Exploring Physiology and Temperature Regulation

This chapter examines research on gender differences in physiological responses, specifically challenging traditional views on testosterone's influence. It discusses the effects of shivering in metabolism, hibernation behaviors in animals, and the implications of cold exposure on human physiology, including the activation of brown fat. Additionally, it delves into connections between extreme temperatures and brain health, including phenomena like brain freeze and their impact on overall well-being.

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This episode I am joined by Dr. Craig Heller, Ph.D., Professor of Biology at Stanford University and world expert on the science of temperature regulation. We discuss how the body and brain maintain temperature under different conditions and how most everyone uses the wrong approach to cool off or heat up. Dr. Heller teaches us the best ways and in doing so, explains how to offset hyperthermia and hypothermia. He also explains how we can use the precise timing and location of cooling on our body to greatly enhance endurance and weight training performance. He describes how cooling technology discovered and engineered in his laboratory has led to a tripling of anaerobic (weight training) performance and allowed endurance athletes to run further and faster, as well as to eliminate delayed onset muscle soreness. Dr. Heller explains how heat impairs muscular and mental performance, and how to cool the brain to reduce inflammation and to enhance sleep and cognition. We discuss how anyone can apply these principles for themselves, even their dogs! Our conversation includes both many practical tools and mechanistic science.

Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com.