Huberman Lab

Podcast Notes Key Takeaways

• Achieving plasticity is the first step in optimizing your brain, not the end goal
• Leverage periods of natural wakefulness and sleepiness anchored to core biology
• The goal is to have energy and focus to pursue and energy and focus to suppress action – not flow state
• For learning while alert, the ideal background is quiet or silent  
• For learning while sleepy or tired:  the best scenario is some background noise to trigger autonomic arousal
• Eating shifts us toward state of calm; fasting shifts us toward a state of alertness
• Creativity has two parts: (1) creative discovery mode – more random, facilitated by relaxed and sleepy states; (2) linear implementation mode – facilitated by alertness
• Some tips for more wakefulness everyday: get sunlight exposure first thing in the morning, delay caffeine intake for two hours to give endogenous hormones a chance, drink water upon waking, exercise within the first three hours of waking

Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org

In this episode, I describe how to access focused learning bouts, creative states, and the underlying neural circuitry involved. I frame this in the context of our daily 24-hour cycle in order to make it practical, clear and precise about timing. I review the role of fasting, meal timing and specific types of nutrients for promoting certain states of mind. I also review various other tools and biological factors that directly or indirectly gate brain function and that we can control. I answer commonly asked questions about the science of psychedelics, binaural beats, and visualization. Thank you for your interest in science!

Thank you to our sponsors:

• InsideTracker - http://insidetracker.com/huberman
• Athletic Greens - http://athleticgreens.com/huberman

 

Our Patreon page:

• https://www.patreon.com/andrewhuberman

 

Supplements from Thorne:

• http://www.thorne.com/u/huberman

 

Links I mention:

• Spike Jonze/Kenzo Perfume: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoMqvniiEkk
• Dr. Charles Czeisler, MD, PhD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Czeisler
• Reveri Health (Free) Research Supported Hypnosis: https://reverihealth.com/
• The NSDR I do every day (30 min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEw5BkK9K9A&t=15s

 

Timestamps below.

• 00:00 Introduction
• 04:53 The Daily (Learning) Routine
• 07:13 Plasticity Is NOT the Goal
• 09:26 No Obligation To Change
• 09:59 Practical Plasticity Language
• 13:37 Pillars of Neuroplasticity
• 15:16 My Daily Routine: Chronotype Management
• 17:20 Plasticity of the Wake-Sleep Circuit: Morning Light
• 19:09 Delay Caffeine!
• 21:19 Light, Black Coffee, Hydrate
• 22:57 High Alertness, Linear Tasks/Learning
• 25:12 Background Music/Noise: Yay or Nay?
• 26:52 “GO” versus “NO-GO”: The Basal Ganglia & Dopamine
• 28:37 Leveraging GO, NO-GO
• 30:08 Non-Specific Action
• 32:06 Clear, Calm, Focused: The GO, NO-GO Sweet Spot
• 33:48 When Very Alert, Work In Silence; When Tired, Include Background Noise
• 35:28 Temperaments Vary: And So Should This
• 36:01 The 3 Hour-Long Post Waking Block
• 36:20 Early Morning Exercise and GO Networks
• 38:05 Fasting, Ketogenic Diets, & Food Volume
• 39:41 Sodium/Electrolytes
• 40:57 Avoiding Hot Lunch, Food Pre-Occupation
• 42:01 Post Lunch Low/No Cognitive Load
• 42:56 Hydration, NSDR, Nap
• 44:54 Creativity Work
• 46:26 Creativity Is A Two-Part Phenomenon
• 51:15 Psychedelics
• 58:20 Afternoon Light As Insurance
• 1:00:26 Evening Nutrition
• 1:01:21 Repacking Glycogen: Hormonal Factors
• 1:04:11 Pre-Sleep Anxiety: Normal and Easy To Solve
• 1:07:08 The Power of Objective Tools
• 1:08:14 Visualization
• 1:11:34 Mini-Synthesis
• 1:13:31 Resetting Your Clock
• 1:15:55 Don’t Trust the Mind Now
• 1:16:59 Two, (Maybe 3) Optimization Bouts Per Day
• 1:18:33 Organizational Logic
• 1:20:22 Wim Hof Breathing, Binaural Beats, Ice Baths, Etc.
• 1:24:42 Variation Among People, and Dogs
• 1:25:49 Accurate Versus Exhaustive
• 1:27:57 Familiar and New Ways To Support

 

Please note that The Huberman Lab Podcast is distinct from Dr. Huberman's teaching and research roles at Stanford University School of Medicine. The information provided in this show is not medical advice, nor should it be taken or applied as a replacement for medical advice. The Huberman Lab Podcast, its employees, guests and affiliates assume no liability for the application of the information discussed.

[Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac https://www.blabacphoto.com/]