We’ve all seen the memes by now. You know the ones—the "Huberman morning" where you have to stare at the sun, plunge into an ice bath, drink a gallon of salt water, and delay your coffee until the sun has set on the horizon. It’s a lot. Honestly, it’s exhausting just thinking about it. But underneath the internet jokes and the sheer volume of "biohacking" noise, there’s a real reason why millions of people tune in to hear a Stanford neuroscientist talk for three hours about dopamine.
Basically, the fascination comes down to one thing: we are tired of feeling like our brains are broken. We want a manual. And that is exactly what protocols: science-based tools for everyday life Andrew Huberman is trying to provide. It isn’t about being a "perfect" human. It’s about understanding that your body is a biological machine with specific levers. If you pull the right ones at the right time, things just... work better.
The Morning Anchor: It’s All About the Light
If you’ve listened to even five minutes of the Huberman Lab podcast, you know about the morning sunlight thing. It’s non-negotiable for him. Why? Because your eyes aren't just for seeing; they are basically extensions of your brain that tell your internal clock what time it is.
When you get bright light into your eyes within the first 30 to 60 minutes of waking, you trigger a timed release of cortisol. Now, cortisol usually gets a bad rap as the "stress hormone," but in the morning, you actually want it. This peak sets a timer for melatonin release about 16 hours later. You’re literally programming your sleep while you’re standing on your porch in your pajamas.
Most people get this wrong by staring through a window. Don't do that. Glass filters out a lot of the blue-light wavelengths you need. You've gotta get outside. Even if it’s cloudy, there is more light energy out there than under your kitchen LED. Ten minutes on a sunny day, maybe twenty if it’s overcast. It sounds simple. It is simple. But the biological cascade it starts is incredibly complex.
The Caffeine Wait
This is the one that hurts. Huberman suggests delaying your caffeine intake for 90 to 120 minutes after you wake up.
When you sleep, a molecule called adenosine builds up in your brain. It’s what makes you feel sleepy. When you wake up, your body is still clearing it out. Caffeine doesn't "kill" adenosine; it just blocks the receptors. If you dump coffee into your system the second you open your eyes, you block those receptors while adenosine is still floating around. Then, when the caffeine wears off around 2:00 PM—BAM. The adenosine rushes back in, and you hit a massive afternoon wall.
By waiting two hours, you let your natural cortisol clear that adenosine out first. You’re basically letting the system flush itself before you put a lid on the pipes. It’s a game-changer for avoiding that mid-day slump that makes you want to crawl under your desk.
Managing the Dopamine Wave
We often talk about dopamine like it’s a reward, but it’s actually about craving and motivation. It’s the "go out and get it" molecule. Huberman’s protocols for focus and mood focus heavily on managing your dopamine "baseline."
Think of your dopamine like a pool. If you do something super stimulating—like scrolling TikTok while eating a sugary snack and listening to loud music—you create a massive "peak." But every peak is followed by a "trough" where your dopamine levels drop below where they started. If you keep chasing peaks, your baseline drops. Suddenly, nothing feels fun, and you can't focus on anything that isn't intensely stimulating.
The Power of Cold Exposure
This brings us to the ice baths. You don't have to buy a fancy $5,000 tub. A cold shower works. The science here is fascinating: deliberate cold exposure can cause a release of dopamine that stays elevated for hours. Unlike the "spike and crash" you get from social media or sugar, the rise from cold is steady and sustained.
It also builds what Huberman calls "top-down control." When you're in that freezing water, your brain is screaming at you to get out. By staying in—safely, of course—you are training your prefrontal cortex to override your lizard brain’s panic. That "grit" translates directly to your work life. When a project gets hard or a client gets annoying, you’ve already practiced staying calm under stress.
Focus Bouts and the 90-Minute Rule
The human brain doesn't work in 8-hour blocks. We function in ultradian cycles. Basically, our focus waxes and wanes in roughly 90-minute waves.
Huberman’s protocol for deep work is to set a timer for 90 minutes. For the first 5 to 10 minutes, your brain will probably fight you. You’ll want to check your phone. You’ll want a snack. Huberman calls this the "ramp-up" period. You have to push through it. Once you’re in, you’ll likely find a flow state that lasts until the end of that cycle.
But here’s the kicker: once that 90 minutes is up, you have to stop. Your brain needs to reset. If you try to push for four hours straight, your efficiency drops off a cliff.
- Tip: Try a "physiological sigh" during your break. Two quick inhales through the nose, one long exhale through the mouth. It’s the fastest way to offload carbon dioxide and calm your nervous system.
- Visual Focus: Interestingly, focus follows your eyes. If you stare at a specific point on your screen or wall for 30 seconds before starting, it actually primes your brain for mental focus.
The Evening Downshift
Sleep is the "foundation of everything," as the saying goes. But you can't just flip a switch. Huberman’s evening protocols are about signaling to your brain that the day is over.
One of the big ones is viewing the sunset. Just as the morning sun sets your clock, the "low-solar angle" light of the evening tells your brain it’s time to start the melatonin process. It also helps protect your brain from the negative effects of bright artificial light later in the night.
Speaking of artificial light: overhead lights are the enemy after 8:00 PM. The cells in your eyes that signal your brain to stay awake are mostly in the bottom half of your retina, meaning they are designed to detect light coming from above (the sun). By using floor lamps or "low" light in the evening, you avoid triggering those cells. It sounds a bit "woo," but the neurobiology is solid.
Supplementation: The Last 10%
Huberman is famous for his supplement stacks, but he’s also quick to point out that they won't fix a "trash" lifestyle. If you aren't sleeping or getting light, a pill won't save you.
For sleep, he often mentions Magnesium Threonate, Apigenin, and Theanine. These aren't sedatives that knock you out like Benadryl; they are compounds that help your nervous system transition into sleep naturally. Magnesium Threonate, specifically, is one of the few forms of magnesium that actually crosses the blood-brain barrier effectively.
Why Some People Are Skeptical
It’s worth noting that not everyone is a fan. Critics, like those in Slate or various medical communities, point out that Huberman sometimes extrapolates data from animal studies (like mice) and applies it to humans. Biology is messy. What works in a petri dish or a lab rat doesn't always translate 1:1 to a 40-year-old accountant with three kids.
Also, the "optimization" mindset can become its own form of stress. If you’re stressing out because you missed your morning sunlight by 20 minutes, you’re probably doing more harm than good. The goal is to use these as tools, not as a rigid religion.
Actionable Steps for Your Week
You don't need to do everything at once. Start small. Pick one or two of these and see how you feel after seven days.
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- Get outside within 30 minutes of waking. Even if you just stand on your balcony with a glass of water. Don't look at your phone first. Look at the sky.
- Delay coffee for 90 minutes. Use the first two hours of your day for your most "brain-intensive" task while your natural alertness is peaking.
- Dim the lights after 8:00 PM. Switch to lamps. It feels cozier anyway, and your brain will thank you when your head hits the pillow.
- Try one 90-minute focus block. No phone, no notifications. Just one singular task.
These protocols: science-based tools for everyday life Andrew Huberman shares aren't magic. They are just a way to stop fighting your own biology and start working with it. Honestly, even if you only do the sunlight thing, you’re already ahead of 90% of the population. Just get out there and start pulling those levers.
Next Steps: To get started, try mapping out your current "energy peaks" for the next three days. Note when you feel most alert and when you hit that afternoon slump. This will help you decide exactly where to slot in your 90-minute focus bouts and where you might need a "physiological sigh" to reset.