Dr. Craig Heller: Using Temperature To Optimize Performance, Brain & Body Health

This episode I am joined by Dr. Craig Heller, Ph.D., Professor of Biology at Stanford University and world expert on the science of temperature regulation. We discuss how the body and brain maintain temperature under different conditions and how most everyone uses the wrong approach to cool off or heat up. Dr. Heller teaches us the best ways and in doing so, explains how to offset hyperthermia and hypothermia. He also explains how we can use the precise timing and location of cooling on our body to greatly enhance endurance and weight training performance. He describes how cooling technology discovered and engineered in his laboratory has led to a tripling of anaerobic (weight training) performance and allowed endurance athletes to run further and faster, as well as to eliminate delayed onset muscle soreness. Dr. Heller explains how heat impairs muscular and mental performance, and how to cool the brain to reduce inflammation and to enhance sleep and cognition. We discuss how anyone can apply these principles for themselves, even their dogs! Our conversation includes both many practical tools and mechanistic science. Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introducing Dr. Craig Heller, Physiology & Performance   00:02:20 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:06:45 Cold Showers, Ice Baths, Cryotherapy   00:10:45 Boundary Layers   00:11:55 Cooling Before Aerobic Activity to Enhance Performance   00:14:45 Anaerobic Activity Locally Increases Muscle Heat   00:16:45 Temperature Gates Our Energy Use   00:19:00 Local Versus Systemic Fatigue: Heat Is Why We Fail   00:22:10 Cooling Off: Most Methods are Counterproductive   00:26:43 Exercise-Induced Brain Fog   00:27:45 Hyperthermia   00:31:50 Best Body Sites for Cooling: Palms, Foot Pads, Upper Face   00:38:00 Cooling Your Brain via The Upper Face; Concussion   00:41:25 Extraordinary (Tripling!) Performance by Cooling the Palms   00:45:35 Enhancing Recovery, Eliminating Soreness w/Intra-workout Cooling   00:50:00 Multiple Sclerosis: Heat Sensitivity & Amelioration with Cooling   00:51:00 Enhancing Endurance with Proper Cooling   00:53:00 Cool Mitt, Ice-Cold Is Too Cold, 3 Minutes Cooling   00:58:20 How You Can Use Palmer Cooling to Enhance Performance   01:01:15 Radiation, Convection, Heat-Transfer, Role of Surface Area   01:04:40 Hypothermia Story, Ideal Re-Heating Strategy   01:11:40 Paw-lmer Cooling for Dog Health & Performance   01:12:45 Warming Up, & Varying Temperature Around the Body   01:17:35 Cooling-Enhanced Performance Is Permanent   01:19:55 Anabolic Steroids versus Palmer Cooling   01:24:00 Female Athletic Performance   01:25:18 Shivering & Cold, Metabolism   01:26:55 Studies of Bears & Hibernation, Brown Fat   01:31:10 Brown Fat Distribution & Activation In Humans   01:34:18 Brain Freeze, Ice Headache: Blood Pressure, Headache   01:37:50 Fidgeters, Non-Exercise Induced Thermogenesis   01:39:44 How Pre-Workout Drinks, & Caffeine May Inhibit Performance   01:43:42 Sleep, Cold, Warm Baths, Screens, & Socks   01:48:44 Synthesis   01:49:30 Supporting the Podcast & Scientific Research   Disclaimer & Disclosures