Tools for Managing Stress & Anxiety | Huberman Lab Essentials

Huberman Lab Essentials; Emotions & Stress (0s)

• This episode focuses on the science of emotions, specifically stress, and aims to provide a framework for understanding emotions grounded in physiology and neuroscience (16s).
• Stress is not typically considered an emotion, but it lies at the heart of whether internal experiences match external events, and it converges with these events to create emotions (31s).
• The goal is to provide an organizational logic for thinking about emotions, moving beyond general terms like happy, sad, or anxious, and instead using tools grounded in physiology and neuroscience to navigate complex emotions (57s).
• The nervous system, including the brain, eyes, spinal cord, and organs, plays a crucial role in emotions, and it is essential to consider the body's influence on the brain, not just the brain's control over the body (1m41s).
• The episode aims to provide objective tools that match or separate the brain-body experience, allowing individuals to better lean into life, feel better, and control their emotions when necessary (2m16s).
• The discussion is led by Andrew Huberman, a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine, who aims to provide actionable science-based tools for mental health, physical health, and performance (10s).
• The episode's objective is to help individuals ground themselves better when feeling overwhelmed and to support others in their environment, whether in a psychological practice or personal relationships (1m14s).

What is Stress? (2m37s)

• Stress is a generalized system that mobilizes other systems in the brain and body to respond to various stimuli, and it was not designed for a specific threat, such as a tiger attack, but rather to be adaptable (2m45s).
• The stress response is based on hardwired biological mechanisms, including cells, chemicals, pathways, and tissues that exist in the body and do not require neuroplasticity to function (3m16s).
• These hardwired biological mechanisms provide a means to control and regulate stress, allowing individuals to put a "break" on the stress response (3m25s).
• Understanding the mechanisms of stress is essential to effectively incorporating tools for managing stress and anxiety, as well as teaching and modifying these tools as life circumstances change (3m45s).
• Stressors can be either psychological or physical, and examples of physical stressors include exposure to extreme temperatures without proper protection, while psychological stressors include preparing for multiple exams at once without adequate time for rest and self-care (4m1s).

Short-Term Stress Response (4m23s)

• The acute stress response, also known as the short-term stress response, occurs when the stress response is triggered, activating a collection of neurons that run from the neck down to the navel, known as the sympathetic chain ganglia (4m24s).
• When these neurons are activated, they release acetylcholine, which in turn activates postganglionic neurons that release epinephrine, also known as adrenaline (4m56s).
• The release of epinephrine acts on specific organs and tissues, such as the muscles of the legs and heart, which have beta receptors that respond to epinephrine, causing blood vessels to dilate and blood to rush in (5m26s).
• At the same time, epinephrine activates receptors on tissues not essential for immediate survival, such as those involved in digestion and reproduction, effectively putting them on hold (5m58s).
• The stress response is two-pronged, activating certain functions and deactivating others, resulting in increased blood flow to certain organs and tissues while reducing it to others (6m11s).
• The fundamental purpose of the stress response is to prompt action, making the individual feel agitated and motivated to move, as it was designed to facilitate movement (6m30s).
• To control stress, it is essential to learn how to work with the agitation caused by the stress response (6m41s).

Breathwork to Reduce Stress; Tool: Physiological Sigh (6m49s)

• To reduce the magnitude of the stress response, the best thing to do is activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is designed for calming and relaxation (7m3s).
• The parasympathetic nervous system has a direct connection to various features of the face, including the eyes, tongue, and facial muscles, through cranial nerves in the brain stem and neck area (7m21s).
• A tool for calming down in a self-directed way is the physiological sigh, which is grounded in physiology and neuroscience (7m59s).
• The physiological sigh involves a relationship between the brain, body, and breathing apparatus, including the diaphragm, lungs, and heart (8m17s).
• When inhaling, the diaphragm moves down, and the heart gets bigger, causing blood to move more slowly, which sends a signal to the brain to speed up the heart rate (9m2s).
• Conversely, when exhaling, the diaphragm moves up, making the heart smaller, causing blood to flow more quickly, which sends a signal to the brain to slow down the heart rate (10m13s).
• To calm down quickly, one needs to make their exhales longer and/or more vigorous than their inhales, which works in real-time and can be done voluntarily (10m36s).
• The diaphragm is a skeletal muscle that can be controlled voluntarily through the frenic nerve, allowing individuals to control their breathing and heart rate (11m14s).
• The physiological sigh can be done spontaneously, but when feeling stressed, one can do a double inhale followed by a long exhale to calm down (11m39s).

Physiologic Sigh, Carbon Dioxide & Rapid Stress Reduction (11m52s)

• When inhaling more than exhaling, the heart rate speeds up, promoting stress and activation, but a double inhale-exhale, also known as a physiological sigh, can calm down the body by taking advantage of the lungs' structure (12m2s).
• The lungs are composed of millions of little sacks, or alveoli, that can collapse when stressed, causing carbon dioxide to build up in the bloodstream and leading to feelings of agitation (12m22s).
• The double inhale reinflates these little sacks, and the long exhale that follows is more effective at removing carbon dioxide from the body and bloodstream, resulting in rapid relaxation (12m45s).
• Performing the physiological sigh one to three times can quickly reduce stress levels, and it is considered one of the fastest ways to accomplish this (13m0s).
• When using the physiological sigh to calm down, it's essential to note that heart rate will take around 20-30 seconds to return to baseline, and the technique may need to be repeated a few times (13m21s).

Short-Term Stress, Positive Benefits, Immune System (13m30s)

• Stress can be understood on three different time scales: short-term, medium-term, and long-term, each having distinct effects on the body and mind (13m31s).
• Short-term stress has positive effects, including boosting the immune system, which is often triggered by bacterial or viral infections, and the stress response is organized to combat these infections (14m31s).
• The release of adrenaline or epinephrine during short-term stress is beneficial for combating infections (14m55s).
• Short-term stress also has cognitive benefits, including the dilation of pupils, quickening of heart rate, sharpening of cognition, and improved focus, allowing for better evaluation of the environment and decision-making (15m38s).
• The stress response primes the immune system to combat infection and prepares the body to fight back against various stressors, including psychological, physical, bacterial, and viral threats (16m7s).
• The use of respiration and breathing techniques can artificially activate the stress response, which can be beneficial in certain contexts (15m23s).
• Short-term stress brings certain elements of the brain online, allowing for improved focus and cognition, although it may narrow one's focus and make it difficult to see the "big picture" (15m49s).

Tool: Deliberate Hyperventilation, Adrenaline & Infection (16m35s)

• Deliberate hyperventilation, also known as super oxygenation breathing, is a tool that can help manage stress and anxiety by releasing adrenaline from the adrenals, which can combat infections (16m36s).
• This type of breathing protocol was developed by Wim Hof, also known as the Iceman, and is based on Tumo breathing, which involves rapid movements of the diaphragm and deliberate hyperventilation for maybe 25 cycles (17m11s).
• When adrenaline is released in the body, it can help suppress or combat incoming infections, and this was shown in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (18m20s).
• The study involved injecting people with endotoxin or a bacterial wall that mimics infection, and half of the participants did a specific pattern of breathing that involved 25 deep inhales and exhales, followed by an exhale and holding their breath, and then repeating (18m55s).
• The participants who did this breathing protocol experienced zero symptoms from the injection, including no fever, nausea, or vomiting, which is remarkable and makes sense given the short-term stress response's ability to combat stressors (19m52s).
• The acute stress response, also known as the fight-or-flight response, is designed to combat all stressors, but it can crash if it is sustained for too long, leading to a weakened immune system (20m7s).
• It is essential to note that this breathing protocol should not be done near water, and people with certain medical conditions, such as glaucoma or pulmonary concerns, should not attempt it without clearance from their doctor (19m23s).
• The duration of the acute stress response varies from person to person, but a general rule of thumb is that when you are no longer able to achieve good sleep, you are moving from acute stress to chronic stress, and you need to be able to turn the stress response off (20m42s).

Raising Stress Threshold, Tool: Eye Dilation (21m1s)

• Medium-term stress is defined as stress that lasts anywhere from several days to several weeks, and managing it involves raising one's stress threshold, which is the ability to cognitively regulate what's going on in the body (21m2s).
• Raising stress threshold is about increasing capacity, and simple tools can be used to modulate this capacity, such as deliberately placing oneself in a situation where adrenaline is increased, then cognitively calming oneself (21m38s).
• Techniques like cyclic hyper oxygenation breathing, cold showers, or high-intensity exercise can be used to increase heart rate and then relax the mind while the body is activated (22m12s).
• Another technique involves dilating one's gaze, going from tunnel vision to broader panoramic vision, which creates a calming effect on the mind by releasing a particular circuit in the brain stem associated with alertness (23m29s).
• This technique can be used during high-intensity activities like running or biking, allowing the mind to relax while the body is in full output (23m51s).
• The goal of this technique is not stress inoculation, but rather raising stress threshold so that the body can continue to be in a high alertness mode while the mind is calm (24m13s).
• By dissociating the mental or emotional response from what's going on in the body, individuals can become comfortable at higher activation states, making what once felt overwhelming feel manageable (24m39s).
• Regular practice of this technique, such as once a week, can help individuals become more comfortable with higher levels of activation and make stress feel more tolerable (24m46s).

Mitigating Long-Term Stress; Tool: Social Connection, Delight (25m0s)

• Long-term stress is detrimental to one's health, and ideally, stress levels should fluctuate throughout the day without remaining elevated or preventing a good night's sleep, as chronic stress can lead to heart disease (25m4s).
• The best mechanisms for modulating long-term stress include regular exercise, good sleep, and real-time tools to reduce the stress response, but social connection and certain types of social connection are particularly effective in mitigating long-term stress (25m47s).
• Social connection is essential for humans, and it can take various forms, including romantic attachments, familial attachments, friendships, pets, and even attachments to things that bring delight (26m10s).
• Social connection is tied to the serotonin system, which releases serotonin in the brain when we see someone we recognize and trust, leading to feelings of well-being and positive effects on the immune system and neural repair (27m9s).
• Serotonin is also associated with a sense of delight and enjoyment, and activities that bring delight, such as play, can be beneficial for mitigating long-term stress (27m40s).
• Investing in social connection and relationships, including those with animals or inanimate objects, can be powerful in reducing long-term stress and improving aspects of life related to stress and emotionality (27m57s).
• Recognizing feelings of comfort, trust, bliss, and delight can indicate that serotonin is being released, and paying attention to these feelings can help individuals understand their serotonin levels (28m39s).

Melatonin, Caution (28m58s)

• Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in direct relation to the amount of darkness an individual is in, as light suppresses melatonin production (29m32s).
• Melatonin helps individuals fall asleep but does not aid in staying asleep (29m43s).
• Supplementing melatonin is not recommended due to its typically high doses of 1 to 3 milligrams or more, which is considered outrageously high (29m50s).
• High doses of melatonin supplements may have potentially negative effects on the reproductive axis and hormones (30m0s).
• Compounds such as ashwagandha, elenine, and melatonin can modulate the stress system, but caution is advised when using them (29m25s).
• These compounds can be useful when individuals do not have the opportunity to control life and their response to stress (29m17s).

L-theanine, Ashwagandha (30m6s)

• L-theanine can be taken in doses of 100 milligrams or 200 milligrams, 30 minutes or 60 minutes before sleep, to enhance the transition to sleep and depth of sleep for many people (30m10s).
• L-theanine increases GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, which helps turn off the forebrain and reduce activity of thinking systems and ruminating systems, making it easier for people to fall asleep (30m18s).
• L-theanine has also been shown to significantly increase relaxation in people who are chronically anxious or stressed, and has a notable effect on stress, although its effect on anxiety is minor (30m30s).
• Ashwagandha is a supplement that can be useful in lowering anxiety and cortisol levels, making it beneficial for reducing the long-term effects of stress (30m45s).
• Ashwagandha is not recommended for regular, year-round use, but rather for short-term use during periods of high stress when other stress management methods, such as social connection, diet, exercise, and sleep, are not sufficient (31m0s).

Recap & Key Takeaways (31m19s)

• Stress can be viewed as a powerful and useful tool in certain contexts, but also problematic in others, and it's essential to consider the various tools available to adjust and modulate internal levels of alertness or calmness (31m20s).
• These tools can help individuals lean more effectively into life, including sleep, social connection, and work, while acknowledging that external events are beyond their control (31m44s).
• What is within an individual's control is how they react to external events, and it's crucial to have concrete tools to rely on in real-time (31m52s).
• Practicing the right tools and thinking critically about stress and its control can be beneficial for managing stress and anxiety (32m10s).
• It's essential to appreciate the importance of science in understanding stress and anxiety management (32m20s).