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Weekly · Sunday Morning

Five longevity claims.
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Rapamycin extends mouse lifespan 9–14%
NAD+ precursors reverse aging in humans
Blue-light glasses improve sleep quality
Walking 10 min after meals blunts glucose
Verdict change — caffeine half-life downgraded

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Optimize Your Learning & Creativity With Science-Based Tools — Whalespan

Content›Video›Optimize Your Learning & Cre…

Optimize Your Learning & Creativity With Science-Based Tools

Andrew Huberman1h 31m · 2021-02-22

Support Rate

87%

120 of 138 claims supported

Support rate

120 of 138 claims supported

120 supported18 partial / not

Claims from this content

113

✓Well SupportedInside Tracker's platform helps users understand blood test data and provides protocols to adjust numbers into ideal ranges.✓Well SupportedProbiotics in Athletic Greens are vital for microbiotic health, which communicates with the brain and immune system to impact immediate and long-term health.✓Well SupportedAthletic Greens is a drink containing vitamins, minerals, probiotics, and adaptogens designed to meet foundational nutritional needs and aid recovery from stress.✓Well SupportedRestricting caffeine intake to the first 90 to 120 minutes after waking offers significant advantages.✓Well SupportedMany individuals who practice deliberate cold exposure report an increased capacity to focus and a reduced need for caffeine.

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A. Volkovreader

4h

Bookmarking — the dossier-vs-overview split is the right call. Most of the time I want overview; sometimes I want receipts.

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N. Park

2d

Would love a "what would change this verdict" RSS feed. Sign me up if it exists.

✓Well SupportedAndrew Huberman is willing to use magnesium threonate based on promising animal data and personal sleep benefits, despite needing more human clinical data.

✓Well SupportedConsuming carbohydrates in the evening meal replenishes glycogen stores essential for muscle and cognitive function.

✓Well SupportedExercising early in the day, within an hour of waking and no later than three hours after waking, can increase energy levels and bias individuals towards action.

✓Well SupportedIdeal workout timing may be around three hours after waking or eleven hours after waking.

✓Well SupportedGetting light in the evening delays the circadian clock, preventing early morning waking and maintaining a predictable sleep-wake cycle.

✓Well SupportedDelaying caffeine intake slightly after waking allows for adenosine clearance and avoids masking potential sleep quality issues.

✓Well SupportedReplacing sandwiches with salads and a small piece of meat, while still consuming carbohydrates at night, can improve alertness.

✓Well SupportedEating large volumes of food diverts blood to the gut, causing lethargy and impairing thinking.

✓Well SupportedAndrew Huberman intentionally delays coffee consumption for 90-120 minutes after waking.

✓Well SupportedUsing bright indoor lights upon waking before sunrise promotes wakefulness via melanopsin, while dim lights maintain sleepiness.

✓Well SupportedThe human autonomic nervous system is better at activating and staying alert than shutting down to sleep on demand.

✓Well SupportedViewing sunlight or bright light early in the day is critical for regulating circadian rhythms, but occasional missed days will not cause the system to collapse.

✕Not SupportedYoung people should avoid recreational psychedelics due to the brain's high plasticity and developmental stage, as it can lead to regret and potential negative outcomes.

✓Well SupportedTo optimize learning, create a silent environment by shutting down internet access and removing phones.

✓Well SupportedCreative implementation requires high alertness, while creative conception is best served by sleepiness and relaxation.

✓Well SupportedAndrew Huberman considers hypnosis an optimal NSDR protocol for daily use, particularly post-lunch and post-walk.

✓Well SupportedThe peak of alertness and wakefulness, signaled by peptide release from sleep centers, occurs about an hour before bedtime.

✓Well SupportedThe nervous system can change itself, directing its own changes consciously or through feedback.

✓Well SupportedShort-term plasticity refers to temporary, non-permanent shifts in the nervous system.

✓Well SupportedFasted states and low-carbohydrate states tend to promote alertness, whereas carbohydrates can induce sleepiness.

◐Partially SupportedConsuming carbohydrates at night, including after 6 PM, can benefit sleep and glycogen restoration.

✓Well SupportedLow carbohydrate, fasted, or ketogenic diets tend to promote wakefulness by increasing epinephrine, norepinephrine, adrenaline, and dopamine.

◐Partially SupportedNeuroplasticity is the capacity of the nervous system to change.

◐Partially SupportedAdaptive plasticity is the self-directed type of neuroplasticity generally desired.

◐Partially SupportedNeuroplasticity can be directed toward specific desired outcomes like learning or creativity.

◐Partially SupportedPsychedelics may have important roles in clinical contexts, such as treating depression or trauma, when administered legally and safely under professional supervision.

◐Partially SupportedViewing sunlight or artificial light between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM can help delay the circadian clock and enable staying up later when traveling west.

◐Partially SupportedThe peak output of the circadian clock for wakefulness occurs approximately one hour before bedtime.

✓Well SupportedExposure to bright light (2,000 lux) immediately after waking from a nap can improve alertness and cognitive performance.

◐Partially SupportedThe period approximately three hours after waking is generally the time of highest alertness.

◐Partially SupportedWorking out late in the day can cause difficulty falling asleep and phase delay the sleep-wake cycle.

◐Partially SupportedAvoiding bright lights, especially overhead bright lights, between 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. is beneficial for circadian rhythm.

◐Partially SupportedPsychedelics activate dormant parts of the brain and reveal lateral connections within the default mode network, leading to increased brain area communication.

◐Partially SupportedNon-sleep deep rest protocols, such as hypnosis apps, Michael Sealey scripts, Reveri Health, or yoga nidra, can help return to sleep by reducing looping thoughts.

◐Partially SupportedCombining light exposure with morning exercise provides a synergistic wake-up signal to the brain and body.

✕Not SupportedSensory blending experienced with psychedelics is not inherently a creative process.

◐Partially SupportedThe speaker's natural circadian rhythm cycle of waking and alertness is shorter than 24 hours, leading to waking up tired and groggy.

◐Partially SupportedCreative work is facilitated by a relaxed, almost sleepy state.

◐Partially SupportedAndrew Huberman engages in a second bout of learning or creative work in the late afternoon, which is caffeine-free and follows a non-sleep deep rest protocol.

◐Partially SupportedOptimal learning and creative work involves 90-minute bouts scheduled within daily obligations and anchored to biology.

◐Partially SupportedPeriods of non-sleep deep rest are important for consolidating learning.

◐Partially SupportedWaking up periodically during the night every 1.5 hours is a normal physiological event.

◐Partially SupportedThe subjective assessment of one's own alertness or calmness, and whether it matches the desired state for learning or other activities, is a valuable internal tool.

◐Partially SupportedThe creative discovery mode of creativity is facilitated by being relaxed and almost sleepy.

◐Partially SupportedOptimizing brain plasticity requires activation of the autonomic arousal system.

◐Partially SupportedThe 'go' and 'no-go' pathways, influenced by dopamine, are metabolically consuming and can lead to mental fatigue.

◐Partially SupportedThe 'go' pathway, activated by dopamine binding to D1 receptors, facilitates action and biases toward engagement.

◐Partially SupportedLeveraging natural periods of wakefulness and sleepiness within a 24-hour cycle is crucial to avoid fighting against one's biology.

◐Partially SupportedLong-term plasticity, which involves making permanent changes for skills or feelings, is typically the primary goal when optimizing the brain.

◐Partially SupportedWaking up at 3:00 AM or 4:00 AM likely means one should have gone to bed earlier.

✓Well SupportedFasting acts as a supercharger for mental acuity.

✕Not SupportedCaffeine negatively impacts sleep patterns and decreases restful sleep, even when consumed early in the day.

◐Partially SupportedIndividuals with diabetes or blood sugar issues should consult their doctor before experimenting with sodium intake.

◐Partially SupportedAndrew Huberman ingests starches like oatmeal, rice, and fruit after intense exercise early in the day.

◐Partially SupportedBinaural beats have been shown to shift brain states, though quality peer-reviewed data is limited.

◐Partially SupportedExercising early in the day can increase arousal and alertness, while food intake influences sleepiness or wakefulness.

◐Partially SupportedFor occasional caffeine users needing a significant boost in energy and alertness, caffeine is an effective tool that will cause a substantial increase in cortisol.

◐Partially SupportedNeuroplasticity can be categorized into short-term, medium-term, and long-term.

◐Partially SupportedAndrew Huberman avoids eating hot food for lunch to prevent post-lunch sleepiness.

◐Partially SupportedMadefor is a behavioral science company offering a monthly program with scientific protocols for positive habits and growth mindset.

◐Partially SupportedSupplements can modulate the nervous system to improve sleep, learning, and alertness.

◐Partially SupportedMate is a high-caffeine drink that can be consumed first thing in the morning, but it is recommended to delay intake until two hours after waking.

◐Partially SupportedIndividuals with high energy and anxiety may benefit from learning in environments that provide external stimuli to occupy the salience network.

◐Partially SupportedIndividual differences in autonomic nervous system wiring influence how easily one enters states of arousal or action.

◐Partially SupportedTools that modulate the nervous system can be assessed by their effect on autonomic arousal, increasing alertness or calmness.

◐Partially SupportedTools for optimizing learning and brain performance are categorized into biological and subjective types.

◐Partially SupportedFasting can increase alertness, but distracting hunger can hinder focus and learning.

◐Partially SupportedBecoming an observer of one's own system and identifying what works personally is key to optimizing learning and brain performance.

◐Partially SupportedSodium deficiency can occur in individuals who are fasting.

◐Partially SupportedSupplements and prescription drugs can modulate autonomic arousal towards alertness or calmness.

◐Partially SupportedA feeling of internal anxiety or desire to organize things 45-60 minutes before bedtime is a natural blip related to preparing for sleep.

◐Partially SupportedProtocols like coffee or specific breathing techniques can increase alertness through short-term plasticity.

◐Partially SupportedLoud music tends to increase alertness, while soft music is less likely to do so.

◐Partially SupportedExercising an intact limb while visualizing the opposite injured limb can support rehabilitation of the injured limb.

◐Partially SupportedStates of high alertness are optimal for strategy implementation when one already knows how to perform a task.

✕Not SupportedPsychedelics may open the creative thinking process but do not typically facilitate the implementation of creative works.

◐Partially SupportedRelaxing substances may facilitate creative brainstorming but are less effective for linear implementation.

◐Partially SupportedAlertness generally correlates with better linear implementation, suppression of action, and goal pursuit.

◐Partially SupportedSome individuals, including some on the autism spectrum, excel at linear implementation, a state distinct from creativity.

◐Partially SupportedVisualization can potentially improve performance in an activity, particularly if one can maintain linear, deliberate, and focused visualization.

◐Partially SupportedReplenishing glycogen stores after exercising early in the day is necessary.

◐Partially SupportedVery intense exercise that depletes glycogen can lead to a post-meal crash, especially after heavy lifting.

◐Partially SupportedFor individuals who are not highly alert immediately upon waking, it is advisable to organize thoughts rather than immediately engaging in tasks requiring linear responses or calculations.

◐Partially SupportedThe connections between melanopsin cells in the eye and the circadian clock are plastic throughout the lifespan and are actively modified by astrocytes.

◐Partially SupportedThe natural human sleep-wake cycle is aligned with sunset and sunrise.

◐Partially SupportedThe rewiring and reconfiguration of brain connections happens during non-sleep deep rest and deep sleep.

◐Partially SupportedInability to sleep well or rest well prevents access to plasticity and the rewiring of the brain.

◐Partially SupportedDo not trust anxious thoughts that arise in the middle of the night.

◐Partially SupportedSilence and quiet are beneficial for focus and learning when autonomic arousal is very high.

◐Partially SupportedA high level of environmental stimuli, such as in a visually sparse environment, can decrease alertness by reducing the need for the salience network to scan for external threats.

◐Partially SupportedSilence is optimal for learning when highly alert, while background noise can help elevate arousal when tired.

◐Partially SupportedTurning off the router is an actionable method to block internet access for focus.

◐Partially SupportedDrinking salt water first thing in the morning can help maintain alertness and may address issues mistaken for low blood sugar.

◐Partially SupportedThe trigger for plasticity and learning occurs during states of high focus and alertness, not during sleep.

◐Partially SupportedNon-sleep deep rest protocols, such as yoga nidra or hypnosis, can enhance and accelerate plasticity.

◐Partially SupportedThe 'Freedom' program can block internet access to aid focus.

◐Partially SupportedShakiness, inability to think, or headaches can be symptoms of sodium deficiency, especially with high caffeine intake.

◐Partially SupportedEliminating background noise may be beneficial for focus if lack of focus is due to high autonomic arousal or alertness.

◐Partially SupportedCold showers, ice baths, super oxygenation, and Wim Hof breathing carry potential dangers that individuals must understand.

◐Partially SupportedAn ice bath generally increases alertness, while a hot bath generally promotes calmness.

◐Partially SupportedThe effectiveness of background music or noise for focus varies, and it can be either helpful or distracting depending on the individual and the source of the lack of focus.

◐Partially SupportedNaturally calm individuals are less likely to be disrupted by background noise or environmental distractions during learning.

◐Partially SupportedThe brain's capacity for change (plasticity) is essential for learning and adaptation throughout life, but it is not so robust that it causes a loss of self-identity or basic functions like walking or eating upon waking.

◐Partially SupportedHormone-enhanced individuals can replenish glycogen and enhance protein synthesis on ketogenic diets without carbohydrates.

◐Partially SupportedHydration first thing in the morning is important, as even slight dehydration can cause headaches and exacerbate photophobia in migraine-prone individuals.

◐Partially SupportedWhen very alert, individuals are prone to action and less capable of suppressing action, making silence beneficial for focus and learning.

◐Partially SupportedSilence and disconnecting from the internet are recommended to manage distraction and shut down the 'go' pathway towards distraction.

◐Partially SupportedA year's supply of liquid Vitamin D3 K2 is offered as a bonus for purchasing Athletic Greens, and Vitamin D3 is important for immune function, mood, and endocrine factors.