Andrew Huberman (solo) — Professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine and host of the Huberman Lab podcast, known for science-based health and performance protocols.
The gist
This solo episode reframes cortisol as an energy-deploying hormone rather than simply a stress hormone, and centers on getting its 24-hour circadian rhythm right: high in the morning, low at night. Huberman walks through the underlying biology (the HPA axis, the negative feedback loop, the SCN's light-driven control) and then stacks practical tools to raise morning cortisol (sunlight, hydration, caffeine timing, exercise, cold exposure, grapefruit, licorice) and to lower it at night (dim/red light, starchy carbs, breathing, NSDR, supplements like ashwagandha and apigenin). He closes by distinguishing two patterns of burnout, prescribing different timing-based fixes for each, and tying a healthy cortisol curve to better cognition, sleep, and even longevity.
Big reveals
- Huberman calls this potentially the single most beneficial episode he's ever made for health and well-being.
- Claims burnout, morning anxiety, and being 'wired and tired' can be mostly or entirely resolved by fixing your cortisol rhythm.
- Bright light in the eyes within the first hour of waking can boost cortisol by up to 50% and is clinically significant for mood.
- He personally eats a pink grapefruit late morning while researching this episode and notices a tangible energy increase.
- Reveals he has taken 50 mg of apigenin nightly for over eight years as part of his sleep stack.
- Identifies two distinct burnout patterns (morning-stress/afternoon-crash vs. morning-sluggish/night-wired) requiring opposite fixes.
- A flattened cortisol curve predicts lower lifespan and worse cancer outcomes; sharper morning peaks correlate with survival.
Things worth remembering
- Cortisol is not really a stress hormone; its main job is deploying glucose/energy, especially to the brain.
- You literally wake up because of a rise in cortisol, called the cortisol awakening response (CAR).
- The fastest rise in morning cortisol happens during the 6th-8th hours of sleep, so short sleepers miss part of it.
- For habitual caffeine users caffeine barely raises cortisol but extends its life; non-users get a big cortisol spike.
- Grapefruit inhibits CYP3A4, extending cortisol's life in the bloodstream by 25-50%.
- Black licorice (via glycyrrhizin) potently raises cortisol and is unsafe for people with hypertension or who are pregnant/breastfeeding.
- Carbohydrates act as 'comfort foods' partly because elevated blood glucose suppresses cortisol release.
- The physiological sigh (double inhale through nose, long exhale) is the fastest real-time tool to calm down.
- NSDR / yoga nidra of 11-30 minutes can significantly reduce cortisol levels.
- Chronically elevated cortisol degenerates hippocampal neurons, harming both memory and stress regulation.
Recommended in this episode
Books, products and media the guest or host genuinely endorsed here — with the buy link.
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ROKA Wind Down Glasses
ROKA (in collaboration with Andrew Huberman)
“I worked in collaboration with ROA glasses to develop what we call the windown glasses. They're not just blue blockers.” — Andrew Huberman 01:17:56Find it on Amazon
Apigenin
various (inferred)
“I take 50 milligrams of apagenine in capsule form every night before I go to sleep. I've been doing that for well over eight years now.” — Andrew Huberman 01:48:36Find it on Amazon
Protocols: An Operating Manual for the Human Body
Andrew Huberman
“I have a new book coming out. It's my very first book. It's entitled Protocols, an operating manual for the human body.” — Andrew Huberman 02:14:28Find it on Amazon