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Dr. Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. is a Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine. His lab focuses on neural regeneration, neuroplasticity, and brain states such as stress, focus, fear, and optimal performance.
In this special episode of the Huberman Lab podcast, Andrew Huberman reviews his “focus toolkit.” A full review of behavioral, nutritional, and supplement-based tools to improve your ability to get into a focused state to do mental or physical work.
Host: Andrew Huberman (@hubermanlab)
Epinephrine/adrenaline are released in the brain and body and increase energy and alertness (but not focus)
Epinephrine is necessary but not sufficient for focus
Acetylcholine released in the brain highlights specific neurons that should be active at certain timepoints
Acetylcholine directs attention and focuses to a specific spot
Dopamine is necessary for ongoing focus
Modulation: the ability of chemicals, cells, circuits, etc. to adjust how things work in the brain and body
Mediation: how specific types of chemicals, cells, circuits, etc. control specific things in your brain and body
Sleep modulates almost every process in the brain and body: hormones, metabolism, energy, focus, etc.
Listening to particular sounds and in particular, conditions can improve cognition
Focus is dynamic – you go in and out of levels of focus; don’t expect yourself to snap into or out of states of focus
Sometimes we want more background noise, sometimes we want less: our auditory tolerance can change from one day to the next and even fluctuate within the same day
Even if we’re not registering background noise, our auditory system is processing
Working with white, pink, or brown noise can help in spurts of about 45 min but not for hours on end – you’re better off walking or getting sunlight for a few minutes
White noise, pink noise, and brown noise can amplify the activity of the prefrontal cortex related to directing and maintaining focus
Binaural beats place the brain into a state that is better for learning
Binaural beats: playing one sound in one ear and a different sound in the other ear
Low-frequency waves put the brain into a relaxed state versus high-frequency soundwaves which put the brain into more alert states
Binaural beats (around 40 Hz) have been shown to increase cognition, relaxation, creativity, pain reduction, anxiety reduction
Tip: don’t use binaural beats the entire time you’re working; try for about 5 minutes prior to focus and then as needed if you’re in a loud place, somewhere you’re not used to working, or even before lifting sessions
The rhythms in our body are generally broken up into 90-minute cycles
Sleep: for every 90-minute cycle, REM occupies more time – the more sleep you get, the more REM you have
The 90-minute time block continues throughout the day and governs our focus and brain cycles even during waking hours – after 90 minutes there’s a drop in our ability to focus on hard things
When does 90-minute cycle begin after waking? You can initiate them whenever you want (unlike circadian rhythm which is hardwired) – when you want to start, tune out all distractions and get to work
You must take breaks between 90-minute cycles of productivity (focused, hard work), not exceeding 2-3 per day
Accept the fact that occasionally focus will stray – your ability to get back into focus is the key
The number of focused bouts you perform throughout the day will depend on how well you slept, how long it takes to get into a focused state, etc.
If you are good at getting into a focused state faster, you will need more deliberate decompression time – expect to hit 2-3 focused bouts per day (do less focused things in between)
The more deeply you can concentrate, the fewer bouts you can perform because it’s exhausting
The ability of neurons to encode information is related to blood glucose level
When we have fasted or blood glucose is low, we can’t perceive and think about things as clearly
Unless you are fully in a ketogenic state, neurons thrive on glucose
Food shifts the nervous system into a “rest and digest” parasympathetic mode
A fasted state can help with focus because there is less parasympathetic activity taking place
Two ends of a U-shaped glucose/focus spectrum: (1) on one end if you’re very fasted you will experience a high degree of focus and concentration; (2) full belly = focus and concentration is reduced; (3) having sufficient blood glucose will increase cognitive function
Tip: workout and one 90-minute bout of focused work fasted, then do lighter work in the middle of the day, then have another 90-minute bout of focused work a few hours after lunch
True states of ketosis can enhance brain function and cognitive state because ketones can be used by neurons
ADHD: reducing simple sugar and highly processed foods improves symptoms of ADHD in children and adults
Foods high in tyrosine (meat, parmesan cheese, certain vegetables) can lead to an increase in dopamine and can improve focus but dosing is difficult to dial in
Caffeine increases wakefulness and alertness via adenosine and epinephrine systems
Caffeine can improve mental and physical focus – dosage will depend on caffeine tolerance but generally falls 200-400mg – remember, delay first caffeine intake 90-120 minutes after waking to give natural hormones levels a chance
If using yerba mate, avoid the smoked version as they have carcinogenic compounds
Huberman uses Anna Park Yerba Mate
Caffeine enhances the density and efficacy of dopamine receptors
Caffeine and sleep: don’t ingest caffeine after about 4 pm! The depth and architecture of sleep are disrupted – even if you fall asleep and stay asleep
Dilated pupils = amped up; small pupils = relaxed
“Stress itself can increase the ability to focus and concentrate.” – Dr. Andrew Huberman
Stress deploys epinephrine which narrows vision to tunnel-like focus and improves concentration
When we’re stressed, we’re usually thinking about one specific thing we fixate on
Acute stress is good for the immune system
Signs of short-term stress: dilation of pupils, changes in optics of eyes, increase in heart rate, sharpening of cognition, narrow but sharp focus to respond at the moment
Tip: leverage stress through cold exposure – try a cold shower for 1-5 minutes to increase epinephrine and dopamine in the brain and body
The positive effects of epinephrine last up to an hour or more
Three essentials to improve focus: exercise, meditation, sleep
Meditation builds the habit and facilitates time to focus on the present moment
Minimum threshold of guided meditation for benefit: 13-minutes per day, focusing on location 1-inch inside of head (prefrontal cortex) for enhanced cognitive performance, reduced stress, and improved mood
Use nasal breathing for meditation purposes (and really as much as possible)
Focus will drift unless you are an experienced meditator – an important part of practicing meditation is refocusing back to meditation and back to the breath
The repeated return to a state of focus from a state of non-focus is the key to a focused meditation practice
Timing of meditation is critical! If meditation is done too late, it can impair sleep because it actually requires a high attentional load – it increases attention back to your body and breath
Non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) and naps(28-90 minutes) after an attempt to learn can enhance memory and learning
Meditation puts us into a calm, focused state – but non-sleep deep rest and Yoga Nidra allow us to enter a calm state without high attentional focus
Non-sleep deep rest and Yoga Nidra is a powerful tool to access sleep, clam, and neuroplasticity – similar to hypnosis
The Hallmark of Yoga Nidra and non-sleep deep rest is a self-directing state of calm
Apps for Yoga Nidra: Kamini Desai (no cost), Liam Gillen (no cost), Reverie (paid)
Check out the guided 8-minute hypnosis with Reverie to improve your focus
Reverie also has a specific meditation for falling back asleep if you wake up in the middle of the night (just be sure to dim your phone light)
Vision involves eyesight but the eyes are responsible for mood and level of alertness as well
Much of our cognitive focus is directed by the visual system
The cognitive focus tends to follow overt visual focus (literally what we’re looking at)
Eyes and pupils are indicative of things happening deep in the brain
Mental and physical endeavors are grounded in visual focus
Intentionally direct gaze to enhance overt visual focus: by focusing on a particular location, you encourage systems of focus to get better and better at focusing and refocusing – start with 30 seconds per day then add 5 seconds each day
Covert visual focus: gaze is focused on one location but the peripheral vision is focused on something else (this is how you can obtain information without directly staring at something)
EPA (1-3g per day) can modulate neural circuits which support focus and concentration
Creatine (5g/day) can improve cognitive performance, tapping into the creatine phosphate system in the brain and modulating prefrontal cortical networks
Choline (500mg-1g per day) also supports brain health and focus by ensuring a substrate that creates acetylcholine
Alpha-GPC: more acetylcholine is synthesized after ingesting; a dose of 300mg prior to workouts or work bouts – 10-20 minutes prior to when it’s needed
Note, there are some studies that show that people who chronically take alpha-GPC may be at increased risk of stroke – but the risk-benefit profile is still worth it; TMAO will also increase with chronic use and have adverse effects on the heart (offset with 600mg of garlic)
L-tyrosine (500mg early in the day) leads to an increase in dopamine and can improve focus but dosing is difficult to dial in
Sometimes, phenylethylamine (300-600mg) pushes a little harder on the dopamine system
Tip: you can combine supplements but it gets intense, be choosy; also take supplements before noon to avoid disruptions to sleep
If you have ADHD or a neurocognitive disorder, prescription drugs are suitable; otherwise, stay away