Modern Wisdom #1042 – Dr. Andrew Huberman – How to Reclaim Your Brain in 2026

Date: January 5, 2026
Host: Chris Williamson
Guest: Dr. Andrew Huberman

Overview

In this wide-ranging episode, Chris Williamson sits down with Dr. Andrew Huberman, Stanford neuroscientist and host of the Huberman Lab Podcast, to unpack the latest science and daily tactics for optimizing brain health and reclaiming cognitive function amidst stress, burnout, and modern life's relentless onslaught. Their conversation dives deep into the practical neuroscience of morning routines, sleep hygiene, stress, habit formation, burnout recovery, supplementation, and the surprising role of spirituality in mental resilience. Chris also shares a raw update on his personal health struggles, prompting an honest discussion about navigating chronic illness in the public eye.

Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. Reframing Cortisol – Friend, Not Foe

Timestamps: 00:00 – 09:22

• Cortisol’s true function: Andrew outlines the misunderstood nature of cortisol. While commonly demonized as the “stress hormone,” cortisol is essential for mobilizing energy and waking the brain/body for daily activities.
  • "Cortisol’s job is to deploy energy sources for your brain and body to be able to react to things, think, and move.” – Huberman [00:18]
• Morning cortisol spike: The “cortisol awakening response” is critical for alertness and metabolic function. Spiking cortisol early (with light, movement, hydration) ironically sets you up for calm later.
  • “Spiking your cortisol in that first hour after waking is so, so important because that negative feedback loop mechanism kicks in about three hours after you’ve been awake.” – Huberman [05:22]
• Timing is everything: It’s not about being a morning person, but seizing the first post-wake hour for light, hydration, and movement.
• Misconceptions: Activities like cold plunges reduce, not raise cortisol, debunking popular internet myths.

2. Burnout, Stress, and Circadian Mastery

Timestamps: 09:22 – 14:16

• Two faces of burnout: Exhausted, “wired but tired” mornings with later energy crashes vs. all-day relentless cortisol without recovery.
  • “The other form of burnout is where people just—it's like their cortisol is like a square wave function. It's just up in the morning and all day long. That’s how I would describe my graduate school years.” – Huberman [09:48]
• The solution: Treat the first 3–6 hours post-wake as ‘go time’ (light, movement, caffeine, focus), then deliberately downshift in the final 2–4 hours (dim light, reduce stimulants, deep breathing).
• Light’s impact on sleep/metabolism: Even minimal overnight light (as dim as 100 lux) disrupts morning glucose and circadian control.

3. The Power of Morning and Evening Routine

Timestamps: 14:16 – 18:46

• Practical advice: Prioritize the first and last hour of your day. Use the morning for drive/alertness, the evening for winding down (no screens, dim lights).
  • “Get the first hour of your day right, get the last hour of your day right, and you'll greatly improve this morning cortisol peak, late day cortisol reduction, which is what you want.” – Huberman [12:31]
• On “perfection stress”: Over-optimizing sleep or routines can backfire – some flexibility and grace is necessary.

4. Nutrition & Sleep: The Starch-Cortisol-Sleep Connection

Timestamps: 22:16 – 28:16

• Starch and sleep: Many health-conscious people’s insomnia stems from too little starchy carbohydrate, especially if training hard.
  • “If you're having trouble falling asleep, take a look at how much starch you're having… having some starchy carbohydrates in your final meal… can certainly help a number of people fall and stay asleep.” – Huberman [22:59]
• Low-carb conundrum: Switching rapidly to low-carb spikes cortisol and can disrupt sleep (“wired but tired”).
• Comfort foods: Starchy, warm foods lower cortisol; comfort foods weren’t originally sweets or junk.

5. Techniques for Overcoming Insomnia & Racing Minds

Timestamps: 28:16 – 34:28

• Physiological interventions: Eye-movement exercises (slowly rolling eyes with closed eyelids), resonance breathing, and “mind walk” visualization help shift the brain from alertness to sleep readiness.
  • “One of the prerequisites for falling asleep is that you forget about your body position. You shut down proprioception… If you have trouble sleeping, try what I just described a few times. Many people find that it helps them fall asleep.” – Huberman [28:42]
  • “A mind walk for me was very, very powerful. But some days you need a more physiological intervention.” – Williamson [31:09]
• HRV resonance breathing: New tech (like Ohm Health’s lamp/stone combo) is making it easier to lock into vagal tone for sleep.

6. Glymphatic System & Sleep Position

Timestamps: 36:38 – 47:01

• Clearing brain waste: Deep sleep is when the brain’s “glymphatic” system clears toxins most efficiently, especially while side-sleeping or with head slightly elevated.
  • “During sleep, in particular deep sleep… the spaces around the vasculature of the brain get bigger… allowing more cerebral spinal fluid which is circulating in your brain all day long… to get washed out.” – Huberman [39:28]
• Lymphatic massage & face puffiness: Swollen face/undereye bags after poor sleep are built-up lymph, not just dehydration or aging.
• Practical upshot: Sleep on side or with head just above feet for optimal clearance (plus fix snoring).

7. Habit Formation & Cognitive Focus: Neuroscience Insights

Timestamps: 51:34 – 66:26

• Mechanism matters: Understanding the “why” behind protocols allows for more flexible, sustainable habit-building.
  • “When people understand mechanism, it gives them flexibility over the so-called protocols. It also allows them to customize those things for themselves.” – Huberman [51:57]
• Boring breaks = better focus: To focus/learn, make breaks non-stimulating; post-task reflection cements memory; limit sensory input before working.
  • “I'm a big advocator for boring breaks and for silence before and after bouts of work… All learning is anti-forgetting.” – Huberman [53:45, 55:11]
• Attention hijacks: Our devices bombard us with novelty, which undermines focus. Pre-inputs set the stage for cognitive performance.

8. Overcoming Bad Habits: Neurobiology and the “Handing Over” Phenomenon

Timestamps: 68:36 – 82:02

• Breaking bad habits: Top-down control (prefrontal cortex inhibiting hypothalamic drives) is trainable & necessary, but often not sufficient alone.
• Role of faith/spiritual surrender: Paradoxically, giving over agency (to God/higher power) eases the burden of self-regulation – a phenomenon central to addiction recovery and lasting personal change.
  • “When people hand that over to God… it seems as if they get some relief from the process. And yet it’s very effective. You can’t deny this… the thing that’s hardest for humans to do for themselves becomes far easier when they stop trying to do it for themselves.” – Huberman [76:27]

9. Internal Agency & the Myth of “External Solutions”

Timestamps: 85:28 – 89:03

• Internal focus: Lasting change is rooted in internal agency – all feelings (pride, satisfaction, love) are self-generated neurochemically.
  • “Nobody is coming along and dripping dopamine into the back of your brain. It's all internal.” – Huberman [88:38]
• Beware over-reliance on external solutions or substances.

10. Supplement & Wellness “Cycles” in Public Discourse

Timestamps: 126:43 – 145:39

• The media cycle: New ideas (vitamin D, protein, creatine, magnesium) pass through cycles of excitement, skepticism, then grudging acceptance – frequently politicized or dogmatized along the way.
  • “Every topic, health topic in particular, seems to go through the same arc. It's like nobody knows about it… then it came out as all the rage, then... it's not as real as we thought, and then, acceptance.” – Huberman [113:36]
• Supplements in focus: Creatine, magnesium (especially for sleep and hearing preservation), and fiber are on the upswing; melatonin caution advised.
• Trends in dietary advice: Nuanced take on fiber (some tolerate it, others develop gut inflammation); low sugar fermented foods have systemic anti-inflammatory effects.

11. Modern Media, Social Patterns, and Success

Timestamps: 105:24 – 124:14

• Proficiency in practice: People who master transition tasks (musicians, athletes, creators) show true expertise in unconscious moments, not just the main act.
• The content trap: Drama and outrage are “empty calories” for the brain; reflection and application are key.
• Career arcs: High profile figures, supplements, and even creators follow similar “attention arcs” – novelty, skepticism, acceptance (or canceled if their ‘drama’ outweighs their value).

12. Mitochondria, Genetics & Health Frontier

Timestamps: 151:03 – 159:41

• Mitochondrial inheritance: Mitochondria are maternally inherited (“the most wild fact in all of biology” – Williamson [151:27]), and new three-parent IVF tech may allow women to avoid passing on mitochondrial diseases.
• Epigenetics: Specific brain areas can be genetically closer to mom or dad – a blend of genomic vs. mitochondrial inheritance.

Notable Quotes

“Spiking your cortisol in that first hour after waking is so, so important, because that negative feedback loop mechanism kicks in about three hours after you’ve been awake... If you don’t spike your morning cortisol, what ends up happening is your cortisol system… is primed for stress events to give you big lasting increases in cortisol later, which make it hard to fall asleep, which make it hard to stay asleep, which are part of the reason why people have afternoon anxiety...”
— Andrew Huberman [05:22]

“Get the first hour of your day right, get the last hour of your day right, and you'll greatly improve this morning cortisol peak, late day cortisol reduction, which is what you want.”
— Andrew Huberman [12:31]

“Learning is repeated recall, not repeated exposure.”
— Chris Williamson (attributing Peter C. Brown) [55:38]

“When people hand [the struggle with bad habits or addiction] over to God… it seems as if they get some relief from the process. And yet it’s very effective. And you can’t deny this right just as a phenomenon.”
— Andrew Huberman [76:27]

"Nobody is coming along and dripping dopamine into the back of your brain. It's all internal."
— Andrew Huberman [88:38]

"When people understand mechanism, it gives them flexibility over the so-called protocols. It also allows them to customize those things for themselves."
— Andrew Huberman [51:57]

“You just have to do what no one else is doing… If you want to be the best in your class at anything, best in class at pretty much anything, it’s to become so much easier now. You just have to not constantly be projecting things out to the world or paying attention to what other people are doing.”
— Andrew Huberman [66:04]

Chris’ Health Journey – A Case Study in Chronic Illness

Timestamps: 161:15 – episode end

• Raw challenges: Chris details his two-year struggle with Lyme, mold exposure, chronic fatigue, brain fog, and the labyrinth of conventional + experimental treatments.
• Public perception: On “inverse pretty privilege” – external appearance masking severe internal suffering.
• Universal lesson: Many people accept silent suffering as “just life now” without resources or energy to pursue answers.
• Community and support: Powerful moments of vulnerability and mutual support between Chris and Andrew, with a call for genuine connection and kindness amidst struggle.

Practical Protocols & Takeaways

• For Energy & Focus:
  • Get bright light (preferably sunlight) in the first hour after waking
  • Pair with movement, hydration (with electrolytes), and protein-rich breakfast if possible
• For Sleep:
  • Dim light at least 2 hours before bed, block blue light, consider red lens glasses if sensitive
  • Include some starchy carbohydrate at dinner, especially if physically active
  • Use physiological tools: Breathing exercises (resonance/HRV), “mind walk” visualizations, and gentle eye-movement routines
  • Prioritize side sleeping or head elevation for glymphatic clearance
• For Habits & Focus:
  • Make breaks ‘boring’ (no phone, minimal sensory input)
  • Reflect on tasks after completion – self-testing > repeated exposure
• For Stress & Burnout:
  • Accept that some morning stress is healthy; avoid evening stress spikes
  • Control what you can (timing, behaviors), let go where necessary (and consider the role of faith, community, or higher power as appropriate)
• Supplements & Trends to Watch:
  • Creatine, magnesium (for sleep and hearing), fiber (low-sugar fermented foods)
• Caution:
  • Melatonin supplementation is controversial and should be approached with caution, especially in high doses
  • Complex, chronic illness may require a blend of conventional and integrative methods – persistence and self-advocacy matter

Memorable Moments

• Andrew’s story about the power of prayer and the surprising peace found in surrender: [81:32–85:28]
• Chris’ vulnerable recounting of the health abyss and emergence back to color and life: [161:15–180:38]
• Huberman’s childhood influence from Mike Mentzer and unique training/life philosophy: [108:11–110:44]
• The science behind why movement, light, and food timing converge for daytime energy and nighttime peace: [multiple segments]

Useful Timestamps

• 00:00 – Reframing cortisol's role
• 09:22 – Burnout and timing of stress
• 14:16 – Light, sleep, and evening routines
• 22:16 – Starch, low-carb diets, and sleep
• 28:16 – Sleep techniques for the racing mind
• 36:38 – Glymphatic clearance and sleep position
• 51:34 – Neuroscience of habit and attention
• 68:36 – Overcoming bad habits; higher power
• 126:43 – How supplement/media trends cycle
• 151:03 – Mitochondria, inheritance, and next-gen reproductive tech
• 161:15 – Chris' chronic illness journey

Final Thoughts

This episode blends actionable science with profound emotional honesty, providing cutting-edge strategies for reclaiming cognitive function, combating burnout, and improving mental and physical health. It offers up-to-date, practical neuroscience recommendations, but perhaps even more valuably, models open conversation about vulnerability, uncertainty, faith, and resilience in the face of modern challenges.

Highly recommended for anyone feeling stuck, stressed, or wanting to understand the deep mechanics of energy, focus, and long-term well-being.

For the Modern Wisdom Reading List and: "100 of the best, most interesting, impactful, and entertaining books" mentioned by Chris, visit ChrisWillX.com/books.