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

Summary

In this AMA episode of the Huberman Lab podcast, neurobiology professor Andrew Huberman discusses the science of ultradian rhythms and their application for focused learning and skill improvement. He explains how these 90-minute cycles can be leveraged for cognitive and physical tasks, emphasizing the importance of aligning work blocks with peak alertness periods for optimal learning and performance. Huberman also highlights the premium channel's role in funding human-centric research and the Tiny Foundation's dollar-for-dollar match program to amplify research support.

Takeaways

• 🎓 Andrew Huberman is a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine, hosting a podcast discussing science-based tools for everyday life.
• 💰 Huberman Lab podcast has a premium channel supporting the free standard channel and funding research at universities, with subscription options available at hubermanlab.com/premium.
• 🧠 The podcast episode is an AMA (Ask Me Anything) focused on ultradian rhythms, which are biological cycles shorter than 24 hours, often discussed in terms of 90-minute periods.
• 🕒 Huberman uses ultradian rhythms for focused mental work, aiming for one or two 90-minute focus blocks per day for learning and cognitive tasks.
• 🚫 The maximum number of sustainable focus blocks per day is likely four, but it's rare and may not be suitable for most people.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Huberman does not typically take breaks from his ultradian rhythm sessions, even on weekends, to maintain focus circuits through regular access.
• ⏰ The timing of ultradian cycles can be personalized; Huberman suggests starting a focus block when you feel most alert post-waking, typically around 9:30 AM to 10:00 AM.
• 💡 Ultradian rhythms are tied to cortisol fluctuations, which peak in the morning and can be influenced by factors like sunlight, caffeine, and exercise.
• 🧐 Huberman emphasizes that the first 10-15 minutes of a focus block is a mental warm-up period, with the following hour being optimal for intense focus and learning.
• 🔁 The rewiring of neurons and consolidation of learning occur during deep sleep or Non-Sleep Deep Rest, not during the focus blocks themselves.
• 💼 The principles of ultradian rhythms can be applied to both cognitive learning and physical skill learning, making them valuable for a wide range of activities.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the Huberman Lab podcast's premium channel?

The premium channel was launched to raise support for the standard Huberman Lab podcast channel and to fund research, particularly human-based research aimed at developing protocols for mental health, physical health, and performance.

How much does it cost to subscribe to the Huberman Lab podcast premium channel?

The subscription cost for the premium channel is $10 a month or $100 a year, with a lifetime subscriber option available.

What is an Ask Me Anything (AMA) episode?

An AMA episode is a part of the premium subscriber content where Andrew Huberman answers questions from his audience.

What are ultradian rhythms as discussed in the podcast?

Ultradian rhythms are any biological rhythms that occur with a period shorter than 24 hours, typically around 90-minute cycles.

How does Andrew Huberman use ultradian rhythms in his daily work?

Andrew Huberman uses ultradian rhythms to engage in focused bouts of mental work once or twice, or sometimes three times per day, leveraging these rhythms for learning and memory enhancement.

What is the maximum number of focus blocks Andrew Huberman performs sustainably per day?

The maximum number of focus blocks Andrew Huberman performs sustainably per day is likely four, but for most people, one or two, or maybe three, is more typical.

Does Andrew Huberman take vacations or extended breaks from his ultradian rhythm sessions?

No, Andrew Huberman tries to engage in ultradian rhythm focused learning sessions every day, even on weekends.

How does Andrew Huberman suggest scheduling focus and recovery from ultradian rhythm sessions?

Andrew Huberman suggests scheduling focus by identifying the most alert times post-waking and using those periods for focused learning. Recovery is implicit as the ultradian rhythm naturally allows for rest between focus periods.

What is the significance of the glucocorticoid system in relation to ultradian rhythms?

The glucocorticoid system, which regulates cortisol release, triggers the onset of ultradian cycles. These cycles are associated with periods of alertness, focus, and energy, making them ideal for learning and cognitive tasks.

How can one determine their optimal ultradian rhythm for learning?

By monitoring one's peak alertness and energy levels during the day, one can identify the optimal times to schedule ultradian work blocks for focused learning.

Can ultradian rhythms be leveraged for physical skill learning as well as cognitive learning?

Yes, ultradian rhythms can be leveraged for both cognitive learning and physical skill learning, as they facilitate neuroplasticity which is essential for learning and skill improvement.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Introduction to Huberman Lab Podcast and AMA

Andrew Huberman, a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine, welcomes listeners to the Huberman Lab podcast. He introduces the AMA (Ask Me Anything) episode, which is part of the premium subscriber content aimed at supporting the free standard podcast and funding research at universities. He invites premium subscribers to download the premium podcast feed and mentions that non-subscribers can listen to the first 15 minutes of the episode. Huberman emphasizes his commitment to answering questions clearly, succinctly, and thoroughly within the time constraints of the AMA format. He also assures that unanswered questions might be addressed in future AMAs.

05:01

🕒 Leveraging Ultradian Rhythms for Learning

The discussion begins with a question about ultradian rhythms, which are biological cycles shorter than 24 hours, typically around 90 minutes. Huberman explains his personal use of ultradian rhythms for focused mental work, aiming for one or two 90-minute focus blocks per day. He suggests that while four blocks are theoretically possible, it's unusual and typically one to three blocks are more sustainable. He also shares that he does not take extended breaks from these sessions, even on weekends, to maintain focus circuits through regular access.

10:03

🌞 Scheduling Ultradian Rhythms for Maximum Productivity

Huberman details how to schedule ultradian rhythms for increased focus, emphasizing the importance of recognizing individual peak alertness times post-waking. He explains that ultradian cycles are influenced by the glucocorticoid system and cortisol levels, which can be affected by factors like sunlight exposure, caffeine, and exercise. He advises setting a 90-minute block for focused learning starting at the peak of mental alertness, acknowledging it may take 10-15 minutes to enter deep focus within that period.

15:03

🏃‍♂️ Enhancing Ultradian Rhythms with Early Morning Routines

The segment explores how adjusting morning routines, such as waking up earlier and engaging in brief high-intensity exercise, can shift ultradian cycles earlier, allowing for an additional early morning focused work block. Huberman illustrates how this can lead to capturing three ultradian work blocks throughout the day, explaining the rarity of achieving four due to sleep needs. He stresses the importance of aligning work blocks with natural cortisol fluctuations for optimal learning and performance.

20:04

💡 Applying Ultradian Rhythms to Cognitive and Physical Skills

Huberman concludes with the application of ultradian rhythms to both cognitive learning and physical skill development. He clarifies that while these cycles are beneficial for cognitive tasks like language learning or writing, they also apply to physical skills that require focus and coordination. He encourages listeners to detect their personal ultradian cycles for enhanced learning and performance, emphasizing the value of these biologically offered periods for improvement.

🔗 Supporting Research and Concluding the AMA

In the final part, Huberman invites listeners to subscribe to the premium channel for full AMA access, transcripts, and unique research-funded content. He reiterates the dual purpose of the premium channel: to support the free standard podcast and to fund human-centric research aimed at developing mental, physical health, and performance protocols. He announces the Tiny Foundation's dollar-for-dollar match on research funds raised, encouraging subscriptions to amplify research support.

Keywords

💡ultradian rhythms

Ultradian rhythms refer to any biological, physical, or mental cycles that occur more frequently than once every 24 hours, typically around 90 minutes. In the context of the video, Dr. Huberman discusses leveraging these rhythms for focused mental work and learning. He mentions that these rhythms are naturally present in humans and can be used to maximize productivity and learning efficiency.

💡neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity, also known as brain plasticity or neural plasticity, is the brain's ability to change and reorganize itself throughout a person's life. In the video, Dr. Huberman explains how using ultradian rhythms can enhance neuroplasticity, which is crucial for learning and memory consolidation. He suggests that focused work during certain ultradian cycles can lead to more effective learning.

💡AMA (Ask Me Anything)

AMA stands for 'Ask Me Anything,' a format where the host takes unscripted questions from the audience. In the video, Dr. Huberman hosts an AMA session as part of his premium subscriber content, answering questions related to science and self-improvement.

💡cortisol

Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands that plays a role in stress response, immune system modulation, and regulation of blood sugar levels. Dr. Huberman explains that cortisol fluctuations are linked to ultradian rhythms and are essential for alertness and focus, which in turn are critical for effective learning during ultradian cycles.

💡cognitive material

Cognitive material refers to the content or information that one needs to process, understand, and remember, typically in an academic or learning context. In the video, Dr. Huberman discusses how to use ultradian rhythms to accelerate learning of cognitive materials such as languages, mathematics, and history.

💡focused bouts

A focused bout, as discussed in the video, refers to a period of intense concentration and effort dedicated to a specific task, often used in the context of learning or skill development. Dr. Huberman suggests using ultradian rhythms to schedule these bouts for optimal learning and performance.

💡Non-Sleep Deep Rest

Non-Sleep Deep Rest refers to periods of rest that are not sleep but are still deeply restorative. Dr. Huberman mentions that while focused work blocks are important for triggering learning, it is during deep rest that the brain consolidates learning through processes like memory consolidation and synaptic strengthening.

💡glucocorticoid system

The glucocorticoid system is part of the endocrine system and is involved in the body's stress response and regulation of glucose metabolism. In the video, Dr. Huberman explains how fluctuations in the glucocorticoid system are tied to ultradian rhythms and impact alertness and focus, which are ideal for learning and cognitive tasks.

💡BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor)

BDNF is a protein that supports the growth, survival, and differentiation of neurons. It is essential for neuroplasticity. Dr. Huberman mentions BDNF in the context of how the molecules that control neuroplasticity fluctuate according to ultradian cycles, which is why scheduling focused work during these cycles can enhance learning.

💡physical skill learning

Physical skill learning refers to the process of acquiring and improving physical abilities or skills that require motor coordination and cognitive input. In the video, Dr. Huberman points out that ultradian rhythms can also be used to enhance physical skill learning, not just cognitive learning.

💡premium subscriber content

Premium subscriber content refers to additional or exclusive material provided to subscribers who pay for a premium service. In the video, Dr. Huberman mentions that the AMA episode is part of the premium subscriber content for the Huberman Lab podcast, which includes extra episodes and research support.

Highlights

Introduction to the Huberman Lab podcast and its focus on science-based tools for everyday life.

Explanation of the premium subscription model to support the free podcast and research at universities.

Details on how to subscribe to the premium channel and access the premium podcast feed.

Andrew Huberman's approach to using ultradian rhythms for focused mental work.

The importance of leveraging ultradian rhythms for learning and memory.

Practical advice on incorporating a 90-minute focus block into daily work.

The maximum number of sustainable focus blocks and how often they can be performed.

Andrew's personal routine of daily ultradian rhythm sessions, including weekends.

The concept that focus circuits are enhanced through regular access to focus.

A detailed tool for scheduling focus and recovery using ultradian rhythms.

Dispelling the common myth about the 90-minute focus cycle and how to leverage it effectively.

The role of glucocorticoid system fluctuations in triggering ultradian cycles.

How to determine the optimal start time for an ultradian learning cycle.

The typical pattern of two major peaks in the glucocorticoid system during waking hours.

Strategies for capturing a third ultradian work block by adjusting morning routines.

The rarity of capturing four ultradian work blocks and the importance of sleep for learning.

The application of ultradian work blocks to physical skill learning and exercise.

Encouragement to treat the 90-minute ultradian cycles as valuable opportunities for learning.

Information on how to support the Huberman Lab podcast and research through the premium channel.

Details on the Tiny Foundation's dollar-for-dollar match on research funds raised through the premium channel.

Transcripts

ANDREW HUBERMAN: Welcome to the Huberman Lab podcast, where

we discuss science and science based tools for everyday life.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I'm Andrew Huberman and I'm a professor

of neurobiology and ophthalmology

at Stanford School of Medicine.

Today is an Ask Me Anything or AMA

episode, which is part of our premium subscriber content.

Our premium channel was launched in order

to raise support for the standard Huberman Lab podcast

channel, which still comes out once a week every Monday,

and of course, is zero cost to consumer.

The premium channel is also designed

to support exciting research being

done at major universities like Stanford and elsewhere.

Research that's done on humans that

should lead to protocols for mental health, physical health

and performance in the near future.

If you'd like to check out the premium channel subscription

model, you can go to hubermanlab.com/premium

and there you can subscribe for $10 a month or $100 a year.

We also have a lifetime subscriber option.

For those of you that are already Huberman Lab podcast

premium subscribers and you're watching and/or hearing this,

please go to hubermanlab.com/premium

and download the premium podcast feed.

And for those of you that are not already

Huberman Lab Premium podcast subscribers,

you will be able to hear the first 15 minutes or so

of this episode and hopefully that

will allow you to discern whether or not

you would like to become a premium subscriber.

Without further ado, let's get to answering your questions.

And as always, I will strive to be as clear as possible,

as succinct as possible, and as thorough as possible while

still answering as many questions per AMA episode

as I can without these sessions becoming unreasonably long.

I should also point out that if you asked a question

and it was not answered this AMA,

it may very well be answered in the next AMA.

So the first question, which had a lot of upvotes--

meaning many people wanted the answer to this question--

came from Jackson Lipfert.

And the question was about so-called ultradian rhythms.

For those of you that are not familiar with ultradian

rhythms-- ultradian rhythms are any rhythms

that are shorter than 24 hours.

And typically when people ask about

or talk about ultradian rhythms, they

are referring to 90-minute rhythms.

I've talked about these on the podcast before.

And Jackson's question was-- how do you use ultradian rhythms

in your daily work?

There's more to the question, but first off, I

do use ultradian rhythms-- that is,

I leverage the fact that these do exist in all of us

as a way to engage in focused bouts of mental work

once or twice, or sometimes three times per day.

However, I use them in a way that's

grounded in the research on ultradian rhythms for learning

and memory in a way that might not

be obvious just from their name that they

are 90-minute rhythms.

So I'll get into the details of how to use ultradian rhythms

to best capture neuroplasticity--

that is the brain's ability to change in response

to experience-- and in a way that should allow you to get

one or two, or maybe even three focused bouts of learning per

day, which can greatly accelerate learning

of cognitive material, languages, mathematics,

history--

for sake of school or work, or maybe

just a hobby, or a personal interest of some sort--

and for skill learning in the physical domain as well.

Jackson then went on to ask--

you've mentioned before that you try

to include at least one 90-minute focus block per day

as part of your work and overall mission.

And indeed, that is true.

I tried to get at least one of these focused ultradian rhythm

blocks per day.

That is a period of about 90 minutes

where I'm focused on learning something or doing something

that's cognitively hard, although typically I

aim for two of these sessions per day.

He then goes on to ask-- what is the maximum number of blocks

you can perform sustainably?

The answer to that is probably four.

And I say probably because some people have schedules,

lifestyles, in which four 90-minute blocks

of focused learning is possible per day,

but that's highly unusual.

For most people, it's going to be one or two, maybe three--

four, I would place in the really extraordinary end

of things, maybe if you're cramming for exams

or you've managed to go on a writing retreat or a learning

and retreat of some sort where you can devote essentially,

all of your non-sleeping, non-eating time to learning.

But most people simply can't organize their life that way.

So the short answer is--

for me, it's one or two per day is the target

and three would be the maximum.

You then went on to ask-- do you take vacations

or extended breaks from these ultradian rhythm sessions?

And the short answer is no.

Typically, I try and do this every day-- and yes, even

on the weekends.

But on the weekend, the ultradian rhythm

focused learning bout might just be

reading a book for about 90 minutes

or so, which might not be as cognitively difficult as it

is for other sorts of work that I perform during the week.

I occasionally miss a day entirely

for whatever reason-- travel, obligations

related to family, et cetera.

But in general, I try and do this every day.

I do think that the circuits for focus are,

I guess the non-biological way to put it would be kept warm.

But essentially, that accessing the circuits for focus

is made easier by accessing them regularly

and that's because the circuits for focus

are indeed themselves amenable to neuroplasticity.

In other words, the more you force yourself to focus,

the easier focusing gets.

I'll now answer the last part of the question

and then I will go through and emphasize some tools

that anyone can use in order to leverage ultradian rhythms

toward learning bouts-- either cognitive learning

or physical skill learning, or a combination of the two.

The last part of the question Jackson asked

was-- if you knew you needed to drastically increase

the amount of focus you do daily, how would you schedule

that focus and recover from it?

That's an excellent aspect to this question.

And I will now give you the details

of how I would use and schedule ultradian rhythms.

I'll offer you a tool--

I've never talked about this tool in the Huberman Lab

podcast.

And I will dispel a common myth about ultradian rhythms that

points to a, believe it or not, an easier way to leverage

them for maximum benefit.

OK.

So as I mentioned before, ultradian rhythms are

these 90-minute cycles that we go through from the time

that we are born until the time we die.

Indeed, even during sleep, we are

experiencing and more or less governed

by these ultradian rhythms.

This question and this answer is not so much about sleep.

But just know that when you go to sleep at night until you

wake up in the morning, every 90 minutes or so,

your patterns of sleep-- that is the percentage or ratio rather

of slow wave sleep to light sleep to rapid eye movement

sleep changes in a way such that each 90-minute cycle gates

the next cycle.

It flips on switch for the next 90-minute cycle

then that 90-minute cycle ends, flips

on switch for the next one, and so on and so forth.

I mentioned all that because during the daytime,

the same thing is true.

But most people don't know when the 90-minute all trading

cycles begin.

Because if you think about it, you

could wake up on the basis of an alarm clock

or noise in the room, or simply because you naturally

wake up in the middle of an ultradian 90-minute cycle.

So does that mean, for instance, that if you wake up 60 minutes

into an ultradian cycle that the next 30 minutes

of your waking--

right, because that 60 minutes needs

to continue to 90 to complete an ultradian

cycle-- that the next 30 minutes after waking

are related to the ultradian cycle

that you were still in during sleep, or does

it start a new ultradian cycle.

And the answer is the former.

That ultradian cycle continues even if you wake up

in the middle of it.

And so a lot of people who want to leverage ultradian cycles

for learning will say, "Well, how do I know when to start?

When does it start, when I hit my stopwatch?

Can I just set a clock and work for 90 minutes?"

And the short answer is no.

And that might seem unfortunate, but the good news

is that you can figure out when your first proper ultradian

cycle of the day begins simply by asking yourself when are

you most alert after waking.

That is if you were, say to wake up at 7:00 AM

and let's say that's the end of an ultradian cycle or perhaps

you're in the middle of an ultradian cycle--

doesn't matter.

What you need to watch for or pay attention to

for a day or so is when you start

to experience your greatest state of mental alertness

in the morning.

And here, we can discard with all the issues and variables

around caffeine or no caffeine, hydrating or no hydrating.

Exercise is one variable that we'll consider in a moment.

But here's the deal--

these all trading in cycles are actually triggered

by fluctuations in the so-called glucocorticoid system--

the system that regulates cortisol release.

And as some of you have probably heard me say before--

cortisol, even though it's often discussed as a terrible thing,

it's chronic stress, cortisol, cortisol, et cetera-- cortisol

is essential for health and every day we

get a rise in cortisol in the morning that is associated

with enhanced immune function, enhanced alertness, enhanced

ability to focus, so on and so forth.

In fact, the protocol that I'm always

beating the drum about that people

should get sunlight in their eyes

as close to waking as possible-- that actually enhances

or increases the peak level of cortisol that's

experienced early in the day.

And that sets in motion a number of these ultradian cycles.

So for instance, if you wake up at 7:00 AM

and you find that for the first hour after waking,

you tend to be a little bit groggy,

or you happen to be groggy on a given day,

but then you notice that your attention and alertness starts

to peak somewhere around 9:30 AM or 10:00 AM,

you can be pretty sure that, that first ultradian

cycle for learning is going to be optimal to start

at about 9:30 or 10:00 AM.

How can I say about if it's indeed a 90-minute cycle?

Well, this is really where the underlying neurobiology

in these ultradian cycles converge to give you

a specific protocol.

The changes in cortisol that occur throughout the day

involve--

yes, a big peak early in the day if you're

getting your sunlight and caffeine and maybe even some

exercise early in the day.

But typically, that peak comes early.

And then across the day the baseline jitters a little bit,

it comes down, but it bounces around a little bit.

It's not a flat line, if we were to measure

your glucocorticoid levels.

Each one of those little bumps corresponds to a shift

in these ultradian cycles.

So if you find that you are most alert at 9:30

or starting to become alert at 9:30,

and then typically you have a peak of focus and concentration

around 10:00 AM, that is really valuable to know.

Because the way that the molecules that

control neuroplasticity-- that is the changes in neurons

and other cell types in the brain that

allow your nervous system to learn and literally

for new connections to form between neurons, which

is basically the basis of learning--

those fluctuate according to these ultradian cycles.

What does this mean?

This means if your peak in alertness and focus

and energy--

could even be experienced as physical energy occurs

at about 9:30 AM, I would start your first ultradian cycle

for learning somewhere around there.

Certainly 9:30 AM would be ideal,

but 10:00 AM would be fine as well.

And then you have about one hour to get

the maximum amount of learning in even

within that alternating cycle.

This is where there's a lot of confusion out there,

people think, oh, ultradian cycles are 90 minutes,

therefore, we should be in our peak level of focus

throughout that 90 minutes.

In reality, 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.

This is why, if possible, you want

to turn off Wi-Fi connections and put

your phone in the other room or turn it off.

If.

You do need your phone or Wi-Fi, just

be aware of how distracting those things

can be to getting into a deep trench of focus.

But the point is this--

these 90-minute cycles occur periodically

throughout the day, but there is going

to be one period early in the day--

and here, I'm referring to the spirit of starting

at about 9:30 or 10:00 AM-- and then likely

another one in the mid to late afternoon that are going to be

ideal for focused learning.

And that focus learning bout should ideally

have you set your clock--

a stopwatch or something-- to measure 90 minutes, but do

assume that there's 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.

Then you'll get about an hour of deep focus

and then you really start to transition out

of these ultradian cycles.

How do when the afternoon ultradian cycle occurs?

Well, just as in the morning, it occurs

because there's a brief, but significant increase

in the glucocorticoid system in the mid to late afternoon.

I wish I could tell you it's going to be 2 PM

or it's going to be 3:00 PM-- that's really going

to depend on the individual.

When you ingest caffeine, some of the other

demands of your day.

But you can learn to recognize when

these two periods for optimized learning

will occur and here are the key principles.

Watch for a day or two-- meaning pay attention

to when you have your peak levels of physical and mental

energy in the morning-- that is between waking and noon,

and then again between noon and about 6:00 or 7:00 PM.

Although I'm sure that there are some late shifted folks that

will experience their peak in focus somewhere around 6:00

or 7:00 PM, especially if they're waking up

around 10:00 or 11:00 AM, as I know some people out there are.

Once you know where those peaks in focus

occur on your schedule, set a stopwatch

for one ultradian cycle in the early part of the day.

In this example, I was saying 9:30,

but if you can't hop on it until 10, that's fine.

Set it for 90 minutes, consider that block wholly--

meaning rule out all other distractions.

But assume that within that 90-minute block,

you are only going to be able to focus intensely

for about one hour.

And just know that the molecules that control neuroplasticity--

and these things have names.

And yes, Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor or BDNF

is the most famous of those, but there are others as well.

In fact, the very receptors that control

synaptic strength, the connections between neurons,

some of the neurotransmitters and modulators involved

in synaptic plasticity, they undergo regulation

by these ultradian changes in glucocorticoid.

And then try and capture a second ultradian

learning block in the afternoon.

Again, just knowing that the first 10 or 15 minutes,

consider it mental warm up, and then you

get about an hour-- it's not exactly 60 minutes, but about

an hour to maximize learning.

So if you're trying to learn something,

really capture it during that phase as well.

Now, is there a third opportunity

or a fourth opportunity?

This relates to Jackson's question directly.

And the short answer is not really,

unless you're somebody who requires very little sleep.

Within the 12 or 16 hours that one

tends to be awake during the day or 18 hours

that one tends to be awake, there are really only two

of these major peaks in the glucocorticoid system that

trigger the onset of the circadian cycles.

Again, there's a ramping up and a ramping down

of glucocorticoids throughout the day.

But the real key here is to learn

when you tend to be most focused based

on your regular sleep, wake cycle, caffeine

intake, exercise, et cetera.

And again, that's going to vary from person to person.

And you really only have two opportunities or two ultradian

cycles to capture in order to get the maximum focus

challenging work done a.k.a.

learning.

So for somebody that wants to learn

an immense amount of material or who has the opportunity

to capture another ultradian cycle,

the other time where that tends to occur is also early days.

So some people by waking up early

and using stimulants like caffeine and hydration

or some brief high-intensity exercise,

can trigger that cortisol pulse to shift a little bit

earlier so that they can capture a morning work

block that occurs somewhere, let's

say between 6:00 and 7:30 AM.

So let's think about our typical person--

at least in my example that's waking up around 7:00 AM.

And then I said, has their first ultradian work cycle really

flip on because that bump in cortisol around 9:30 or 10:00

AM.

If that person were say to set their alarm clock for 5:30 AM,

then get up, get some artificial light-- if the sun isn't out,

turn on bright or artificial lights,

or if the sun happens to be up that time of year,

get some sunlight in your eyes.

But irrespective of sunlight, were

to get a little bit of brief high intensity

exercise maybe 10 or 15 minutes of skipping rope or even

just Jumping Jacks or go out for a brief jog, what

happens then is the cortisol pulse starts to shift earlier.

And so the next day and the following day

and so on and so forth-- provided they're still doing

that exercise first thing and ideally getting some light

in their eyes as well--

well then they have an opportunity

to capture an increase in cortisol that

is now shifted from about 7:00 AM to about 8:30 AM.

So they can capture an hour of work there

and then they will also still be within that rising

phase of cortisol in the 9:30 to 10:00

AM block that lasts until about 11:30 or so.

They might have lunch.

Perhaps after lunch, they do a Non-Sleep Deep Rest--

maybe they, don't maybe you're a napper or maybe you're not--

doesn't really matter.

And then in the afternoon--

and I would suspect it would now be

in the earlier afternoon sometime around 2:00 or 2:30

would be typical.

Although again, that exact time will vary person to person.

Then they would want to schedule another 90-minute work block.

So that's how you can capture three.

Now you can start to see also why

capturing four ultradian work blocks

would be exceedingly rare.

It's just not typical that people are awake

for that much of the day, you have to sleep at some point.

And I should mention that 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.

Because it's not just the quality,

but the duration of quality sleep that really

matters for learning.

And I should also remind everybody

that the actual rewiring of neurons

does not occur during any focused work block,

it actually occurs during deep sleep the following night

and the following night, and during Non-Sleep Deep Rest.

This is why Non-Sleep Deep Rest can accelerate

learning because it's in states of rest

that the actual connections between neurons

strengthen or weaken or new neurons

are added in a way that allows for what we call learning.

OK.

So one or two all trading work blocks per day is typical,

three would be really exceptional,

and four would be extraordinary.

Look for them-- meaning look to see when you are feeling most

focused and alert typically in the period

before waking and noon and typically

in the period between noon and bedtime,

given your standard intake of caffeine and exercise

and other life events.

Please also remember that even though it's

an ultradian 90-minute work block,

the neuroplasticity is going to be best triggered

within a 60-minute portion of that.

And there's no way to know exactly when that 60

minutes begins and ends until you actually

begin the work block.

So this is really designed to be empirical,

you need to actually go do this.

What you'll notice again is that it's

hard to focus at first then you'll

drop into a state of focus.

You may get distracted, that's perfectly normal.

You refocus, get back into triggering

learning-- that's really what you're doing,

you're triggering learning-- and then there'll be some taper

and then you'll be out of the ultradian work block.

Now, it's also a key to understand

that myself and other people should not

expect that they're only working during these 90-minute work

blocks.

It's just that a lot of the sorts of demands of our day,

including cooking and shopping for groceries, and email,

and text messaging, and social media-- a lot of those things

don't require intense focus of the sort

that I believe Jackson is asking about maximizing,

and that I'm referring to when I talk about these ultradian work

blocks.

And then as a final point, I've been

talking about these ultradian work blocks and focus,

et cetera, in a context that brings to mind ideas

about cognitive work.

So learning a language, learning math, writing,

or creating, doing something related to music, et cetera.

But these 90-minute ultradian work blocks

also directly relate to physical skill learning as well

and to physical exercise as well.

So if you are somebody who's really interested in improving

your fitness and your fitness requires

a lot of focused attention--

so for instance, when I go out for a long run on Sundays,

which is part of my fitness routine,

I deliberately not thinking about much,

I'm just trying to cruise along.

I might focus a little bit on my pace

in stride, maybe an audiobook I'm listening to or a podcast.

But typically, I'm just cruising along,

it's low cognitive demand work.

These ultradian work blocks can really

be maximized for pure cognitive work--

book type work, et cetera, music, et cetera, or they

can also be leveraged toward skill learning.

So if you're trying to learn how to dance

or how to perform a particular athletic move

or you're trying to get better at some skill that requires

a lot of focus and alignment of muscular movement and cognitive

demands, et cetera, well then these

are also going to be ideal for triggering neuroplasticity

to get better in the motor skill based domain as it's called,

et cetera.

If you'd like to learn more about ultradian

shifts in neuroplasticity and ultradian work bouts,

I will certainly do more on this in the standard Huberman Lab

podcast.

But the key words to look up if you

want to explore this further online--

it's not something that a lot of people about,

it's called iterative metaplasticity.

It's a vast literature and one that I'd

be happy to teach you in a standard podcast episode.

But in the interest of getting to more questions from you

all, hopefully the answer I've given

you now has been complete enough, yet clear enough,

and yet succinct enough that you can start

to leverage these really powerful aspects

of iterative metaplasticity and ultradian rhythms for learning.

And I'd just like to point out that these opportunities

for focused learning that occur in these 90-minute ultradian

cycles are really terrific opportunities.

They are offered to you at least twice every day

and you can really learn to detect when they occur

and when they're likely to occur.

You can certainly learn at other times in the 24-hour cycle.

But for anyone who's tried to stay up late at night cramming

for an exam or for somebody who's

tried to learn during the sleepiest time

of their afternoon, we can be very familiar with the fact

that there are times of day in which we are best at learning.

And as I've just described, there

are ways to capture those moments

and they are valuable moments.

So even though it's just about three hours per day

or really only two hours per day because of the 60

to 90-minute thing that I talked about a few minutes ago, learn

to know when these occur and really treat them as valuable,

maybe even wholly in the sense that they are really the times

that are offered up to you each day

by your own biology in ways that will allow you to get

better pretty much at anything.

Thank you for joining for the beginning

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