Recruiting Animal

7) Daily exercise and meditation were non-negotiable Every patient exercised 6 days a week and did a heart rate variability meditation practice daily. Both are the two best validated ways to raise BDNF, and neither was optional in the protocol.

2. That first hour after waking matters It's one of the most valuable fasting windows you have. Eating right away shortens it before your body gets the benefit.

TL;DR: 1) Drink 16 to 32 oz of water on waking 2) Get sunlight within an hour of waking 3) Exercise in the first 3 hours of your day 4) Use a physiological sigh when stressed 5) Get daylight again in the late afternoon 6) Eat some starch at your last meal 7) Take a hot shower before bed 8) Go screen-free 30 minutes before sleep 9) Do 10 long exhales if you wake at 3 a.m. 10) Try the eye trick to fall back asleep

9) Do 10 long exhales if you wake up at 3 a.m. Long exhales slow your heart rate. Huberman says he does this himself after a middle-of-the-night bathroom trip. It also helps to keep your bedroom as dark as possible. He suggests an eye mask.

Andrew Huberman has two free tricks for when you wake up at 3 A.M. He says most people's cortisol is too high at night, when sleep needs it low. He shared 10 daily protocols to fix that, and the tricks come last: 1) Drink 16 to 32 ounces of water on waking