Optimising Your Brain For High Performance – with Dr Andrew Hill
High Performance Health
The Importance of Dynamic Range and Brain Plasticity
This chapter discusses the concept of dynamic range in the body, emphasizing the importance of factors like insulin and cortisol having a dynamic range. It also explores how exploring new environments and novel experiences promote brain plasticity and can have an antidepressant effect.
This week sees Angela in conversation with Dr Andrew Hill, the founder of the Peak Brain Institute, and an expert in Cognitive Neuroscience, attention and neurofeedback.
Dr Hill joins Angela today to talk about how to optimise your brain for high performance, how to access different brain wave states, and how to cure conditions such as insomnia, ADHD and PTSD.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Taking control of your brain performance is almost like going to a gym. By following a workout routine, you can achieve physical goals. It’s the same with brain performance, and each “workout” is tailored to your optimal goals.
- ADHD sufferers rely on the environment they’re in to cue which mode their brain is in. In a high stimulus environment, they are generally more focussed than average. This is why they can play video games for hours, but cannot seem to concentrate in a classroom.
- If you drink alcohol every day, even small amounts, then coming away will leave your brain wanting Gaba, a chemical messenger in the brain that is supplied by drinking. The longer you drink, the more stuck you become in that need.
- One of the most common misconceptions with alcohol is that a glass of something will help you sleep, when in fact it disrupts the formation of deep sleep, and causes toxins which disrupt sleep.
- Before age 12, your children will identify with the values and socialisation that you bring them up with. From 13 through to late teens, there is a common dis-identification from parents and a rededication with peer. This is usually the phase in which the child will rebel, or seek to establish an identity separate from the family unit.
- The biggest driver we have for circadian rhythm is not light, but when we eat. To keep ourselves in that rhythm, we need to not eat at the end of the day. It’s the most important rule.
- Don’t eat before you go to bed. Don’t eat as soon as you wake up. Exercise in the morning before you eat. These are the cardinal rules for circadian reinforcements.
- The best way of losing weight is to sleep at the right time. You can literally sleep yourself thin. Getting the right amount of sleep actually helps you to gain muscle mass.
BEST MOMENTS
‘Hire a doctor and they give you answers. Hire a scientist and they give you questions’
‘You shift through neutral in and out of gears’
’There are no benefits to alcohol’
‘People are variable and it’s a complicated formula’
‘If you’re living with signals that don’t make sense to your brain, then you get depressed and tired'
VALUABLE RESOURCES
The High Performance Health Podcast – Omny
Peak Brain Institute - http://peakbraininstitute.com
Dr Andrew Hill Twitter - https://twitter.com/andrewhillphd
ABOUT THE GUEST
Dr. Hill is one of the top peak performance coaches in the country. He holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from UCLA’s Department of Psychology and continues to do research on attention and cognition. Research methodology includes EEG, QEEG, and ERP. He has been practicing neurofeedback since 2003.
In addition to founding Peak Brain Institute, Dr. Hill is the host of the Head First Podcast with Dr. Hill and lectures at UCLA, teaching courses in psychology, neuroscience, and gerontology.
ABOUT THE HOST
Angela Foster is a Nutritionist, Fitness and Lifestyle Performance Coach. She is also the Founder and CEO of My DNA Edge, an Exclusive Private Membership Site giving individuals the tools and biohacks needed to optimise their genetic expression for optimal health and performance.
After recovering from a serious illness in 2014, Angela left the world of Corporate Law with a single mission in mind: To inspire and educate others to live an energetic, healthful and limitless life.
Angela believes that we can truly have it all and has spent the last 5 years researching the habits and routines of high performers, uncovering age old secrets, time honoured holistic practices and modern science to create a blueprint for Optimal Human Performance.
Angela has spent tens of thousands of pounds training with the world’s top experts and mentors, distilling the best information from literally 1000s of books and scientific papers on biohacking, nutrition, fitness, sleep, meditation and wellbeing.
Angela works with many high performing clients ranging from Athletes, CEOs, Entrepreneurs, Executives, Artists and individuals like you.
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