 16-32oz of water with a pinch of salt upon waking to:

Replenish fluids lost during sleep
Support proper neuron function
Enhance mental performance

Protocol 5: Delay Caffeine 90-120m After Waking (28:00)

Delaying caffeine intake by 90-120 minutes after waking helps:

Avoid interference with natural cortisol spike
Prevent afternoon energy crashes
Optimize caffeine's effects on focus and alertness

"I purposely delay my caffeine intake to 90 minutes, to 120 minutes after I wake up...The reason I delay caffeine is because one of the factors that induces a sense of sleepiness is the buildup of adenosine, or as some people call it, adenosine."

Protocol 6: Fast (or Fat-Fast) Until Noon (30:48)

Fasting until midday can:

Increase focus and alertness
Boost adrenaline and learning capacity
Improve metabolic health

"I've found that the best way for me to achieve that state is through fasting. So I don't eat anything until about 11:00 a.m. or twelve noon."

Protocol 7: Optimize Deep Work: Visual Elevation, Ultradian Cycles, White Noise (37:30)

To optimize focused work sessions:

Position screen at or above eye level to increase alertness
Work in 90-minute "ultradian" cycles
Use low-level white noise to enhance focus
Eliminate distractions (turn off phone, use website blockers)

"I set a timer for 90 minutes, and I try and get a strong bout of work done inside of that 90 minutes with the full understanding that the entire 90 minutes is not going to be uniform in terms of my ability of focus, there will be kind of peaks and valleys within that."

Protocol 8: Optimal Exercise; 3:2 Ratio (52:07)

Huberman recommends exercising 5 days per week, alternating between strength and endurance training:

3 days strength/hypertrophy, 2 days endurance for 10-12 weeks
Then switch to 3 days endurance, 2 days strength for 10-12 weeks
Keep workouts to ~60 minutes to avoid cortisol spikes
80% of training should be below failure/lactate threshold

"The basic design of this physical exercise is that it d be approximately 60 minutes. So maybe 60 plus or -15 minutes should be well within the margins of keeping hormonal health proper and not going too long, nor making the workout so short that it's not beneficial."

Protocol 9: Eat For Brain Function & Mood (1:10:00)

Huberman's approach to eating for optimal brain function:

First meal around noon, emphasizing protein and healthy fats
Limit carbs during the day to maintain alertness
Include omega-3 fatty acids for mood support
Eat starchy carbs at dinner to promote serotonin and sleep

"For lunch, I do emphasize slightly lower carbohydrate or low carbohydrate intake for the simple reason that adrenaline and dopamine and their associated neuromodulators are going to support alertness."

Protocol 10: Get Your Testosterone & Estrogen In An Ideal Range (1:17:39)

To support optimal hormone levels:

Ensure adequate cholesterol intake (e.g. from butter)
Consider supplements like Tongkat Ali to increase free testosterone
Use Fadogia Agrestis to boost luteinizing hormone

"Having sufficient levels of testosterone is vitally important for brain function, and having sufficient levels of estrogen will allow your brain to actually function. It turns out that estrogen is one of the main ways in which the brain maintains longevity and maintains its ability to think."

Protocol 11: Reset the Mind & Body, Enhance Neuroplasticity, Reveri.com (1:24:00)

Huberman recommends using non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) protocols like hypnosis to:

Reset the mind and body midday
Enhance focus and creativity
Increase neuroplasticity

He specifically recommends the Reveri app for science-based hypnosis protocols.

"I've made it a practice, a daily practice, in fact, that after lunch and after this walk, I do a brief ten minute hypnosis script. Because of what I found is that in contrast to naps and in contrast to other forms of NSDR, it really allows me to enter a state of deep relaxation, but also to then exit that state in a very focused and deliberate way that allows me to lean into my afternoon in an alert way."

Protocol 12: Hydrate Correctly, Nap Rules (1:31:15)

Huberman emphasizes the importance of hydration throughout the day and provides guidelines for napping:

Naps should be 90 minutes or less
20-minute naps can be beneficial for some people
Determine if napping interferes with nighttime sleep

Protocol 13: View Late Afternoon/Evening Light To Support Sleep & Dopamine (1:33:29)

Viewing natural light in the late afternoon/early evening:

Helps regulate melatonin and dopamine cycles
Buffers against negative effects of artificial light at night
Supports overall circadian health

"If you view light as the sun is starting to go down, so if you step outside around 04:00 p.m. 05:00 p.m. again, what time exactly will depend on time of year and where you are located on our planet. But as the sun starts to head down, you don't necessarily have to see the sunset. It'd be lovely if you could. Sunsets are beautiful. But if you can get outside and see the sun as it arcs down, or if you can't see the sun directly, get some sunlight in your eyes in the afternoon hours."

Protocol 14: Eat Dinner That Promotes Serotonin, Calm Sleep (1:39:00)

For dinner, Huberman recommends:

Including starchy carbohydrates to promote serotonin production
Avoiding refined sugars
Eating a moderate portion to avoid lethargy

"My dinner generally is comprised of things that are going to support rest and deep sleep. And that means starchy carbohydrates. It's absolutely clear that one of the major ways that we can increase serotonin, which helps in the transition to sleep, is by ingesting starchy carbohydrates."

Protocol 15: Optimize Falling & Staying Asleep; Tools & Supplements That Work (1:44:27)

To optimize sleep, Huberman suggests:

Keep the bedroom very dark and cool
Take a hot bath/shower before bed to accelerate temperature drop
Consider supplements like magnesium threonate/glycinate, apigenin, and theanine
Avoid melatonin supplements

"Magnesium threonate and magnesium bylycinate have transporters that allow them to cross the blood brain barrier more readily than other forms of magnesium. And there, within the brain, they promote the release of a neurotransmitter called gaba, which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter which shuts off the forebrain to some extent."

Conclusion

Dr. Huberman emphasizes that while these protocols are based on scientific research, they should be adapted to individual needs and schedules. The key is to leverage our natural biology and circadian rhythms to optimize mental and physical performance throughout the day. By implementing even a few of these strategies, individuals can potentially see significant improvements in their focus, productivity, physical health, and overall well-being.