Optimize Your Learning & Creativity with Science-based Tools | Huberman Lab Podcast #8 Flashcards
Key takeaways
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM EPISODE 8:
-Plasticity is not a goal. It is a state that allows the nervous system to change to our goals. Sleep is absolutely vital if we are going to access plasticity and rewire the brain.
-Getting light early in the morning can combat grogginess, and if you start viewing it frequently in the A.M then the melanopsin cells in connection with the circadian clock will start anticipating the light and you will naturally wake up earlier and more alert the next day. This is a form of “short term” plasticity; this means that you will revert back to your old ways if you do not consistently view light early.
-Delay Intake of caffeine by 2 hours. Ingesting caffeine immediately upon waking can cause a mid-morning crash. Again, you’ll start waking up more alert in the morning before caffeine as a result of delaying caffeine intake.
-Hydrate well early in the morning before caffeine. Evidence has shown that even slight dehydration can cause headaches and increase in light sensitivity. He drinks salt water because caffeine excretes sodium more, and so does fasted states. Which he does both.
-States of high alertness are great for things we already know how to do. If you are not alert in the A.M, you might want to delay checking emails, social media until you are at an adequate level of alertness to form an appropriate reaction/response.
-Background music can be helpful or distracting. If you’re anxious or too alert, no music will be best. Get rid of phone/internet distractions as well when learning. He throws his phone on the roof sometimes.
-Exercise within the first 1-3 hours of waking up to activate the neuromodulators responsible for learning. Exercising at this time can also increase energy throughout the day. But overall, you will be in a state that lends itself to learning more after an exercise. Sometimes you might feel sleepy after a workout and this is because it was likely a high intensity exercise followed by a large meal of carbs which will bring out feelings of calm/relaxation. Any large quantity of food, carbs or not, will create calm/tiredness.
-His first meal is around noon and eats a low carb meal. He avoids hot food anecdotally because it makes him tired, he does not have a scientific reason for this.
-Fasting increases alertness/epinephrine but wont be good for learning if all you’re thinking about is food.
-Around 2-3 P.M he will become tired and no longer is capable for learning in any meaningful way. This time period he will reply to E-mails and do some of the more mundane tasks.
-Around 4 P.M he hydrates some more and tries to avoid caffeine. He will partake in an NSDR protocol/hypnosis to get a second wind on the day. He follows these protocols by doing his 2nd bout of learning. This is different than his morning learning as he focuses more on the creative aspect of learning here. Creative work is much more easier in a more relaxed state.
-He disagrees with psychadelics for kids and peoples whos brains are plastic. He believe they are hazardous for people with preexisting mental health issues who aren’t actively receiving clinical help. He believes they can be helpful in a legal, clinical setting.
-He ends his day with a carb-rich meal. He believes they facilitate a calm that’s conducive towards good sleep. He believes keto states can cause insomnia as keto states lend themselves to more norepinephrine, but is not against the diet. He believes that carbs maintain a healthy thyroid as well.
-He wakes up during his sleep routinely and will typically do a NSDR to get back to sleep. His colleague reported that most people wake up during their sleep periodically, and most don’t realize it. It is normal to wake up during your sleep. Some even look around the room.
