Andrew Huberman: Stanford neuroscientist and host of the Huberman Lab podcast. This is a solo premium-subscriber AMA episode with no guest, answering listener questions on health, science, and performance.
What this episode covers
In this premium subscriber AMA, Andrew Huberman opens by announcing that subscription funds now support human research at Stanford, Columbia, NYU and elsewhere, amplified by three dollar-for-dollar donor matches. He then answers listener questions covering how to repair thinning skin with age, the ideal water temperature and safety rules for deliberate cold exposure, science-backed ways to start and stick to a new routine, how to increase REM sleep, and the top changes schools could make to improve learning capacity. He closes with a detailed take on shilajit and testosterone, his book-writing process, and where to find Huberman Lab resources on addiction and recovery.
Recommended on this episode
Dopamine Nation
Dr. Anna Lembke
“the author of Dopamine Nation, and absolute virtuoso in terms of the description of the underlying biological mechanisms”— Andrew Huberman
The guest's own work
Protocols (Huberman's book)
Andrew Huberman
“If you want to buy a pre-order copy, it's protocolsbook.com. It's there in multiple languages now.”— Andrew Huberman
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
Quviviq
Idorsia
“These go by brand names like Quviviq and things like that are thought to do this. But it's still somewhat debated”— Andrew Huberman
Shilajit
various
“I personally wouldn't place shilajit high on any list of ways to generate hormone support. There are far better ways.”— Andrew Huberman
Tongkat Ali
various
“I would say things like tongkat ali, which may have its effects on increasing libido in both men and women”— Andrew Huberman
Fadogia (Fadogia Agrestis)
various
“You'd probably be best off starting with something like tongkat ali, maybe fadogia. I've talked about these things previously.”— Andrew Huberman
Creatine
various
“you are taking creatine and fish oil, you're taking care of your gut microbiome and you want to experiment with shilajit”— Andrew Huberman
Waking Up app
Sam Harris
“She also is on the waking up app doing NSDR and yoga nidra.”— Andrew Huberman
Big reveals from this episode
- Reveals the premium channel now has three dollar-for-dollar donor matches, effectively quadrupling research funding.
- Recommends 45-50F as his go-to cold-plunge range and admits he never enjoys getting in, much preferring heat and the sauna.
- Warns that breathwork before cold water can suppress the gasp reflex and that people have blacked out and died doing it.
- Admits writing the bonus chapters of his book has been hard and that he uses a signed self-contract for each writing block.
- Says there is currently no clear pharmacology to specifically increase REM sleep.
- Concludes shilajit ranks low for boosting testosterone and that extra REM sleep beats it.
- Confirms he closed his animal lab and now focuses mainly on teaching and possible human vision studies.
Worth remembering
- Mineral sunscreens with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide up to 25% are deemed safe by most dermatologists.
- You do not have to get a sunburn to raise your skin cancer risk.
- Ingesting 5-30g of collagen daily (often 15-30g) with vitamin C shows moderate improvement in skin elasticity and plumpness.
- Red light or near-infrared panels for 10-15 minutes a day, five days a week over months can moderately improve skin appearance.
- Announcing your goals to supportive people can reduce follow-through; a signed self-contract works better.
- During REM sleep the body cannot release adrenaline, allowing intense emotional dreams without a physical stress response.
- Wendy Suzuki's NYU lab found ~13 minutes of daily meditation significantly boosts working memory and focus.
- Random 10-second micro-gaps during learning trigger hippocampal replay at 20-30x speed, multiplying repetitions for free.
- Cardiovascular exercise just before studying boosts learning via dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine.
- An extra 20 minutes of REM sleep serves testosterone better than taking shilajit.