Andrew Huberman: Stop Wasting Money On Bad Vitamins, I Take THESE Supplements Every Single Day!

Andrew Huberman outlines a set of actionable protocols designed to optimize mental clarity, physical health, and lifespan by aligning daily routines with human biology. These protocols harness hydration, light, exercise, cold exposure, breathing, and sleep behaviors to support well-regulated physiology, stress resilience, and healthy aging.

Morning Light and Hydration Establish Cortisol Response, Setting the Foundation For Day's Physiological Regulation

Consuming 16-32 Ounces of Water Upon Waking Sharpens Cognitive Function and Supports the Necessary Cortisol Rise For Alertness and Mood By Activating the Vagus Nerve

Upon waking, Huberman recommends immediately hydrating with 16–32 ounces of clean water. This practice sharpens your mind, supports cognitive function, and helps trigger the healthy rise of morning cortisol needed for alertness and mood regulation. The process benefits from the interaction between emptying the bladder and subsequent hydration, which together activate the vagus nerve and help wake the brain.

Bright Sunlight or 10,000 Lux Light After Waking Triggers Melanopsin Cells, Signaling Suprachiasmatic Nucleus to Elevate Cortisol for a Healthy Hormonal Curve

The next priority is morning light exposure. Viewing sunlight or, if sunlight is unavailable, a 10,000 lux artificial light within the first hour of waking activates melanopsin-containing retinal ganglion cells. These cells signal the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus, the master circadian clock, to initiate hormonal cascades that spike morning cortisol. This sets a healthy curve, establishing a daytime peak for energy, mood, learning, and immunity.

Huberman explains that the unique wavelengths available when the sun is low in the sky (morning) are optimal for signaling to the central clock that the day has begun. Even on overcast days, daylight is sufficient, but direct exposure (not through glass) is essential for physiological effect. Artificial light boxes can substitute where sunlight is limited.

Morning Cortisol Peak Leads To Nighttime Low, Essential for Melatonin, Sleep Quality, and Stress Buffering

This robust cortisol awakening response in the first 60 minutes is critical: it sets a high morning peak that leads naturally to low nighttime cortisol. This trough is essential for healthy melatonin release, deep sleep, and stress buffering. Failure to achieve this morning peak—due to lack of light or missed timing—results in blunted cortisol rhythms, poorer immunity, impaired sleep, and suboptimal metabolic and mental health.

Morning Exercise Boosts Cortisol and Sustains Metabolic Benefits For 24 Hours

Morning Exercise Induces a Controlled Cortisol Spike For Readiness

Exercising within the first three hours after waking delivers a purposeful spike in cortisol. Huberman clarifies that contrary to the “cortisol equals stress” myth, this rise is a preparative response: it primes the brain and body for readiness and adversity, not harm.

Program Alternates Resistance, Cardio, and Compound Movements at Varied Intensities to Optimize Muscle Development and Endurance

Huberman details an optimized training protocol alternating resistance (three days per week, focusing on compound, multi-joint movements near failure) and cardio (three days per week at varying intensities: long/slow, moderate, and high-intensity intervals). This structure fosters balanced muscle development, endurance, metabolic health, and functional strength.

Morning Exercise Aligns Body's Clock for Increased Energy

Consistently training at the same morning hour tunes the body’s clock. Anticipating exercise, you naturally gain more energy and mental preparedness before each session, leveraging circadian biology for sustainable motivation and higher performance.

Cold Exposure and Breathing Techniques Regulate Arousal and Build Resilience

Physiological Sighing: Double Inhalation and Extended Exhalation Slow Heart Rate and Restore Calm In Acute Stress

Huberman describes the “physiological sigh”—a double inhale followed by long exhale—a natural pattern mediated by dedicated brain nuclei to rapidly reduce heart rate and calm the mind during acute stress. It maximally clears carbon dioxide and provides fast-acting relief in moments of anxiety or arousal.

Cold Exposure Triggers Adrenaline, Trains Prefrontal Cortex to Handle Stress

Voluntary cold exposure—such as cold showers or brief ice baths—induces a safe rush of adrenaline and [restricted term]. With regular practice, this suppresses prefrontal cortex activity during the initial discomfort, training the brain t ...

Healthy Cortisol Curve: High Morning Peaks Establish Low Evening Troughs, Contrary to Misinformation

A healthy cortisol rhythm features a pronounced spike in the morning and a trough at night. Contrary to popular concerns, high morning cortisol is not detrimental—instead, it is beneficial and necessary for properly setting up low evening cortisol, which supports healthy sleep. Andrew Huberman notes that much misinformation exists, especially concerns about morning cortisol inducing unwanted fat or symptoms of rare conditions like Cushing’s syndrome; the reality is that most people are more likely to suffer from too little morning cortisol and excessively high evening levels.

Flattened Cortisol Curve Linked To Shorter Lifespan, Impaired Recovery, Prolonged Stress

Large studies, such as those from the UK Biobank, along with consistent 24-hour blood draw data, show that a flattened or blunted cortisol curve (a muted morning peak and higher levels at night) correlates with shorter lifespan, impaired recovery from any kind of illness, and prolonged recovery from stress. When morning cortisol is too low, exposure to stressors during the day—such as receiving a stressful message—triggers larger and more prolonged cortisol spikes and keeps overall baseline levels higher, disrupting sleep and increasing stress vulnerability.

Many Suffer From Low Morning and High Evening Cortisol, Disrupting Sleep, Melatonin, and Stress Response

For many people, this dysregulated pattern—low in the morning, high at night—directly interferes with melatonin production and sleep onset, as well as overall mood and the ability to handle adversity. There is a critical, indirect relationship between cortisol and melatonin: insufficient morning cortisol results in sleepiness hormones not functioning optimally at night, further perpetuating poor sleep quality and daily performance.

Boosting Cortisol Via Exercise, Mental Challenges, or Light Exposure Enhances Learning, Focus, Mood, and Nighttime Hormones

The most effective ways to naturally spike morning cortisol include early-day exercise (such as resistance training for 45 minutes or a 30-minute run), engagement in challenging mental tasks, and, most powerfully, exposure to bright morning light. These interventions drive the healthy cortisol inflection needed to enable elevated daytime mood, enhanced focus, improved learning, and the appropriate rise of sleep-promoting hormones at night.

Deep Tissue Benefits of Red and Infrared Wavelengths: Enhanced Mitochondrial Function, Vision Health, and Glucose Metabolism

Long-Wavelength Light Penetrates Tissue to Optimize Mitochondrial Function and Improve Metabolism

Red and infrared wavelengths from sunlight or specific devices penetrate deeply into tissue—up to eight centimeters for red light and even deeper for infrared. This light is absorbed by mitochondria, causing favorable changes in electron handling and resulting in more efficient and effective energy production within cells. These positive impacts extend to glucose regulation, as demonstrated by Glenn Jeffries' research at University College London. In experiments, when red light was shined on participants during a glucose tolerance test, it buffered the rate of blood glucose rise and reduced peak glucose by more than 25%.

Morning Red Light Enhances Vision In Over-40s By Protecting Photoreceptors From Oxidative Damage

Photoreceptors in the eyes—a population of highly mitochondrial-rich and metabolically demanding cells—benefit from exposure to morning red light, particularly for individuals over 40. Regular exposure, specifically within the first three hours after waking, can significantly improve age-related vision loss by mitigating oxidative stress and protecting these cells' function.

Indoor Led Lighting May Harm Mitochondria, Reducing Antioxidants and Accelerating Aging

However, not all light exposure is beneficial. Prolonged time under indoor LED lighting, which lacks the long-wavelength components of sunlight, may damage mitochondria and hinder the natural release of intracellular antioxidants such as melatonin. This imbalance can accelerate signs of cellular aging and reduce resilience to oxidative damage, according to emerging evidence.

Optimal Health Stimulus From Early/Late Full-Spectrum Sunlight; Midday Sun Poses Unnecessary Uv Risk

Morning and Evening Sunlight Offers Low Uv Indices for Safe Angles and Supports Circadian Entrainment, Vitamin D Production, Hormone Synthesis, and Immune Function

The optimal light exposure for circadian h ...

Andrew Huberman presents a practical model for stress management rooted in the balance of the autonomic nervous system, emphasizing physiological and behavioral tools for enhanced resilience and well-being.

Autonomic Nervous System: Balancing Sympathetic and Parasympathetic States For Resilience and Quality of Life

The autonomic nervous system operates like a seesaw between two branches: the sympathetic (arousal, stress) and the parasympathetic (relaxation, recovery). Both connect throughout the body and regulate organ function. When stress is high, sympathetic tone dominates; when relaxed or sleepy, parasympathetic tone increases. The ability to smoothly shift between these states underlies quality of life and resilience.

Prefrontal Cortex Suppression Impairs Decision-Making During Acute Stress

Acute stress, such as sudden exposure to cold or threat, causes the prefrontal cortex—the area responsible for logic and impulse control—to go offline for 20–30 seconds. In this state, reflexive actions dominate, which can be life-saving in danger but often hinders appropriate response in daily stresses. At night, natural reductions in prefrontal cortex function make stress management harder and increase impulsivity, explaining why emotional self-regulation is more difficult when tired or intoxicated.

Training Composure Through Cold Exposure Creates Neural Pathways for Prefrontal Cortex Function During Stress Responses

Practices like cold plunges or cold showers provide controlled stress exposure that initially suppresses higher-order thinking but, with experience, enable the prefrontal cortex to re-engage and help individuals build tolerance. Over time, deliberately engaging logic and composure under duress creates neural pathways that reinforce calm decision-making in stressful circumstances.

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Slows Heart Rate During Exhalation Via Vagal Signaling to Engage Parasympathetic Tone and Reverse Stress-Induced Arousal In Real Time

Deliberate long exhales tap into respiratory sinus arrhythmia, a process by which exhalation activates the vagus nerve and slows heart rate, raising heart rate variability (HRV), and boosting parasympathetic, calming influence. Pregnant moments—waking up at night, bracing for stress, or coming down from arousal—can all benefit from a few long exhales, providing real-time reversal of stress-induced arousal and increasing resilience over time.

Physiological Sigh Best Reduces Heart Rate and Stress Quickly Compared To Other Techniques and Meditation

Huberman identifies the physiological sigh as the most effective tool for quick stress reduction, outperforming other breathing techniques and meditation for rapid heart rate decrease.

Double Inhale Inflates Alveoli, Prolonged Exhale Offloads Co2, Activates Vagal Pathways

The physiological sigh consists of a double inhale (one deep breath in, followed by a quick, smaller top-up inhale) and a slow, extended exhale. The double inhale efficiently opens alveoli—tiny air sacs in the lungs—for better CO2 exchange, while the long exhale purges CO2 and triggers calming vagal activity.

Physiological Sighing Lowers Heart Rate, Restores Clear Thinking, and Manages Stress Before Public Speaking or Difficult Conversations

Employing the physiological sigh in real-life moments—before public speaking, while awaiting results, or prepping for big events—rapidly lowers heart rate and restores mental clarity before anxiety can take hold.

Long Exhales Boost Heart Rate Variability and Vagal Strength For Resilient Stress Recovery

Both deliberate long exhales and physiological sighs, when practiced routinely, measurably boost HRV and strengthen vagal tone. This builds a more robust, resilient stress response, improving both recovery and ability to adapt to new stressors.

Cortisol: An Energy Mobilization Hormone for Better Management

Cortisol plays a nuanced role in energy mobilization and learning, beyond its reputation as a stres ...

Andrew Huberman explains that optimal learning and the growth of neuroplasticity emerge from deliberate challenge, errors, and appropriate states of alertness, all scaffolded by good habits around practice and focus.

Neuroplasticity Needs Alertness, Focus, Error-Making, and Spaced Practice, With Errors Driving Brain Change

Learning does not occur merely through passive exposure or repetition of mastered skills. According to Huberman, practicing something already known reinforces existing neural pathways but does not change the brain. True neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to change—is triggered when an individual is alert, engaged in focus, and deliberately attempting something challenging that results in making errors.

Learning Occurs Through Challenging Attempts, Failure, and Feedback—Practicing Mastered Skills Reinforces Knowledge but Doesn't Create Neural Change

Huberman argues that making genuine attempts and failing during the learning process is crucial. For instance, when trying to master a new language, emotional skill, or physical ability, error signals are relayed to the cerebellum, which then signals other brain networks to adapt. Repeatedly practicing only what is already known may ensure 100% success but does not produce new learning or plasticity.

Ideal 15% Error Rate Suggests a Challenging Task That Demands Cognitive Effort Without Overwhelming the Learner

Huberman references computational modeling which suggests the optimal difficulty for learning corresponds to a roughly 15% error rate. At this level, practice is challenging but not demotivating, striking a balance that demands cognitive effort without overwhelming the learner. Tools like ChatGPT can be used to calibrate practice difficulty to achieve this ideal error rate.

Spaced Learning With Sleep Enhances Memory Consolidation

For these error-induced neural changes to become lasting, Huberman emphasizes the importance of spaced practice sessions with breaks in between, ideally separated by sleep. Returning to a task a day or two later maximizes reinforcement and consolidation of new learning.

Exercise-Induced Arousal Primes Brain For 4 Hours

Physical state plays a key role in preparing the brain for learning. Huberman explains that intense exercise—such as weightlifting or high-intensity interval training (HIIT)—primes the brain for optimal focus and learning for up to four hours afterward. This is because intense exercise releases stimulatory molecules that enhance alertness and cognitive capacity. In contrast, steady-state, long slow cardio, while not harmful, does not produce the same priming effect for learning.

Inverted U-Shape Performance Curve for Learning: Optimal State at Curve Peak, Insufficient Arousal Impairs Focus, Excessive Arousal Creates Anxiety

Huberman highlights that learning follows an inverted U-shaped curve in relation to arousal: at low levels of arousal, focus and learning suffer; at the peak, performance is optimal; and at excessively high levels, anxiety disrupts cognitive functioning. Therefore, achieving and maintaining an optimal arousal state is essential for effective learning.

Self-Testing and Retrieval Practice Yield More Durable, Flexible Knowledge Than Passive Re-reading or Highlighting

Active engagement with material through self-testing or retrieval practice produces more durable and flexible knowledge than passive re-reading or highlighting. Huberman points to studies revealing that students who self-tested after a single reading, rather than repeatedly re-reading and highlighting, retained information more robustly six months to two years later. Creating and taking self-tests ...

Sustaining cognitive health and longevity involves a multi-faceted approach that combines movement, targeted nutrition, sleep optimization, and evidence-based supplementation. Andrew Huberman highlights practical strategies, supporting each with underlying physiological mechanisms and adaptable examples.

Post-Meal Walking Moderates Blood Glucose, Lowers [restricted term], Prevents Energy Crashes, and Protects Metabolic Health

Walking after meals leads to repeated, low-level muscle contractions that buffer blood glucose. Elevated blood glucose naturally follows eating, but taking five to ten minutes to walk after a meal helps flatten the peaks, resulting in fewer energy crashes and protection for long-term metabolic health.

Soleus Muscle in Calf, 1% of Musculature, Excels in Glucose Utilization; Seated Calf Raises or Knee Bouncing Can Buffer Blood Glucose Spikes

Even subtle movements, such as seated calf raises or knee bouncing, can stimulate the soleus muscle in the calf—responsible for significant glucose uptake despite comprising just 1% of the body’s musculature. This action helps absorb and buffer spikes in blood sugar, further protecting metabolic health.

Walking After Eating Stimulates Muscle Fibers to Extract Glucose, Preventing Energy Overload and Slowing Cellular Aging

Walking post-meal encourages muscles to extract glucose, preventing energy overload at the cellular level and helping to slow cellular aging. Huberman also cites active and mentally sharp individuals in their 70s and 80s, attributing part of their cognitive and physical vitality to continuous movement throughout the day.

Active Movement Burns 1,000–1,800 Extra Calories Daily, Keeping Individuals Lean Without Aggressive Dieting

People who integrate consistent movement—through chores, spontaneous activity, or exercise—can burn an additional 1,000 to 1,800 calories per day. This substantial energy expenditure keeps individuals lean without relying on aggressive calorie restriction. The ongoing movement also enhances glucose regulation and supports overall metabolic equilibrium.

Protein, Fiber, Fermented Foods, and Strategic Starch For Energy and Cognitive Function

Huberman emphasizes nutrition that supports muscle, brain, and immune health, and recognizes the necessity of personalization.

Efficient Lean Mass: Complete Proteins From Animal Sources

The “high complete protein to calorie ratio” is essential: while beans and rice provide all essential amino acids, consuming the same protein from animal sources like eggs, lean meats, and fish means much fewer calories. This approach supports efficient muscle maintenance, satiety, and reduced caloric load.

Resolution of Autoimmune Issues By Eliminating Certain Starches or Vegetables Suggests Personalization Is Necessary

Huberman notes some individuals resolve autoimmune issues by eliminating specific starches or entire food groups, even vegetables. While most people benefit from vegetables and fruit for fiber and micronutrients, these findings highlight that nutrition should be tailored to individual immune responses and tolerances.

Evening Starches Buffer Cortisol, Aid Sleep, but Excess With High Fat Causes Dysfunction

Strategic starch consumption, especially in the evening, can buffer cortisol levels, support falling and staying asleep, and supply necessary energy. Cortisol mobilizes glucose; eating starches helps lower cortisol, reducing stress activation and supporting restful sleep. However, pairing large amounts of starches with high fats (e.g., equal parts bread and butter) can lead to metabolic dysfunction. Moderate starch intake at appropriate meals—lunch or dinner, or a bowl of oatmeal at breakfast—promotes psychological and physical steadiness.

Evidence-Supported Cognitive Supplements: Magnesium Threonate/Bisglycinate, Epa Omega-3, Vitamin D 5,000–10,000 Iu, Alpha-Gpc, Creatine

Huberman recommends a select group of supplements for their co ...

Andrew Huberman and Steven Bartlett discuss the vital roles that faith, spirituality, and self-reflection play in human wellbeing, moving beyond just psychology and biology to offer practical insights and transformative possibilities for meaning and resilience in modern life.

Faith and Prayer Improve Anxiety, Decision Clarity, and Life Satisfaction, Offering Meaning Beyond Psychology and Biology

Andrew Huberman shares that embracing faith and prayer has dramatically improved his life, relieving the pressure to control everything and providing a liberating sense of peace and meaning that goes beyond what psychology and biology can offer. He notes that the combined abilities of our psychology and biology are powerful but ultimately limited, and if we expect them to answer every existential question or fulfill all needs, we risk missing deeper sources of meaning. Instead, having faith in a force outside oneself, whether called God, the universe, or any other name, introduces a dimension of purpose and hope that science alone doesn’t address.

Prayer For Guidance Often Leads To Unexpected Synchronicities, Resolving Ambiguity and Suggesting Pathways Beyond Understanding

Huberman describes personal experiences of praying for clarity amid ambiguity, then soon encountering unlikely coincidences or “miracles” that seem to answer his prayers. He recounts how prayer before important tasks, such as podcasts, includes requests for humility, clarity, and service to others, and often leads to outcomes or directions he could not have predicted or planned. He emphasizes that the value of prayer is not in directly controlling results, but in opening oneself to paths and solutions beyond conscious understanding. Bartlett echoes this, stating that hearing Huberman talk openly about prayer gave him permission to try it and he found it helpful as well.

Consistent Nightly Prayer Shifts Perception, Making Life Feel More Manageable and Purposeful, Independent of External Changes

Huberman rigorously maintains a nightly prayer habit, reporting that it grounds him and makes his life not just manageable but imbued with a greater sense of purpose. Even if external circumstances don’t change, his internal experience shifts. He notes that anxiety dissipates more quickly with prayer, especially when asking not for outcomes but for the energy to do the right thing and serve others. This regular openness to faith cultivates a shift in how daily life is perceived and managed.

Brain Regions Generate Divine Experiences Without Negating Faith

Huberman addresses findings that certain brain regions, when stimulated, induce feelings of divinity or connection with God. However, he argues this neurological basis doesn’t negate faith but parallels other innate drives in human nature, such as thirst—a thirst circuit in the brain does not rule out the existence of water. He suggests that faith provides a unique lens, allowing humans to “see” or grasp meaning beyond ordinary perception, just as different senses or tools expand our vision beyond the visible spectrum. He acknowledges that spiritual experiences can arise from specific brain circuits, but believes these only reinforce the possibility that humans are wired to seek and respond to something greater.

Anterior Midcingulate Cortex Expands With Deliberate Practice of Difficult Tasks, Predicting Future Challenge Capacity

Huberman explains that the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) is the brain’s “tenacity muscle,” engaging whenever we voluntarily take on difficult, uncomfortable tasks—be it dieting, exercise, or learning new skills. This structure physically enlarges and becomes more active as we repeatedly engage with and overcome resistance, building the neural substrate for tackling future challenges.

Dieting, Exercise, Skill Acquisition Activate Anterior Midcingulate Cortex, Boosting Challenge Engagement

He gives concrete examples: people who succeed at dieting, start new exercise regimens, or deliberately do things outside their comfort zone show measurable growth in the aMCC. This neuroplasticity means each challenging act—be it a cold plunge or learning a dance—literally prepares the brain to engage more robustly with adversity in the future. Bartlett adds that realizing there is a neurological “investment” when facing hard things has changed his relationship with discomfort, understanding it as preparation for life’s future demands.

Strength and Resilience Develop Through Voluntary Discomfort, Creating a Neural Substrate for Future Challenges

Both hosts note that intentional training for discomfort—voluntarily seeking resistance rather than avoiding it—yields real advantages. Meaning emerges through striving and struggle, not from constant convenience or easy living. Hardship, when accepted willingly, resets the nervous system toward clarity and safety rather than just pain tolerance, enabling people to be more aware, adaptive, and resilient.

Learning Friction Signals Essential Adrenaline and Productive Neural Engagement

Huberman emphasizes that learning and growth are signaled by internal friction, alertness, and mild stress—which are productive states for beneficial neural engagement. The pursuit of voluntary difficulty builds both the psychological and neurolog ...