The video discusses science-based protocols for sleep, mood, focus, exercise, and creativity. It emphasizes the importance of aligning our behaviors with our body's natural 24-hour rhythm. The protocols are backed by quality, peer-reviewed research and can be applied to different schedules or frameworks. Key points include recording waking time and temperature minimum, self-generating forward motion outdoors, viewing natural light in the morning, delaying caffeine intake, fasting until noon, hydrating correctly, optimizing deep work, exercising with a 3:2 ratio, using tools like fasting, salt, stimulants, and Alpha-GPC for training and mental focus, eating for brain function and mood, maintaining ideal testosterone and estrogen levels, using hypnosis for mind and body reset, following nap rules, viewing late afternoon/evening light, eating dinner that promotes serotonin and calm sleep, optimizing falling and staying asleep, preventing middle-of-the-night waking, and recovering from a poor night's sleep.
Introduction: Protocols for sleep, mood, focus, exercise creativity
The video discusses science-based protocols for sleep, mood, focus, exercise, and creativity. It emphasizes the importance of aligning our behaviors with our body's natural 24-hour rhythm. The protocols are backed by quality, peer-reviewed research and can be applied to different schedules or frameworks.
Key points:
- Andrew Huberman discusses protocols for various aspects of life, including sleep, mood, learning, nutrition, exercise, strength, endurance, hypertrophy, and creativity.
- The protocols are backed by quality, peer-reviewed literature.
- The video serves as an "office hours" session, where Huberman answers frequently asked questions from viewers.
- The importance of the 24-hour cycle in our body's functioning is highlighted.
- The focus is on maximizing productivity, physical and mental health through daily tools.
Protocol 1: Record Your Daily Waking Time & Temperature Minimum
The topic of Protocol 1: Record Your Daily Waking Time & Temperature Minimum is about the importance of recording your waking time to determine your temperature minimum. By tracking this information, you can optimize your sleep and overall health. Key points include:
- Recording the time you wake up each morning
- Calculating your temperature minimum, which is the time when your body temperature is lowest
- Using this information to optimize your sleep schedule and overall circadian rhythm
- Not relying on a thermometer, but instead using the average wake up time to determine temperature minimum.
Protocol 2: Self-Generate Forward Motion (Outdoors)
Walking or running generates optic flow, which reduces neural activity in the amygdala, a brain structure associated with anxiety and fear.
Generating optic flow through forward ambulation can lower levels of anxiety.
Walking forward reduces amygdala activation, promoting alertness without anxiety.
Taking a walk each morning helps to maintain alertness and focus, while reducing anxiety and reactivity to daily events.
Self-generating forward motion outdoors is important for maximizing productivity, physical, and mental health.
Protocol 3: View Natural Light For 10-30min Every Morning
Viewing natural light for 10-30 minutes every morning is crucial for maximizing productivity, physical, and mental health. This practice promotes wakefulness, a healthy immune system, and aligns with the natural cortisol pulse. It is recommended to do this outdoors, if possible, to receive sunlight in the eyes. Staring directly at the sun or any bright light that feels painful should be avoided to protect the retinas. The duration of outdoor exposure depends on the brightness of the environment, with a minimum of two minutes, ideally 10 minutes, and up to 30 minutes. This exposure stimulates specific neurons in the eye called "melanopsin" cells, which signal to the brain that it is daytime and promotes alertness. It is important to make this a daily habit and missing more than one day can have negative impacts on mental and physical health. This practice is free of cost and applies to both humans and animals.
What To Do If You Can’t View The Sun: Blue Light
Blue light is important for setting circadian rhythms and should not be shielded during the day.
- Use bright lights to stay alert and eliminate exposure to light when wanting to sleep.
Blue blockers should only be worn at night to limit exposure to bright light.
- Blue blockers may provide some minimal protection against headaches caused by excessive screen time.
- Prolonged close-up viewing of screens is the main issue, not blue light itself.
- Take breaks from screen time and look into the distance to alleviate headaches.
- Control light exposure in the evening to promote better sleep, such as dimming lights.
- Blue blockers can be useful in the late evening and at night, but overall light control throughout the day is important.
Protocol 4: Hydrate Correctly
Hydration is crucial for mental performance. To hydrate correctly, follow these key points:
- Drink 16 to 32 ounces of water in the morning.
- Add a small amount of sea salt to the water for essential sodium, magnesium, and potassium.
- Hydrate early in the day, regardless of the weather.
- Half a teaspoon of sea salt is recommended.
Protocol 5: Delay Caffeine 90-120m After Waking
Delaying caffeine intake by 90 minutes to 120 minutes after waking up can prevent a caffeine crash later in the day. This strategy optimizes the relationship between adenosine and wakefulness, providing a consistent arc of energy throughout the day. Fasting until 11:00 AM or 12:00 noon can also help achieve a focused and alert state for increased productivity.
Protocol 6: Fast (or Fat-Fast) Until Noon
The most profound aspect of Protocol 6: Fast (or Fat-Fast) Until Noon is that fasting until noon can increase levels of adrenaline in the brain and body, leading to improved learning and focus.
Key points discussed in the video include:
- Fasting until noon without consuming any food except for caffeine sources like yerba mate or guayusa tea can enhance alertness and calmness.
- This fasting protocol is particularly beneficial for tasks that require cognitive abilities, such as writing grants and working on papers.
- There are different opinions and debates on what breaks a fast and what doesn't.
What Actually Breaks A Fast & What Doesn’t?
What Actually Breaks A Fast & What Doesn’t?
- Whether or not something breaks a fast depends on factors such as insulin sensitivity, recent eating history, blood sugar levels, and glycogen stores.
- Eating a large volume of almond butter may not break a fast for someone who exercises in the morning.
- Even a small amount of food could break a fast for someone who had a large meal before fasting.
- It is not accurate to make general statements about what breaks a fast and what doesn't.
- The speaker personally consumes water, caffeine, and athletic greens during their fasting period, but there are days when they consume none of these things.
Fat Loss & Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 (GLP1), Yerba Mate, Guayusa Tea
Yerba mate and guayusa teas increase the release of GLP-1, which has positive effects on fat burning. Consuming these teas while fasting leads to increased GLP-1 levels, alertness from caffeine and adrenaline, and burning of body fat. Yerba mate comes in different forms, and a recommended brand is Anna Park. The leaves of Yerba Mate can be reused multiple times, but caution should be taken to avoid mold growth.
Protocol 7: Optimize Deep Work: Visual Elevation, Ultradian Cycles, White Noise
Optimizing deep work involves visual elevation, ultradian cycles, and white noise. Key points include:
- Positioning the screen or tablet at eye level or slightly higher enhances alertness.
- Eye position influences alertness levels, with looking upward increasing alertness and looking downward decreasing alertness.
- Ultradian cycles occur every 90 minutes and involve shifts between alertness and less alert states.
- Setting a timer for 90 minutes and using programs like Freedom can help eliminate distractions during focused work.
- Delaying bathroom breaks can help maintain focus by utilizing the neural connection between the bladder and brainstem areas.
- Creating a dedicated work environment with low-level white noise and optimal physical posture enhances attention, focus, cognition, memory, and dopamine release.
- The goal is to create a purposeful and meaningful work environment to maximize productivity and mental health.
Optimal Time of Day To Do Hard Mental Work
The optimal time of day to do hard mental work is when your body temperature is rising fastest, typically around 10:00 AM or 11:00 AM. This is because the brain can handle intense work for about 90 minutes, and aligning this work period with the temperature minimum allows for better focus and productivity.
Key points:
- Determine your temperature minimum, which is when your body temperature is at its lowest, typically around four to six hours after waking up.
- Add five hours to your temperature minimum to find the best time for a 90-minute work session.
- Catching the steepest slope of your rising body temperature can help optimize productivity.
- If you struggle to find focus, let your rising body temperature support your efforts to focus rather than trying to work during times of de-focus and lethargy.
Protocol 8: Optimal Exercise; 3:2 Ratio
Physical exercise has a significant impact on brain health and function. To optimize brain health, it is recommended to engage in both strength and hypertrophy work, as well as endurance work. The specific protocols for these exercises can be found in previous podcast episodes. Incorporating physical movement into the daily routine is essential for promoting brain longevity, focus, and cardiovascular health.
- Optimal exercise protocol: 3:2 ratio of strength/hypertrophy to endurance workouts
- Duration of each workout: approximately 60 minutes, with 45-50 minutes being more optimal
- Importance of keeping cortisol levels in check
- Two full days off per week from exercise is beneficial
- Exercise regimen should be followed for 10-12 weeks, then shift focus to endurance work
- Resistance training and cardiovascular endurance work are important for overall health
- Exercise increases blood flow to the brain and stimulates release of hormones that positively impact brain function
- Combination of endurance work and strength training maximizes productivity and mental health
- Proper duration of exercise: around 60 minutes plus or minus 15 minutes
- 80% of resistance training should be done without going to failure, 20% can be higher intensity
- Endurance can be built up by focusing on building capillary beds within muscles
- 3:2 ratio protocol involves alternating between endurance and resistance training
- 80% of endurance workouts should be below burn threshold, 20% should include burning sensation
- Mindful of cortisol threshold and not overtraining
- Two full days off from exercise each week
- Rational and grounded protocol based on scientific literature and expert opinions
Tools for Training & Mental Focus: Fasting, Salt, Stimulants, Alpha-GPC
The most profound aspect of the text is that fasting, salt, stimulants, and Alpha-GPC are tools that can be used for training and mental focus.
- Fasting can amplify the effects of exercise and improve cellular and organ health.
- Electrolytes like sodium, magnesium, and potassium are important for proper neuronal function and hunger regulation.
- Consuming electrolytes such as salt and potassium before exercise can improve mental clarity and physical performance.
- Stimulants like caffeine can increase motivation and fat metabolism during physical training.
- Guayusa, mate, electrolytes, and water are preferred sources of caffeine before training, rather than energy drinks.
- Alpha-GPC can improve physical and cognitive performance by supporting the release of acetylcholine.
- Alpha-GPC is a non-stimulant option for improving cognitive performance and focus.
- Consult with a doctor before taking any supplements.
- Food timing, such as eating the first meal around noon, can have specific benefits.
Protocol 9: Eat For Brain Function & Mood
The most profound aspect of the topic is the importance of eating in a way that optimizes brain function and mood.
Key points:
- Consuming large volumes of food diverts blood to the gut, leading to lethargy and reduced blood flow to the brain.
- Maintaining alertness throughout the day by controlling food volume and content.
- Following a fasting routine until noon and then consuming a lunch consisting of protein and vegetables.
- Including some starches like bread, rice, or oatmeal if exercising, but keeping overall carbohydrate intake low to avoid sleepiness.
- Eating a noonish meal that is mainly protein, healthy fats, and low in carbohydrates can help achieve heightened states of alertness.
- Omega-3 fatty acids, specifically EPA, support healthy mood and act as an antidepressant.
- Ingesting omega-3 from foods or supplements can provide these benefits.
- Getting enough iodine from salt and selenium from Brazil nuts is important for thyroid function.
- The ratios and timing of protein, fat, and carbohydrates in the diet impact brain health.
- Having periods of 12 hours or more each day without food is beneficial.
- Structuring the day, implementing fasting cycles, and ensuring sufficient intake of omega-3s and selenium are important for brain function and mood.
- Scientific studies provide strong biochemical evidence supporting these recommendations.
Protocol 10: Get Your Testosterone & Estrogen In An Ideal Range
Maintaining ideal levels of testosterone and estrogen is crucial for physical and mental health. Key points include:
- Testosterone and estrogen are important for both men and women.
- Sufficient levels of cholesterol are needed for hormone production.
- Consuming butter, high in cholesterol, can help maintain adequate levels.
- Proper levels of testosterone and estrogen are essential for feeling good and thinking clearly.
- Estrogen is crucial for brain health and cognitive function.
- Lifestyle factors like morning sunlight, exercise, and fasting can optimize hormone levels.
- Tongkat ali can increase free testosterone levels.
- Fadogia can increase luteinizing hormone levels, stimulating the release of estrogen or testosterone.
- Caution and consultation with a doctor are advised when using these compounds.
- Taking a brief walk after lunch can improve metabolism and nutrient utilization.
- Morning light exposure and going outside after lunch benefit overall health.
- Science-supported protocols can increase effectiveness.
Protocol 11: Reset the Mind & Body, Enhance Neuroplasticity, Reveri.com
The most profound aspect of the topic is the use of hypnosis as a protocol to reset the mind and body, enhance neuroplasticity, and improve overall well-being.
Key points:
- Hypnosis is a powerful tool for achieving deep relaxation, heightened focus, and accelerated neuroplasticity and learning in the brain.
- Reveri.com is a zero-cost hypnosis app that offers multiple protocols backed by high-quality science.
- The app includes short and longer hypnosis sessions, with one-minute scripts being most effective after regular use of the longer sessions.
- Hypnosis can enhance focus, creativity, reduce pain, improve sleep, and reduce anxiety.
- Hypnosis activates specific brain areas involved in executive function, default mode network, and the insula.
- Hypnosis is not stage hypnosis but a way to teach the brain to access focused and relaxed states.
- Hydration is emphasized as vital for brain function.
Protocol 12: Hydrate Correctly, Nap Rules
Protocol 12 focuses on hydrating correctly and following nap rules for maximizing productivity, physical health, and mental health. The science suggests that a 20-minute nap can be more beneficial than a full 90-minute sleep cycle, depending on individual needs. However, it is important to determine what works best for oneself. Regardless of napping habits, following a key protocol for sleep health and wakefulness is crucial.
Protocol 13: View Late Afternoon/Evening Light To Support Sleep & Dopamine
- Viewing bright lights between 10:00 PM and 4:00 AM can disrupt sleep, dopamine production, learning and memory, immune system, and mood.
- Viewing afternoon light can offset the negative effects of bright light at night.
- Getting sunlight in your eyes in the afternoon, around 4:00 PM, for 20-30 minutes can lower the sensitivity of your retina in the late evening hours.
- This helps maintain an appropriate melatonin rhythm, which is important for falling asleep easily.
- The protocol is to go outside in the afternoon or evening for 10 to 30 minutes without sunglasses to get natural and bright light in your eyes.
- Avoid using blue blockers in the afternoon as they can make your eyes more sensitive to light later in the evening.
- Simple protocols can have powerful effects on brain and body health and performance by leveraging the power of the nervous system.
- Aligning our hormones with the 24-hour schedule has numerous benefits for overall well-being and can optimize mood and learning abilities.
Protocol 14: Eat Dinner That Promotes Serotonin, Calm Sleep
Eating dinner that promotes serotonin and calm sleep is the focus of Protocol 14. The speaker emphasizes the role of starchy carbohydrates in increasing serotonin levels, which aids in sleep. They advise against low-carbohydrate diets and direct supplementation with serotonin. Instead, they recommend a protocol of fasting or consuming low-carb/no-carb meals during the day, followed by ingesting starchy carbohydrates in the evening for rest and relaxation. This protocol is based on the understanding that sleep is crucial for overall mental and physical health.
Key points:
- Starchy carbohydrates increase serotonin levels and aid in sleep
- Low-carbohydrate diets may hinder serotonin production for sleep
- Direct supplementation with serotonin can disrupt sleep architecture
- Fasting or consuming low-carb/no-carb meals during the day promotes alertness and focus
- Ingesting starchy carbohydrates in the evening induces rest and relaxation
- Sleep is important for overall mental and physical health.
Protocol 15: Optimize Falling & Staying Asleep; Tools & Supplements That Work
To optimize falling and staying asleep, it is recommended to leverage the drop in temperature before sleep by taking hot baths, hot showers, or using a sauna. These activities engage mechanisms in the body that allow for a quicker drop in temperature and easier sleep onset. Spending 20 minutes in the sauna or engaging in hot baths or showers at a sufficiently high temperature is recommended.
Other protocols and tools to optimize falling and staying asleep include keeping the room dark and cool, using heat exposure like sauna sessions followed by cooling off, and using specific compounds such as magnesium threonate or bisglycinate, apigenin, and theanine. These compounds promote the release of the neurotransmitter GABA, which helps shut off thinking and promote sleep. Taking 300 to 400 milligrams of magnesium bisglycinate or magnesium threonate, along with apigenin and theanine, 30 to 60 minutes before sleep can aid in falling asleep faster and staying asleep. However, some people may experience gastrointestinal discomfort from magnesium and should avoid it.
Protocol 16: Preventing Middle of the Night Waking
The most profound aspect of Protocol 16: Preventing Middle of the Night Waking is the importance of maintaining a consistent sleep schedule and ensuring high-quality sleep every day.
Key points include:
- Two general themes are addressed for counteracting waking up in the middle of the night: staying awake past desired bedtime and waking up due to anxiety or the need to use the restroom.
- Going to bed earlier or getting more bright light in the evening can help offset early initiation of the melatonin pulse.
- Keeping the lights dim if they need to be turned on during instances of waking up can help prevent further disruption.
- Using non-sleep deep rest protocols, such as yoga nidra or sleep hypnosis, can relax the body and shift the mind away from anxiety or rumination.
- Incorporating multiple work bouts throughout the day, prioritizing the most challenging or important tasks in the morning, can improve sleep quality.
- Consistency in sleep schedule and prioritizing high-quality sleep every day is crucial for preventing middle-of-the-night waking.
Protocol 17: Weekends, Recovering From A Poor Nights Sleep
Weekend drift refers to altering schedules and routines on weekends to recover and get additional rest. It is important to maintain daily habits like getting morning sunlight and regular sleep. It is recommended to maintain a regular wake-up time, even if staying up late, to avoid disrupting circadian rhythms.
- Maintain daily habits like getting morning sunlight and regular sleep.
- Maintain a regular wake-up time, even if staying up late.
- Importance of consistent sleep schedule after a poor night's sleep.
- Value of two 90-minute work blocks for focused and productive work.
- Importance of setting boundaries and work blocks for productivity.
- Adapt and modify schedule to suit individual needs.
- Benefits of morning light viewing on melatonin secretion, cortisol secretion, mood, and metabolism.
- Importance of examining scientific literature for specific topics and protocols.
- Impact of sleep on productivity and mental health.
- Tools and strategies for maximizing recovery and improving mood.