Exploring Lifestyle Improvements: Nutrition and Sleep Innovations

This chapter shares a personal journey into diverse interests, including books and gadgets, alongside a focus on health supplements like AG1. It also highlights the benefits of 8sleep's Pod 5, emphasizing its role in enhancing sleep quality and tracking health metrics.

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Kevin J. Tracey, MD is president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health, a pioneer of vagus nerve research and author of the recent book, The Great Nerve: The New Science of the Vagus Nerve and How to Harness Its Healing Reflexes.

This episode is brought to you by:

Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: EightSleep.com/Tim (use code TIM to get $350 off your very own Pod 5 Ultra.)

AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: https://DrinkAG1.com/Tim (1-year supply of Vitamin D plus 5 free AG1 travel packs with your first subscription purchase.)

Wealthfront high-yield cash account: https://Wealthfront.com/Tim (Start earning 3.75% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) from program banks on your short-term cash until you’re ready to invest. And when new clients open an account, they can get an extra fifty-dollar bonus with a deposit of five hundred dollars or more.) Terms & Conditions apply. The APY on cash deposits as of 09/26/25 is representative, subject to change, and requires no minimum. Tim Ferriss receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage LLC for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of Wealthfront Brokerage. See full disclosures here.

Timestamps:

00:00 Tim’s intro: why he dismissed vagus-nerve hype

06:34 What the vagus nerve actually is, plus common myths

11:31 Breaking news: FDA approval for SetPoint’s RA implant + Kelly Owens’s turnaround

21:11 Inflammation 101: when healing turns harmful

31:37 Bioelectronic medicine: from lab insight to real devices

55:26 TNF, IL-1, and IL-6: immune drivers and what VNS modulates

56:06 Exercise & recovery: vagal signals, IL-6, and adaptation

56:30 Cold exposure & breathwork: sympathetic spike, parasympathetic payoff

59:04 Chronic inflammation today: prevalence, diagnostics, and uncertainty

59:53 Autoimmunity: genes, environment, infections

01:01:08 Stress hormones, personality traits, and metabolic fallout