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AMA #1: Leveraging Ultradian Cycles, How to Protect Your Brain, Seed Oils Examined and More
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AMA #1: Leveraging Ultradian Cycles, How to Protect Your Brain, Seed Oils Examined and More

Introduction

In this section, Andrew Huberman introduces the Huberman Lab podcast and explains that this episode is an Ask Me Anything (AMA) episode. He also talks about the premium channel subscription model and how it supports research being done at major universities.

Introducing the Huberman Lab Podcast

  • Andrew Huberman welcomes listeners to the Huberman Lab podcast.
  • The podcast discusses science and science-based tools for everyday life.

AMA Episode

  • This episode is an Ask Me Anything (AMA) episode.
  • Listeners can ask questions related to science and neuroscience.

Premium Channel Subscription Model

  • The premium channel was launched to raise support for the standard Huberman Lab podcast channel.
  • The premium channel also supports exciting research being done at major universities like Stanford and elsewhere.
  • Listeners can subscribe to the premium channel for $10 a month or $100 a year.

Using Ultradian Rhythms for Learning and Memory

In this section, Andrew Huberman answers a question about ultradian rhythms, which are any rhythms shorter than 24 hours. He explains how he uses these rhythms in his daily work to engage in focused bouts of mental work once or twice per day.

What are Ultradian Rhythms?

  • Ultradian rhythms are any rhythms shorter than 24 hours.
  • Typically, people refer to 90-minute rhythms when talking about ultradian rhythms.

How Does Andrew Use Ultradian Rhythms in His Daily Work?

  • Andrew leverages the fact that ultradian rhythms exist in all of us as a way to engage in focused bouts of mental work once or twice per day.
  • He uses them in a way that's grounded in research on ultradian rhythms for learning and memory.

Focused Bouts of Mental Work

  • Andrew tries to get at least one focused ultradian rhythm block per day, which is a period of about 90 minutes where he's focused on learning something or doing something that's cognitively hard.
  • He aims for two of these sessions per day.
  • The maximum number of blocks that can be performed sustainably is probably four.

Conclusion

In this section, Andrew Huberman concludes the AMA episode by thanking listeners for their questions and reminding them that unanswered questions may be answered in the next AMA episode.

Thanking Listeners

  • Andrew thanks listeners for their questions.
  • He strives to be as clear, succinct, and thorough as possible while answering as many questions per AMA episode as he can without making the session unreasonably long.

Unanswered Questions

  • If a question was not answered in this AMA episode, it may very well be answered in the next AMA.

How often should you focus on learning?

In this section, the speaker talks about how often he focuses on learning and how it affects his cognitive abilities.

Focusing on Learning

  • The speaker tries to focus on learning every day, even on weekends.
  • Regularly accessing circuits for focus makes focusing easier as they are amenable to neuroplasticity.
  • Ultradian rhythms can be leveraged towards cognitive or physical skill learning.
  • The first proper ultradian cycle of the day can be determined by asking oneself when they are most alert after waking up.

Understanding Ultradian Rhythms

In this section, the speaker explains what ultradian rhythms are and how they affect our daily lives.

What Are Ultradian Rhythms?

  • Ultradian rhythms are 90-minute cycles that we go through from birth until death.
  • Most people don't know when their 90-minute ultradian cycles begin.
  • Fluctuations in the glucocorticoid system trigger these cycles which regulate cortisol release.

Leveraging Ultradian Rhythms for Learning

In this section, the speaker talks about tools that anyone can use to leverage ultradian rhythms towards learning bouts.

Tools for Leveraging Ultradian Rhythms

  • The first proper ultradian cycle of the day can be determined by asking oneself when they are most alert after waking up.
  • These all trading in cycles are triggered by fluctuations in the glucocorticoid system which regulates cortisol release.

Understanding Ultradian Cycles for Optimal Learning

In this section, the speaker discusses how ultradian cycles affect learning and provides a specific protocol to optimize learning based on these cycles.

The Importance of Waking Up Early

  • Waking up early enhances the peak level of cortisol experienced early in the day, which sets in motion a number of ultradian cycles.

Identifying Optimal Ultradian Cycles for Learning

  • Pay attention to when you have your peak levels of physical and mental energy in the morning and mid to late afternoon. These periods are ideal for focused learning.
  • The molecules that control neuroplasticity fluctuate according to these ultradian cycles. This means that if your peak in alertness and focus occurs at about 9:30 AM, start your first ultradian cycle for learning around there.
  • Most people take about 10 or 15 minutes to break into a really deep trench of focus and then periodically throughout the next hour, they'll pop out of that focus, now have to deliberately refocus.
  • Turn off Wi-Fi connections and put your phone in another room or turn it off if possible as they can be distracting while trying to get into a deep trench of focus.

Understanding Ultradian Cycles

  • Changes in cortisol throughout the day involve a big peak early in the day if you're getting sunlight, caffeine, and maybe even some exercise early in the day. Typically, that peak comes early and across the day baseline jitters a little bit but bounces around a little bit too. Each one of those little bumps corresponds to a shift in these ultradian cycles.
  • There is going to be one period early in the day and likely another one in the mid to late afternoon that are going to be ideal for focused learning.
  • These 90-minute cycles occur periodically throughout the day, but there is going to be some jitter at the front end where you're not going to be able to focus as deeply as you would like.

Maximizing Learning and Focus

In this section, the speaker discusses how to maximize learning and focus by understanding the ultradian rhythms of the body.

Ultradian Rhythms

  • The molecules that control neuroplasticity undergo regulation by ultradian changes in glucocorticoid.
  • There are only two major peaks in the glucocorticoid system that trigger the onset of circadian cycles within a 12-16 hour period.
  • To maximize focus, it is important to learn when you tend to be most focused based on your regular sleep, wake cycle, caffeine intake, exercise, etc.

Capturing Ultradian Cycles

  • There are two opportunities or two ultradian cycles to capture in order to get maximum focus challenging work done.
  • Early morning is another time where an ultradian cycle can be captured. By waking up early and using stimulants like caffeine and hydration or some brief high-intensity exercise, cortisol pulse starts to shift earlier.
  • Afternoon is also a good time for capturing an ultradian cycle. Schedule a 90-minute work block sometime around 2:00 or 2:30 PM.

Rare Opportunity

  • Capturing three ultradian work blocks is possible but capturing four would be exceedingly rare as people need sleep at some point.
  • If you're going to force yourself to wake up earlier on a consistent basis, you probably should be trying to get to sleep a little bit earlier as well.

Ultradian Rhythms and Neuroplasticity

In this section, Dr. Huberman discusses how non-sleep deep rest can accelerate learning and the importance of ultradian rhythms in triggering neuroplasticity.

Ultradian Work Blocks

  • One or two 90-minute work blocks per day is typical, three would be exceptional, and four would be extraordinary.
  • The neuroplasticity is best triggered within a 60-minute portion of the 90-minute work block.
  • It's hard to focus at first, but then you'll drop into a state of focus. You may get distracted, that's perfectly normal. Refocus and trigger learning.
  • These ultradian work blocks are ideal for triggering neuroplasticity for cognitive work or skill learning.

Physical Skill Learning

  • These ultradian work blocks also directly relate to physical skill learning as well as physical exercise.
  • Opportunities for focused learning occur in these 90-minute ultradian cycles at least twice every day.

Iterative Metaplasticity

  • Iterative metaplasticity is a vast literature that can be explored further online.
  • Ultradian rhythms can be leveraged for powerful aspects of iterative metaplasticity and ultradian rhythms for learning.

Overall, Dr. Huberman emphasizes the importance of understanding our own natural rhythms to maximize our productivity and trigger neuroplasticity during focused periods of cognitive or physical skill-based work.

Understanding the Value of Biological Rhythms

In this section, Dr. Andrew Huberman discusses the importance of recognizing and utilizing biological rhythms to improve performance.

Recognizing Valuable Moments

  • Biological rhythms offer valuable moments for improving performance.
  • These moments occur for about three hours per day, but only two hours due to a 60 to 90-minute cycle.
  • Learn to recognize these moments and treat them as valuable opportunities.

The Importance of Biological Rhythms

  • Biological rhythms are offered by our own biology in ways that allow us to get better at anything.
  • These rhythms are especially important for mental health, physical health, and performance.

Introduction to Ask Me Anything Episode

In this section, Dr. Andrew Huberman introduces the Ask Me Anything episode and provides information on how listeners can access future episodes and transcripts.

Accessing Future Episodes and Transcripts

  • To hear full episodes of Ask Me Anything sessions and receive transcripts, visit hubermanlab.com/premium.
  • The Huberman Lab podcast premium channel offers access to all AMAs, including the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers.
  • The Tiny Foundation has generously offered a dollar-for-dollar match on all funds raised through the premium channel for research related to mental health, physical health, and performance.

Purpose of Huberman Lab Podcast Premium Channel

In this section, Dr. Andrew Huberman explains why he launched the Huberman Lab podcast premium channel.

Two-Fold Purpose

  • The purpose of launching the premium channel is twofold:
  • To raise support for the standard Huberman Lab podcast channel
  • To fund research on human beings aimed at developing protocols for mental health, physical health, and performance
  • Research funded through the premium channel will be distributed through all channels, not just the premium channel.

Benefits of Huberman Lab Podcast Premium Channel

In this section, Dr. Andrew Huberman discusses the benefits of subscribing to the Huberman Lab podcast premium channel.

Benefits of Subscribing

  • Subscribers gain access to all AMAs and can ask questions and receive answers.
  • Premium content includes transcripts of AMAs and various protocols not found elsewhere.
  • By subscribing, listeners support research for mental health, physical health, and performance.
  • The cost is $10 per month or $100 up front for the entire year.
Video description

Welcome to a preview of the first Ask Me Anything (AMA) episode, part of the Huberman Lab Premium subscription. The Huberman Lab Premium subscription was launched for two main reasons. First, it was launched in order to raise support for the standard Huberman Lab podcast channel — which will continue to come out every Monday at zero-cost. Second, it was launched as a means to raise funds for important scientific research. A significant portion of proceeds from the Huberman Lab Premium subscription will fund human research (not animal models) selected by Dr. Huberman, with a dollar-for-dollar match from the Tiny Foundation. Subscribe to Huberman Lab Premium at https://hubermanlab.com/premium #HubermanLab #Science #AMA Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:09 How do you use ultradian cycles in your daily work? 00:22:38 Huberman Lab Premium In the full 2 hour+ AMA episode, we discuss: - Zone 2 training - What do you do when you live in a northern climate and the sun doesn't rise until hours after you are up? - Morning routine for people who work from 8 am to 5 pm - Best productivity method: to-do list or time-blocking everything on a calendar? - Seed oils and metabolic disease - Do recommendations and protocols you give change with age (beyond 60)? - What advice would you give to your younger self? Social & Website Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Twitter: https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Website: https://hubermanlab.com Newsletter: https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com The Huberman Lab Podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.