In Episode #205, I sit down with Dr Andrew Huberman to discuss the nervous system and how lifestyle choices impact your brain.
As Dr Huberman says in this episode, “it is special… our brain is different than other organs”. In a field where we’ve learnt so much yet still have so many exciting, unanswered questions, Episode #205 offers engaging and useful insights.
“What unifies all the systems of the body – thinking, feeling, action, digestion, temperature regulation, metabolism, muscular force, muscular endurance, dreaming, waking, all of it – is the nervous system.”
Dr Andrew Huberman is a neuroscientist and tenured professor at Stanford University. He has made numerous significant contributions to the field of brain development, brain function, and neural plasticity (the ability of our nervous system to learn new behaviours, skills, and cognitive functioning). Today, he draws on that depth of knowledge to explain ways you can work with your nervous system, explaining the science behind it.
“Most things that prolong your wellbeing and that build solid structures of success into your life are about what you can do on a daily basis… not what you can pull off just once or twice.”
In Episode #205, we begin with the basics before moving on to the impact of specific lifestyle decisions and behaviours. We break down what neuroscience is and why it’s important, covering some significant discoveries in the past century. You’ll also learn how caffeine impacts the nervous system, how to improve learning, and the benefits of non-sleep deep rest (NSDR). We cover tools you can use to wind down from intense alertness, supplements and brain health, and much more.
Specifically, we discuss:
- Intro [0:00]
- What is Neuroscience [4:07]
- Milestones in Neuroscience [10:04]
- Neurons and Performance Enhancement [18:48]
- What Caffeine does to the Body [29:08]
- The Ideal Exercise [32:40]
- Adrenal Burnout and Pineal Calcification [43:46]
- Caffeine Withdrawal [52:38]
- Using Breath to Calm the Nervous System [1:02:10]
- Yoga Nidra for Deep Rest [1:06:38]
- Balance of Rest and Work [1:15:00]
- Tips for Better Sleep [1:32:28]
- Brain Fog & Focus [1:50:32]
- Motivation & Top Down Control [1:54:53]
- Dopamine & Social media [2:07:30]
- Cold & Heat Exposure [2:14:22]
- Outro [2:29:30]
I hope you walk away from this episode equipped with more tools to optimise your brain function. Understanding how the body’s systems work is key to improving your health and lifestyle, and Dr Huberman breaks down both the theory and practical applications beautifully in this episode.
You can learn more about Dr Huberman on his Stanford University page, and visit his website Huberman Lab. To secure tickets for the upcoming Huberman Lab tour (taking place on May 17 and 18), follow this link. He is also active on social media, and you can connect with him on YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. Listen to his episode on the Rich Roll Podcast here.
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Enjoy, friends.
Simon
More about Andrew Huberman, Ph.D.
Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist and tenured Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He has made numerous significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviours, skills and cognitive functioning. Huberman is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award in 2017, given to the scientist making the most significant discoveries in the study of vision. His lab’s most recent work focuses on the influence of vision and respiration on human performance and brain states such as fear and courage. Work from the Huberman Laboratory at Stanford School of Medicine has been published in top journals including Nature, Science, and Cell and has been featured in TIME, BBC, Scientific American, Discover, and other top media outlets. In 2021, Dr. Huberman launched the Huberman Lab Podcast. The podcast is frequently ranked in the Top 25 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness.
