- The Huberman Lab Podcast discusses science and science-based tools for everyday life
- Professor Andrew Huberman discusses protocols for sleep, mood, learning, nutrition, exercise, strength, endurance, hypertrophy, and creativity
- The episode focuses on answering frequently asked questions and organizing protocols within the context of a day
- The 24-hour day rhythm is important for our biology and can be optimized using science-based protocols
- The podcast is separate from Huberman's teaching and research roles at Stanford and aims to provide free information to the general public
- Sponsors of the podcast include Roka, InsideTracker, and Helix Sleep, which offer products related to vision, nutrition, and sleep respectively.

- The speaker puts their phone on airplane mode before they sleep and sets an alarm for 6:30 AM.
- They track their wake-up time to determine their temperature minimum, which is the lowest body temperature during the 24-hour cycle.
- Walking in the morning generates optic flow and reduces amygdala activation, leading to lower anxiety levels.
- Walking outdoors with sunlight in the eyes is important for mental and physical health.
- The protocol is to spend at least 2 minutes, preferably 10-30 minutes, outdoors without sunglasses.
- The melanopsin neurons in the eyes signal to the brain that it's daytime and promote wakefulness and overall biological health.
- A natural bump in cortisol, which comes from the amygdala, occurs early in the day and is important for promoting wakefulness and a healthy immune system.

- The timing of sunlight exposure is important for regulating cortisol levels
- It is recommended to view bright sunlight or artificial light as soon as possible after waking up
- Sunlight should be viewed indirectly to avoid damage to the retinas
- Daily exposure to sunlight is important for mental and physical health
- Blue light is optimal for stimulating circadian rhythms and should not be shielded during the day
- Blue blockers should only be worn in the late evening and at night
- Dimming lights in the evening is more effective for promoting sleep than wearing blue blockers
- Hydration is important for mental performance, and drinking water with sea salt in the morning is recommended
- Caffeine intake should be delayed for 90 minutes to 2 hours after waking up to avoid a crash later in the day.

- The speaker delays caffeine intake until 90 minutes to 2 hours after waking to avoid an afternoon crash
- Fasting until 11am or 12 noon helps the speaker achieve a focused and alert state for work
- The speaker drinks yerba mate and guayusa tea for caffeine, avoids coffee
- The effects of fasting and caffeine on alertness and fat burning are discussed
- The speaker uses Anna Park yerba mate and reuses the leaves for multiple pour-overs
- Looking upward with open eyelids increases alertness, while looking downward with closed eyelids increases sleepiness
- The speaker positions their computer screen at eye level or slightly higher to optimize alertness while working

- The author uses a standing desk and props up their computer to eye level for optimal alertness.
- Body posture and eye position impact levels of alertness.
- The author works in 90-minute bouts, as the brain goes through cycles of alertness.
- They use a program called Freedom to block internet access and increase focus.
- The author avoids distractions, including going to the bathroom, to maintain focus.
- Low-level white noise is used to optimize learning and workflow.
- The timing of the 90-minute work bout is determined by the individual's temperature minimum.
- The author emphasizes the importance of creating a focused work environment.

- Temperature minimum triggers cortisol release and wakes you up
- Timing 90-minute work bouts based on temperature minimum can optimize focus
- Physical exercise after work bouts supports brain health and function
- Exercise should be approximately 60 minutes long, not exceeding an hour to avoid excessive cortisol release
- Exercise at least 5 days a week, with a ratio of 3 strength/hypertrophy workouts to 2 endurance workouts
- After 10-12 weeks, switch to a 3 endurance to 2 strength/hypertrophy ratio
- Exercise supports cardiovascular and brain health, increases blood flow to the brain, and stimulates the release of beneficial hormones
- Incorporating new neurons into existing brain circuitry is challenging, so maintaining the health of existing neurons is important
- 60 minutes, plus or minus 15 minutes, is the optimal duration for exercise to reap health benefits.

- Optimal workout duration is about 60 minutes, plus or minus 15 minutes
- About 80% of resistance training should not go to failure, while 20% can be higher intensity to failure training
- Building up capillary beds in muscles improves endurance and brain metabolism
- 80% of endurance work should not incorporate the "burn" sensation, but 20% should to support brain health
- A suggested protocol is 10-12 weeks of 3 endurance workouts per week (80% below burn threshold, 20% with burn) and 2 resistance training workouts (80% not to failure, 20% to failure), then switch emphasis
- Training fasted can have benefits for cell and organ health, but electrolytes (sodium, magnesium, potassium) should be ingested for proper neuron function
- Stimulants like caffeine can increase motivation and fat oxidation, but caution is advised with energy drinks
- Alpha-GPC can improve physical and cognitive performance without being a stimulant

- The Huberman Lab Podcast provides science-based tools for everyday life
- Professor Andrew Huberman discusses protocols for sleep, mood, learning, nutrition, exercise, strength, endurance, hypertrophy, and creativity
- The episode focuses on answering frequently asked questions and organizing protocols within the context of a day
- The podcast aims to provide free information to the general public
- Sponsors of the podcast include Roka, InsideTracker, and Helix Sleep
- The speaker shares their personal routines and practices for optimizing their biology and mental health
- Sunlight exposure, hydration, and timing of caffeine intake are important factors for overall well-being
- Fasting until 11am or 12 noon and incorporating exercise into daily routines are recommended for focus and brain health
- The optimal duration for exercise is around 60 minutes
- Different protocols for strength, endurance, and hypertrophy training are discussed
- Training fasted can have benefits, but proper electrolyte intake is important
- Stimulants like caffeine and Alpha-GPC can enhance performance and motivation.

- The speaker recommends visiting examine.com for more information on the studies mentioned
- The timing and volume of food intake are important for maintaining alertness throughout the day
- The speaker eats a lunch that is mainly protein, healthy fats, and low-ish carbohydrates to support alertness
- Ingesting sufficient levels of omega-3 fatty acids can improve mood and act as an antidepressant
- The speaker takes fish oil supplements to ensure he gets enough omega-3s
- Sufficient iodine and selenium intake are important for proper thyroid function
- The content and ratios of protein, fat, and carbohydrates in the diet impact brain health
- Allowing periods of fasting each day is beneficial for brain and body health
- Hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen, play a role in brain and body health and are manufactured from cholesterol
- The speaker eats butter to ensure sufficient cholesterol intake for hormone production

- Testosterone and estrogen are both important for brain function and longevity
- Tongat ali can help increase levels of free testosterone
- Phytogia agrestis can increase levels of luteinizing hormone, which stimulates the release of testosterone and estrogen
- Taking a brief walk after a midday meal can improve metabolism and nutrient utilization
- Non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) protocols, such as meditation, yoga nidra, and hypnosis, can improve brain and body function
- Hypnosis is unique in its ability to be directed towards specific goals and outcomes
- Reveri.com is a free hypnosis app backed by scientific research
- Hypnosis can activate brain areas associated with focus, relaxation, and self-awareness
- Daily hypnosis sessions after lunch can induce deep relaxation and enhance focus for the afternoon.

- The speaker practices a 10-minute hypnosis script after lunch and a walk to enter a state of deep relaxation and exit in a focused and alert manner.
- The hypnosis is not stage hypnosis but a way to teach the brain to access focused and relaxed states.
- Hypnosis can increase brain plasticity and allow for desired changes in the brain.
- Hydration is important after hypnosis, and the speaker links it to their practice.
- Shifting morning caffeine and using hypnosis helps the speaker avoid an afternoon energy dip.
- Napping can be beneficial, but should be limited to 90 minutes or less.
- Viewing light in the afternoon can prevent disruption of sleep and hormone production caused by bright light in the evening.
- Getting 5-30 minutes of sunlight in the afternoon or evening can help regulate melatonin and improve sleep.

- The speaker discusses their dinner and how it supports rest and deep sleep
- They emphasize the importance of starchy carbohydrates in increasing serotonin levels for better sleep
- They differentiate between refined sugars and complex carbohydrates
- The speaker mentions the negative effects of supplementing directly with serotonin or dopamine
- They explain the benefits of hot baths, saunas, and showers in accelerating the drop in temperature for easier sleep
- Keeping the room dark and cool is important for better sleep quality
- The speaker discusses the importance of cooling off during sleep and the benefits of putting a limb outside the covers.

- Cooling the body through the palms, face, and bottoms of the feet can increase exercise volume and recovery
- Melatonin may aid in falling asleep but may not keep you asleep
- Magnesium, apigenin, and theanine can aid in the transition to sleep
- Waking up in the middle of the night can be caused by melatonin pulse or anxiety
- Going to bed earlier or getting more bright light in the evening can help with early melatonin pulse
- NSDR protocols like yoga nidra or sleep hypnosis can help fall back asleep
- Morning 90-minute work block is important for doing the hardest or most important tasks

- The author emphasizes the importance of a 90-minute work block in the morning for tackling the hardest or most important tasks.
- They also mention the need for rest and recovery on weekends, but advise against drastically altering sleep schedules.
- The author suggests getting morning sunlight and maintaining a regular sleep schedule for optimal health.
- They describe a second 90-minute work block in the afternoon for focused work.
- The author acknowledges that their schedule may not apply to everyone and encourages adaptation based on individual needs and professions.
- They emphasize the scientific rationale behind their schedule and refer to peer-reviewed research to support their practices.
- The author provides various resources and platforms for further learning and support.
- They mention partnerships with Thorne for high-quality supplements and promote their sponsors.
- The author expresses gratitude for the audience's interest in science.

- Timing and volume of food intake impact alertness throughout the day
- Omega-3 fatty acids improve mood and can be obtained through fish oil supplements
- Adequate iodine and selenium intake is important for thyroid function
- Protein, fat, and carbohydrate ratios in the diet affect brain health
- Periods of fasting have benefits for brain and body health
- Hormones like testosterone and estrogen are important for brain function and can be supported through diet
- Tongat ali and Phytogia agrestis can increase testosterone and estrogen levels
- Taking a walk after lunch improves metabolism and nutrient utilization
- Non-sleep deep rest protocols like hypnosis can improve brain and body function
- Hypnosis can activate brain areas associated with focus, relaxation, and self-awareness
- Reveri.com is a free hypnosis app backed by scientific research
- Hydration is important after hypnosis
- Shifting morning caffeine and using hypnosis can prevent afternoon energy dips
- Limited napping and viewing light in the afternoon can improve sleep
- Dinner should include starchy carbohydrates for better sleep
- Hot baths, saunas, and showers aid in falling asleep
- Keeping the room dark and cool improves sleep quality
- Cooling the body through palms, face, and feet aids in exercise volume and recovery
- Melatonin, magnesium, apigenin, and theanine can aid in sleep
- Morning 90-minute work block is important for tackling important tasks
- Rest and recovery on weekends are necessary, but sleep schedules should not be drastically altered
- Morning sunlight and regular sleep schedules are beneficial for overall health
- A second 90-minute work block in the afternoon is recommended for focused work
- Adaptation based on individual needs and professions is encouraged
- Peer-reviewed research supports the author's practices
- Resources and platforms for further learning and support are provided
- Thorne is recommended for high-quality supplements

In this episode I discuss science-supported tools for enhancing focus, learning, creativity, sleep, physical strength and endurance and brain and body health. I explain each protocol in detail, the rationale behind it, and how the protocol can be adjusted depending on individual needs. I set these tools in the context of a 24-hour day as a way of framing how one might incorporate these tools and protocols into their own daily routine.

Thank you to our sponsors:
ROKA - https://www.roka.com - code: huberman
InsideTracker - https://www.insidetracker.com/huberman
Headspace - https://www.helixsleep.com/huberman

Our Patreon page:
https://www.patreon.com/andrewhuberman

Supplements from Thorne:
http://www.thorne.com/u/huberman

Social:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab
Twitter - https://twitter.com/hubermanlab
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab

Website: https://hubermanlab.com
Join the Neural Network: https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network

Timestamps:
00:00:00 Introduction: Protocols for sleep, mood, focus, exercise creativity
00:04:08 Sponsors
00:08:50 Protocol 1: Record Your Daily Waking Time & Temperature Minimum 
00:12:07 Protocol 2: Self-Generate Forward Motion (Outdoors) 
00:17:00 Protocol 3: View Natural Light For 10-30min Every Morning
00:22:43 What To Do If You Can’t View The Sun: Blue Light 
00:26:50 Protocol 4: Hydrate Correctly 
00:28:00 Protocol 5: Delay Caffeine 90-120m After Waking
00:30:48 Protocol 6: Fast (or Fat-Fast) Until Noon
00:32:30 What Actually Breaks A Fast & What Doesn’t?
00:34:30 Fat Loss & Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 (GLP1), Yerba Mate, Guayusa Tea
00:37:30 Protocol 7: Optimize Deep Work: Visual Elevation, Ultradian Cycles, White Noise
00:48:30 Optimal Time of Day To Do Hard Mental Work 
00:52:07 Protocol 8: Optimal Exercise; 3:2 Ratio
01:03:54 Tools for Training & Mental Focus: Fasting, Salt, Stimulants, Alpha-GPC 
01:10:00 Protocol 9: Eat For Brain Function & Mood
01:17:39 Protocol 10: Get Your Testosterone & Estrogen In An Ideal Range
01:24:00 Protocol 11: Reset the Mind & Body, Enhance Neuroplasticity, Reveri.com
01:31:15 Protocol 12: Hydrate Correctly, Nap Rules
01:33:29 Protocol 13: View Late Afternoon/Evening Light To Support Sleep & Dopamine
01:39:00 Protocol 14: Eat Dinner That Promotes Serotonin, Calm Sleep
01:44:27 Protocol 15: Optimize Falling & Staying Asleep; Tools & Supplements That Work
01:55:00 Protocol 16: Preventing Middle of the Night Waking
01:59:10 Protocol 17: Weekends, Recovering From A Poor Nights Sleep
02:05:20 Neural Network, Supplement Sources, Sponsors

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

Welcome to the Huberman Lab Podcast, where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life.

I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine.

Today, we are going to talk about science-based protocols for sleep, mood, learning, nutrition, exercise of various kinds, strength and endurance, and hypertrophy.

And we're going to talk about some protocols that relate to creativity.

We're going to talk about behavioral protocols, supplement-based protocols, all science backed by quality peer review literature.

The reason that we're holding this episode now is that in the recent previous episodes, we've covered some pretty intense and in-depth topics.

We've talked about vision and how we see and how to get better at seeing and how to maintain vision.

We've talked about chemical sensing and we had a guest episode that covered a lot of information about new and emerging technologies in neuroscience as well as mental health.

So given that we've covered so much detailed information in the previous 27 episodes of the Huberman Lab Podcast, I decided that we would hold office hours.

Office hours in the university setting are when students come to the professor's office or you meet outdoors on campus or in the classroom to review the material and questions from lecture in more detail.

Now, Unfortunately, we don't have the opportunity to meet face-to-face in real life, but nonetheless, you've been sending your questions, putting them in the comment section on YouTube, et cetera, and I prepared a number of answers to the questions that have shown up most frequently.

Now, in order to provide context and structure to the way that we will address these questions, I've arranged the science and science-based protocols that relate to various aspects of life, such as mood, exercise, sleep, waking, anxiety, creativity, et cetera, into the context of a day.

Selecting the unit of a day in order to deliver this science information and protocols is not a haphazard decision on my part.

It's actually the case that every cell in our body, every organ in our body and our brain is modulated or changes across the 24-hour day in a very regular and predictable rhythm.

And it's no coincidence that the earth spins once on its axis every 24 hours.

These 2 things are coordinated by virtue of genes and different proteins and things that are expressed in every cell of your body.

And so selecting the unit of the day is not just a practical 1, but it's 1 that's related to our deeper biology.

You may have heard in my interview episode with Dr.

Karl Deisseroth that he himself, in order to juggle a tremendous workload, a full-time clinical practice, a lab of 40 plus people, a family of 5 children, et cetera, breaks up his life into units of days.

And so today we are going to further dissect the day as a unit that 1 can manage and manage extremely well and in fact can optimize.

So we're basically going to talk about how to leverage science-based protocols.

And when I say science, I mean quality, peer-reviewed science published in excellent journals.

We're going to talk about how to take that science, convert it into specific protocols that break up along the course of a single day and direct certain types of behaviors in order to optimize the various features of life.

I will couch this in the context of what I do across a daily 24-hour rhythm.

That doesn't mean that you have to follow this schedule at all, or even in part.

Any number of the different things that I described could be applied to any number of different schedules or frameworks.

But if there's 1 truth that applies to all of us is that we all have to exist within the context of this 24 hour rhythm that we all possess.

Before we begin, I'd like to emphasize that this podcast is separate from my teaching and research roles at Stanford.

It is however, part of my desire and effort to bring 0 cost to consumer information about science and science related tools to the general public.

In keeping with that theme, I'd like to thank the sponsors of today's podcast.

Roka makes eyeglasses and sunglasses that I believe are the very highest quality possible.

Developed by 2 all-American swimmers from Stanford, Roka sunglasses and eyeglasses were developed with their intention to create sunglasses and eyeglasses that could be worn anywhere.

So while exercising or while working at home, while driving.

The reason I like Roka glasses so much is that first of all, they're extremely lightweight.

The optical clarity of the lenses is excellent.

And so I often just forget that I even have them on.

When I'm outside and I'm wearing sunglasses, they have this really terrific feature, which is that I can move in and out of shadows or the cloud cover can change and I can see perfectly well the entire time.

You know, many eyeglasses and sunglasses that I've tried, depending on what we call the ambient lighting conditions, the local lighting conditions outside, I have to take them off or put them back on.

But with Roka glasses, somehow, I'm assuming because they really understand the science of the visual system, the eyeglasses and sunglasses work seamlessly with whatever environment you're in.

Another thing about ROKA eyeglasses and sunglasses is that their aesthetic is really terrific.

I don't think I'm alone in saying that many performance glasses, as they're called, end up making people look like a cyborg, but the sunglasses are of the sort that, you know, you can wear while running or biking or driving or out to dinner.

I don't typically wear sunglasses while out to dinner, but you get the idea.

You can wear them anywhere and they look very natural.

They have a huge number of different styles to select from.

If you'd like to try Roka glasses, you can go to Roka, that's R-O-K-A.com and enter the code Huberman to save 20% off your first order.

That's roka, R-O-K-A.com and enter the code Huberman at checkout.

Today's podcast is also brought to us by InsideTracker.

InsideTracker is a personalized nutrition platform that analyzes data from your blood and DNA to help you better understand your body and help you reach your health goals.

I've long been a believer in getting regular blood work done for the simple reason that many of the factors that impact your immediate and long-term health can only be analyzed from a quality blood test.

With InsideTracker, It alleviates a specific problem that's associated with most, if not all of the other blood tests and DNA tests out there.

And that problem is you get information back about the levels of various things, metabolic factors, hormones, et cetera, but you don't know what to do with that information.

With InsideTracker, they have this terrific dashboard that allows you to both see your levels of hormones, metabolic factors, and the rest, but also it suggests specific things that you can do with your nutrition, your exercise, and lifestyle, and so forth, in order to bring those levels into the ranges that are best for your immediate and long-term health.

In addition, they make the whole process of getting your blood and DNA taken very easy.

They'll even come to your home to take the sample.

If you'd like to try InsideTracker, you can go to insidetracker.com slash Huberman.

And if you do that, you'll get 25% off any of InsideTrackers plans.

That's insidetracker.com slash Huberman to get 25% off any of InsideTrackers plans.

Today's episode is also brought to us by Helix Sleep.

Helix Sleep makes mattresses and pillows that are ideally matched to your sleep needs.

I started sleeping on a Helix mattress about 8 months ago, and I can honestly say it's the best sleep that I've ever had in my entire life.

And that's because the mattress was actually designed for me.

And you can have a mattress designed for you.

If you go to helixsleep.com, they have this free, very brief two-minute quiz that asks you a number of questions, like do you sleep on your side or your back?

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Maybe you don't know the answers to those questions and that's fine too.

After taking that quiz, they will match you to a specific mattress that's ideal for your sleep needs.

I matched to the so-called Dusk mattress, D-U-S-K, because I wanted a mattress that was not too firm, not too soft.

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So let's talk about how to apply quality peer-reviewed science to your day and how to optimize everything from sleep to learning, creativity, meal timing, et cetera.

As I mentioned earlier, I'm going to do this in the context of my day and what I typically do.

However, the specific protocols for any number of different things, sleep relaxation, meal timing, exercise, et cetera, any 1 or all of those could be rearranged to suit your specific needs.

I'm going to tell you what I do from morning until waking and even what I do while I sleep in order to optimize my sleep.

So let's start with getting up in the morning.

Now, for me, I tend to wake up sometime around 6 a.m., 6.30, sometimes as late as 7 a.m.

I don't typically sleep much later than 7 a.m.

The first thing I do after I wake up is I take the pen that's on my nightstand and the pad of paper on my nightstand, and I write down the time in which I woke up.

Now, I do sleep with my phone in my room.

I realize this is considered a sin and has certain hazards associated with it, but I put my phone on airplane mode about an hour before I go to sleep.

And then I set my alarm typically for 6.30 AM.

And some days the alarm wakes me up, other days I wake up before the alarm.

And yes, some days the alarm goes off and I hit snooze a few times.

And then usually by 7 AM, I am up and out of bed.

The reason for writing down what time I wake up is because I want to know that average wake up time.

That average wake up time informs what's called my temperature minimum.

It tells me when my body temperature was lowest.

The temperature minimum is the time in each 24-hour 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-hour cycle tends to be 2 hours before my typical wake-up time.

So if you're somebody that typically wakes up at 8 a.m., then your temperature minimum is sometime around 6 a.m.

Remember, the temperature minimum is a time in the 24-hour cycle.

I don't care what my actual temperature is.

I care when my lowest temperature is, and I know that that lowest temperature is approximately 2 hours before my average wake-up time.

So I highly recommend that you write down when you wake up or track that in some way that works for you and use that as a reference point to determine your temperature minimum.

We will return to the temperature minimum and how you can leverage the temperature minimum for several things, shifting your clock, shifting your circadian sleep schedule and wake schedule, also for shifting your eating schedule, et cetera.

We will return to that, but even if you don't travel, even if you don't care about things like jet lag, even if you sleep fabulously all year round, never have a poor night's sleep, Knowing your temperature minimum, that time when your temperature is at its lowest point is a valuable thing to know.

The second thing I do after I wake up is to get into forward ambulation, which is just nerd speak for taking a walk.

I have a dog and as many of you know, he's a bulldog and he doesn't really like to walk, especially not in the morning, but for humans and for animals, there's a phenomenon whereby when we generate our own forward motion, forward ambulation, Visual images pass by us on our eyes, so-called optic flow.

And for those of you that are low vision or no vision, the same phenomenon occurs in the auditory system.

Sounds pass by us in so-called auditory flow.

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.

Amygdala means almond, and many of you have probably heard about the amygdala for its role in anxiety and fear and threat detection.

And indeed the amygdala is part of the network in the brain that generates feelings of fear and threat and anxiety.

It does a bunch of other things too, but that's 1 of its primary functions.

There are now at least half a dozen quality papers published in quality peer review journals that show that forward ambulation, walking or biking or running and generating optic flow in particular has this incredible property of lowering activity in the amygdala and thereby reducing levels of anxiety.

There are 2 papers that I'd like to highlight in particular that relate to this phenomenon.

The first 1 was published in the journal Neuron and the title of this paper is Whole Brain Functional Ultrasound Imaging.

That just means they have a cool technique to evaluate the activity of structures in the brain across the entire brain, reveals brain modules for visual motor integration.

What they found in this study, and I should mention the first author is Masse, this comes from Botan Raska's group.

This was work done in mice, but I will talk about other species in a moment.

What they found was essentially that when these mice walk forward and their eyes move from side to side, which is a natural consequence of moving forward, so-called optic flow is flowing past their eyes.

Many brain areas are activated, increase in their level of firing, but the amygdala in particular reduced its levels of firing.

That's a very interesting finding, but it is in mice.

However, another paper, Eye Movement intervention enhances extinction via amygdala deactivation, was published in the Journal of Neuroscience, a strong journal, and shows that, again, these eye movements, these lateral eye movements from side to side reduce activity levels in this fear slash threat slash anxiety center in the brain, the amygdala.

They didn't specifically look at forward ambulation and yet other papers have looked at forward ambulation and we know that forward ambulation, walking forward, generates the sorts of eye movements that cause optic flow and reductions in amygdala activation.

So for me, this process of taking a walk each morning isn't about exercise.

It's really about getting into optic flow and reducing the levels of amygdala activation.

At least I don't have chronic anxiety or generalized anxiety.

I tend to have a lot of energy, but at these points in the morning, I'm not very energetic.

Sometimes I'm sort of shuffling more than I'm walking, in fact, and Costello is almost always shuffling and I'm almost always trying to drag him first thing in the morning.

But that walk is a particularly important protocol each day because it really serves to push my neurology in the direction that I'd like it to go, which is alert, but not anxious.

And it's kind of a fine line sometimes, especially as events surface throughout the day, emails come in, text messages come in, get bombarded with a number of things.

I want to be able to focus, but I don't want to feel anxious or reactive to these things.

So the forward ambulation and this optic flow is the way that I ensure based on quality peer review data that my amygdala activation is slightly suppressed.

Now, at the same time, I also want the alertness.

I don't just want to be sleepy or super, super relaxed.

I want to have a high degree of focus and alertness because I'm soon going to move into about to work.

So in order to do that, I make sure that the walking is done outdoors.

That might be sort of a duh, but many people get up and start moving around their house, their apartment, and they don't go anywhere.

And just walking around inside, it will generate some optic flow, but nothing like the sort of optic flow that you can generate in larger environments like out of doors environments.

If you can't get outdoors, doing it indoors is perfectly fine, but it's not going to have the same magnitude of positive effect.

Now, in order to get the alertness, I do it outdoors because I also want sunlight in my eyes.

I know many of you have heard me talk about this ad nauseum on various podcasts and this podcast, but 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.

There are a number of reasons for this, but before I get into those reasons, let me just emphasize what the protocol is.

The protocol is get outdoors, ideally with no sunglasses if you can do that safely, even if there's cloud cover.

More photons, light information, are coming through that cloud cover than would be coming from a very bright indoor bulb.

It's going to depend on the brightness of the environment.

It's going to depend on a number of different factors.

And if you can, 30 minutes would be fantastic.

Now, if it's a very bright day, or you live in a place where there's bright sunlight, clear day on a snow field, you would only need something like 60 seconds, but most people aren't living in those sorts of conditions.

So getting outside for a 10-minute walk or a 15-minute walk will basically ensure that you're getting adequate stimulation of these neurons in the eye that are called the melanopsin, intrinsically photosensitive ganglion cells.

These are neurons that don't care about shapes of objects or the motion of objects.

These are neurons that convey to the brain that it's daytime and it's time to be alert.

And it sets in motion a huge number of biological cascades within every cell and organ of your body, from your liver to your gut, to your heart, to your brain.

It really sets things down the right path.

Early in the day, we experience a natural and healthy bump in a hormone called cortisol.

That cortisol, as I mentioned, is healthy and normal and promotes wakefulness.

It actually promotes a healthy immune system.

So I know you've heard that stress and cortisol disrupt the immune system, but not the short little pulse of cortisol that you get each morning.

It's very important that that pulse of cortisol arrive early in the day.

And that pulse of cortisol is going to happen once every 24 hours, no matter what.

It's going to happen and you get to time it.

Primarily by when you view bright sunlight or bright light of another kind.

If you wake up before the sun comes out, it's fine to turn on artificial lights, but then you would want to get outside as soon as you can to get this, excuse me, natural light stimulation of your eyes.

Just to really drill down into the details for a moment, you don't want to stare directly at the sun or any light that's so bright that it feels painful.

If you feel like you have to close your eyes or blink, please do, You don't want to damage your retinas.

The point here is to get the sunlight indirectly.

It's going to essentially be scattered everywhere through the cloud cover, but you know from looking at a flashlight directly into that flashlight versus looking at the beam that flashlight generates on the ground, that if you're standing in the shade, you're going to get less of that sunlight than you are if you're out in an open field.

So this is why the time outside, it's going to need to vary depending on your particular environment.

If you miss a day, no big deal, but try not to miss more than 1 day.

Otherwise your mental and physical health will start to suffer.

You can combine it with the forward ambulation, with the walk and the optic flow that I talked about before.

And that's what I do each morning to generate a sense of alertness in my body and brain to generate a sense of calm yet alert.

And that's also what I do with Costello, with my bulldog.

People have asked me, do these same mechanisms apply to animals?

Well, the reality is many of these mechanisms were actually discovered in animals and then were tested in humans and verified that they also exist in humans.

Not always, sometimes it was the reverse where they were tested first in humans and then brought to animals, but indeed your dog, your horse, I don't know what other animals are out there, they need this.

Now, if you have a hamster or a nocturnal animal, the reason why they like to run on their wheels at night is because they're nocturnal.

Light actually causes them to freeze, right?

Actually, if you are into aquaria, you like fish, they always say, don't overfeed your fish, you'll kill the fish, that's true.

But guess what the fastest way to kill a fish is?

They also need circadian rhythms, these 24-hour rhythms.

So we'll do an entire month at some point about pet health, but meanwhile, get that morning sunlight.

So now we have a first protocol, which is to write down the time of day that you wake up.

The second protocol is to take a walk first thing in the morning.

And the third protocol is woven in with that walk, at least for me, which is to get that sunlight exposure.

Now, if you can't get sunlight exposure, you Absolutely can't.

I don't necessarily recommend buying 1 of these Dawn Alarm Lights.

I'm sorry to say this, but they're just vastly overpriced relative to what they are.

I instead use, I have a pad that's a 930 lux light pad.

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Maximizing Productivity, Physical & Mental Health with Daily Tools | Huberman Lab Podcast #28