All Episodes

February 22, 2021 87 mins
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! 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 Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction   00:00:30 Sponsors: AG1 & LMNT   00:04:53 The Daily (Learning) Routine   00:07:13 Plasticity Is NOT the Goal   00:09:26 No Obligation To Change   00:09:59 Practical Plasticity Language   00:13:37 Pillars of Neuroplasticity   00:15:16 My Daily Routine: Chronotype Management   00:17:20 Plasticity of the Wake-Sleep Circuit: Morning Light   00:19:09 Delay Caffeine!   00:21:19 Light, Black Coffee, Hydrate   00:22:57 High Alertness, Linear Tasks/Learning   00:25:12 Background Music/Noise: Yay or Nay?   00:26:52 “GO” versus “NO-GO”: The Basal Ganglia & Dopamine   00:28:37 Leveraging GO, NO-GO   00:30:08 Non-Specific Action   00:32:06 Clear, Calm, Focused: The GO, NO-GO Sweet Spot   00:33:48 When Very Alert, Work In Silence; When Tired, Include Background Noise   00:35:28 Temperaments Vary: And So Should This   00:36:01 The 3 Hour-Long Post Waking Block   00:36:20 Early Morning Exercise and GO Networks   00:38:05 Fasting, Ketogenic Diets, & Food Volume   00:39:41 Sodium/Electrolytes   00:40:57 Avoiding Hot Lunch, Food Pre-Occupation   00:42:01 Post Lunch Low/No Cognitive Load   00:42:56 Hydration, NSDR, Nap   00:44:54 Creativity Work   00:46:26 Creativity Is A Two-Part Phenomenon   00:51:15 Psychedelics   00:58:20 Afternoon Light As Insurance   01:00:26 Evening Nutrition   01:01:21 Repacking Glycogen: Hormonal Factors   01:04:11 Pre-Sleep Anxiety: Normal and Easy To Solve   01:07:08 The Power of Objective Tools   01:08:14 Visualization   01:11:34 Mini-Synthesis   01:13:31 Resetting Your Clock   01:15:55 Don’t Trust the Mind Now   01:16:59 Two, (Maybe 3) Optimization Bouts Per Day   01:18:33 Organizational Logic   01:20:22 Wim Hof Breathing, Binaural Beats, Ice Baths, Etc.   01:24:42 Variation Among People, and Dogs   01:25:49 Accurate Versus Exhaustive   01:27:57 Familiar and New Ways To Support   Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

United States of Kennedy
Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.