Practical Tools for Optimizing Your Morning Routine - Andrew Huberman

Introduction

• Speaker: Andrew Huberman, Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford
• Platform: Huberman Lab Podcast, After Skool
• Lecture Focus: Practical tools for optimizing your morning routine

Key Elements of a Good Morning Routine

• Foundational Behaviors: Sleep and Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR)
• Importance of Sleep: Essential for metabolism, immune system, focus, etc.

Sleep

• Aim for good sleep 80% of the time
• Circadian Rhythm: Every cell has a 24-hour circadian clock regulated by genes
• Impact of misaligned circadian rhythms: Gut issues, increased illness, cognitive impairment

Morning Light Exposure

• Natural Light Exposure: Get natural light within an hour of waking up
• If waking before sunrise, use bright artificial lights initially, then get sunlight
• Cloud Cover: More photons from sunlight (even through clouds) than artificial lights
• 5-10 minutes outside without sunglasses

Benefits of Morning Light Exposure

• Cortisol Pulse: Healthy spike in cortisol when exposed to morning light
  • Regulates temperature rhythm, alertness, focus, and mood
  • Anchors the timing of cortisol pulse to earlier in the day
• Effect of Delayed Exposure: Cortisol pulse shifts to afternoon, leading to issues like depression, anxiety, and sleep problems
• Melanopsin Ganglion Cells: Triggered by light, signals hypothalamus, affecting brain and body to wake up properly
• Melatonin Release: Timer for melatonin onset 16 hours later, aiding sleep-wake cycle

Practical Tips for Light Exposure

• Artificial Light: LED light boxes in absence of sunlight (e.g., Scandinavian winters)
• Consistent Exposure: Ensure regular, consistent light exposure in the morning

Dopamine and its Role

• Light Exposure and Dopamine: Boosts dopamine levels, driving motivation and mood
• Dopamine's Role: Motivation, craving, pursuit, not merely pleasure
• Related to increased testosterone and estrogen levels through sunlight exposure on skin

Caffeine Intake

• Adenosine: Builds up in the brain to induce sleep
• Caffeine: Blocks adenosine, leading to alertness
  • Immediate caffeine intake can lead to afternoon crashes due to residual adenosine
  • Delayed Intake: Wait 60-90 minutes post-waking for caffeine to avoid crashes

Exercise

• Morning Exercise: Clears adenosine build-up, increases alertness
• Combining caffeine with exercise may benefit some

Body Temperature and Wakefulness

• Temperature Regulation: Core body temperature rise facilitates waking up
• Cold Exposure: Increases core body temperature paradoxically (cold showers, ice baths)

Practical Tips for Cold Exposure

• Short Cold Showers: 20 seconds to a few minutes beneficial
• Long-term dopamine, epinephrine boost from cold exposure
• Helps align internal systems for optimal function

Summary

• Optimizing Routines: Focus on light exposure, exercise, temperature regulation, caffeine timing
• Creating a 'summer' environment within the body, regardless of outdoor conditions

Additional Resources

• Huberman Lab Podcast: More tools for mental and physical health
• Social Media: Instagram and Twitter for additional insights and updates
• Website: HubermanLab.com for complete episodes and links