In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, I explain strategies for managing stress, both in the short and long term, to enhance overall well-being.
I explain how the mind and body respond to stress and how acute stress has immune-boosting benefits. I discuss science-supported tools and supplements to better manage stress in real time and protocols for raising one’s stress threshold to build resilience to life’s inevitable challenges. I also describe practices to reduce chronic stress and maintain a balanced, healthy life.
Episode show notes:
Huberman Lab Essentials are short episodes focused on essential science and protocol takeaways from past full-length Huberman Lab episodes. Watch or listen to the full-length episode:
Watch more Huberman Lab Essentials episodes:
*Timestamps*
00:00:00 Huberman Lab Essentials; Emotions & Stress
00:02:37 What is Stress?
00:04:23 Short-Term Stress Response
00:06:49 Breathwork to Reduce Stress; Tool: Physiological Sigh
00:11:52 Physiologic Sigh, Carbon Dioxide & Rapid Stress Reduction
00:13:30 Short-Term Stress, Positive Benefits, Immune System
00:16:35 Tool: Deliberate Hyperventilation, Adrenaline & Infection
00:21:01 Raising Stress Threshold, Tool: Eye Dilation
00:25:00 Mitigating Long-Term Stress; Tool: Social Connection, Delight
00:28:58 Melatonin, Caution
00:30:06 L-theanine, Ashwagandha
00:31:19 Recap & Key Takeaways
Disclaimer & Disclosures:
Thank you for watching! If you enjoyed this topic and episode, please click the “Like” button and subscribe to our channel on YouTube. Thank you for your interest in science! — Andrew
this is such a helpful and informative video! thank you for what you do
That could of been a 1 min long video. 😂
This wasn’t working for me UNTL…
I learned today that breathing into your diaphragm is how to correctly use breathing techniques. I was doing this technique before, the physiological sigh and it was not working for me until I learned that you need to activate your diaphragm and not just breath into your chest. NOW this works for me. Not trying to knock anything but just want to point this out in case anyone has any similar issues. Thank You Andrew 🔥🔥🔥
Just watched this and wanted to share some things I thought about during the episode. I have a free app called “How we Feel” that is extremely helpful if you are someone who doesn’t know the exact emotion you are feeling but know you are feeling off. It allows you to track your emotions and gives you some journaling prompts to understand why you might be feeling that way. Wonderful tool for mapping that out. Secondly, L-Theanine has been helping me recently. I started drinking coffee again after a break and I was having the more noticeable side effect of everything being too loud, to the point it was hurting my brain, (think pots clanging). I remembered I used to take l-theanine with my coffee back in the day and so I got some from my local health food store, and it has done the trick. It is nice to have some natural remedies on hand for your first aid kit. I haven’t tried ashwaganda but it is good to know that it actually can help with long term stress.