He doesn’t use an alarm and wakes up between 5:00-6:00 AM
It helps you feel more energized and focused throughout the day. Additionally, early mornings are beneficial for regulating circadian rhythms, which can help to improve sleep quality.”
Andrew Huberman has a simple protocol focused on replenishing electrolytes and other vitamins after waking.
I’ve been using AG1 since 2012 because it’s the simplest, most straightforward way for me to get my basis of important vitamins, minerals, and probiotics.
I should mention the Athletic Greens is delicious. I love the way it tastes. I mix mine with some water and a little bit of lemon or lime juice.
Whenever somebody has asked me what's the one supplement they should take, I always answer AG1 by Athletic Greens.
Your nervous system and your neurons particularly depend on electrolytes because you need the electrolytes, sodium, magnesium, and potassium, in the proper ratios, in order for those nerve cells to fire what are called action potentials
Typically, what I do in the morning is I hydrate, I do take an electrolyte drink, which is a salt-heavy electrolyte drink called LMNT. LMNT is an electrolyte drink that has everything you need in order to get your brain and body to function at its best, but none of the things you don't, in particular, sugar
Dr. Huberman prefers the term Non Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR). NSDR or Yoga Nidra can lead to a sleep-like state. It's positive hormonal impact (higher dopamine, lower cortisol) may also reduce total sleep need.
Yoga Nidra is a practice of guided meditation and visualization. It helps your mind and body reach a state of deep relaxation, similar to the space between wakefulness and sleep.
There's interesting research suggesting that Yoga Nidra can actually increase the levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine in your brain.
There's this long-standing belief in the Yoga Nidra community that 30 minutes of practice is equivalent to 4 hours of sleep. Dr. Huberman doesn't think there's solid evidence for that specific claim. Yet, he personally feels "incredibly refreshed" after a 30-minute Yoga Nidra session.
The science says:
Most of the tested protocols are only 5-10min per day & lead to persistent effects.
10-15 minutes of sunlight exposure to start the circadian rhythm (if the sun didn’t rise yet, use artificial sunlight lamps)
Dr. Andrew Huberman strongly emphasizes the benefits of getting exposure to morning sunlight or bright light within the first hour of waking up. Here are five key advantages of morning sunlight:
The single best thing you can do for your sleep your energy your mood your wakefulness your metabolism is to get natural light in your eyes early in the day. This is grounded in the core of our physiology. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of quality peer-reviewed papers showing that light viewing early in the day is the most powerful stimulus for wakefulness throughout the day and it has a powerful, positive impact on your ability to fall and stay asleep at night. So this is really the foundational power tool for ensuring a great night's sleep and for feeling more awake during the day.” >
Dr. Andrew Huberman is a big proponent of cold exposure and its potential benefits.
Summary: He views cold exposure as a powerful tool for optimizing physical and mental well-being. He encourages incorporating it into daily routines through cold showers, breathing techniques, and post-exercise recovery practices, while also emphasizing the importance of gradual adaptation and listening to one's body.
He suggests gradually increasing the duration of cold exposure. Start with 30 seconds and work your way up to 3 minutes.
Huberman often combines cold exposure with specific breathing techniques, such as box breathing or nasal breathing. This combination can amplify the physiological effects and provide additional benefits, such as:
Huberman suggests incorporating cold exposure, such as ice baths or cryotherapy, after intense exercise sessions. This can:
Huberman emphasizes the importance of gradually adapting to cold exposure, starting with shorter durations and gradually increasing over time. This allows the body to acclimatize and experience the full range of benefits without shock or discomfort.
The effects of deliberate cold exposure are significant & long lasting (hours) & can be achieved with:
Brief (1-3min) exposure at very cold temperatures (35-45F / 2-7°C)
Long (30-60min) exposure at more moderate (60F / 15°C) temps.
Fit the workout routine to your own needs. Keep the spacing between workout types and muscle groups. The goals are carefully considered, so leaving out exercise types is not recommended.
Legs are your largest muscle group. Prioritizing them is important due to the positive metabolic and hormonal effects.
A 10 minute warmup is followed by 50 minutes of workout. With 2 exercises per muscle group (quads, hamstrings, calves).
Exercise include: Hack squat, leg extensions, seated calf raises, glute hamstring raise, leg curls. He doesn't deadlift.
Ideally, cycling 5 times between:
There is no dedicated workout on Tuesdays.
This includes: Overhead shoulder presses, Ring dips, Chin-ups and various for his Abs.
He includes neck training for improved posture and strength.
5 minute warm up followed by 30-40 minutes of Zone 3 training. This can be done by running, cycling, stair climbing at 70-80% of your max heart rate.
The goal of HIIT is to rapidly increase your heart rate and often to make it fluctuate. As a rule of thumb for your maximum heart rate (MHR): 220 - your age
8-12 rounds of:
Triceps: Dip, triceps kickbacks, overhead extension
Biceps: Chin-ups, incline curls, dumbbell curls
Neck, Calves: he repeats exercises done earlier in the week.
1-1.5 hours of Zone 2 Cardio, typically jogging. Alternatively, 2-3 hour hike. Instead of prolonging, you can wear a weighted vest.
Dr. Huberman begins caffeine intake only 2 hours after waking. This delay helps with adenosine regulation On his resistance training days (Mon, Wed, Sat) he prefers yerba mate over coffee.
I highly recommend that everybody delay their caffeine intake for 90 to 120 minutes after waking. However painful it may be to eventually arrive at that 90 to 120 minutes after waking, you want, and I encourage you, to clear out whatever residual adenosine is circulating in your system in that first 90 to 120 minutes of the day. Get that sunlight exposure, get some movement to wake up, and then, and only then, start to ingest caffeine because what you'll do if you delay caffeine intake until 90 to 120 minutes after waking is you will avoid the so-called afternoon crash
And if you drink caffeine at any point throughout the day, really try and avoid any caffeine, certainly avoid drinking more than a hundred milligrams of caffeine after 4:00 p.m and probably even better to limit your last caffeine intake to 3:00 pm or even 2:00 pm.
If I'm going to do a resistance training workout, which is what I do three times a week, I will drink Yerba mate
He fasts for 12-16 hours. And has his first meal early afternoon: A low-carb meal with meat and vegetables. If this meal follows intensive excercise he adds carbs (eg oatmeal, rice)
An optional round of Yoga Nidra on days where Huberman feels unrested.
For his cardio workouts, Dr. Huberman prefers the evening. He encourages us to do what feels most comfortable. Generally he avoids intense exercise in the evenings. They can increase body temperature and delay the circadian clock
This meal is 3-4 hours before his bedtime. He won’t take in any more food after this. This is also to improve sleep quality. Digestion can otherwise interrupt it.
He doesn’t completely restrict carbohydrates, but limites them. High-carb meals cause blood sugar spikes and crashes. That can disrupt sleep.
Quality sleep is key for health and well-being. Dim lights at night, and create a good environment for rest.
A simple step to improve your sleep quality is to minimize exposure to bright lights, especially overhead lights, between 10 pm and 4 am.
Exposure to blue light wavelengths in the evening can disrupt your body's natural circadian rhythms and sleep cycle. Blue light suppresses melatonin production. The hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycle. When melatonin release is delayed, it becomes more difficult to fall and stay asleep.
Keep evening lighting dim and avoid bright overhead lights. Candlelight or low lamps are ideal. This allows your body's melatonin levels to rise naturally. It cues your brain that it's time to wind down for sleep.
If you wake up not fully rested, Yoga Nidra can help you achieve a sleep-like state and replenishes dopamine, reduces cortisol, reduces total sleep need.
Dr. Andrew Huberman often emphasizes that sleep acts as a powerful natural "nootropic". It enhancies cognitive function, focus, and memory.
Getting sufficient restful sleep:
The key to better sleep is to set yourself up for success by creating a calming environment and avoiding stimulating activities before bed.