Huberman Lab

Master Stress: Tools for Managing Stress & Anxiety

Mar 8, 2021

Dive into the fascinating world of stress and its effects on our bodies and minds. Learn about the three types of stress and how two can even boost your immune system. Discover real-time tools for managing stress, like controlled breathing techniques and cyclic sighing, to promote calmness and sleep. Uncover the benefits of natural supplements like L-theanine and ashwagandha, and explore how to align your emotions with your environment for better stress management. Transform stress from a hindrance into a powerful tool for engagement!

01:35:08

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Quick takeaways

Short-term stress can actually enhance the function of our immune system, helping us combat infections.

Breathing techniques like Wim Hof breathing can activate the stress response and enhance immune system functions.

Learning to turn off the stress response is crucial to prevent chronic stress and its negative impacts on health.

Cultivating social connections and finding delight in life can protect against the negative effects of long-term stress.

Deep dives

Short-term stress and the immune system

Short-term stress, triggered by the release of adrenaline, actually plays a beneficial role in combating bacterial and viral infections. When the stress response is activated, the body releases adrenaline, which helps mobilize the immune system to fight off infections.

Control Your Heart Rate Through Breathing (heart rate variability)

03:19

If you no longer can get good sleep, your eyes becomes chronic

01:21

Understanding the Two-Pronged Stress Response

02:28

The Power of Social Connection on relieving long term stress

00:36

Intro

6min

Navigating the Complexities of Stress

1h 17min

Managing Stress with Natural Supplements and Lifestyle Changes

6min

Navigating Emotions and Stress

8min

Navigating Stress: Tools and Engagement for Well-Being

2min

This episode explains what stress is, and how it recruits our brain and body to react in specific ways. I describe the three main types of stress, and how two of them actually enhance the function of our immune system making us less vulnerable to infections. I review tools that allow us to control our stress in real-time, as well as tools to prevent long-term stress, burnout and stress-induced illness and anxiety. As always, we cover behavioral tools and supplements that can assist or hinder stress control.

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

Thank you to our sponsors

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Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman

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Timestamps

00:00:00 Introduction

00:00:31 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up

00:04:41 Emotions: A Logical Framework of Brain-Body Loops

00:10:29 Stress: The (Falsely Narrow) Animal Attack Narrative

00:14:31 The Stress RESPONSE: Generic, Channels blood, Biases Action

00:21:08 Tools to Actually Control Stress: Reduce Alertness or Increase Calm

00:24:15 The Fastest Way to Reduce Stress In Real Time: “Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia”

00:29:45 The Fastlane to Calm

00:34:53 Important Notes About Heart Rate Deceleration: Vaso-vagal Lag

00:36:50 Cyclic Sighing For Calm and Sleep Induction

00:37:57 Nasal Breathing For Cosmetic, Immune and Performance Enhancement

00:38:46 Two Breathing Centers In The Brain

00:39:45 Breathing For Speaking Clearly

00:40:39 The 3 Types of Stress: Short, Medium and Long-Term

00:42:10 Positive Effects of Short-Term Stress: Immunity and Focus

00:45:32 Adrenalin (Epinephrine) Deploys Killer Immune Cells

00:46:40 Cyclic Deep Breathing IS Stress: Wim Hof, Tummo & Super-Oxygenation

00:50:58 Inflammation Is Useful and Good, In the Short Term

00:52:02 Procrastination and Self-Manufactured Nootropics

00:53:00 Relaxation Can Cause Illness

00:54:30 Immune Activation Protocol

00:55:20 Medium Term Stress: A Clear Definition

00:56:07 Stress Threshold

00:57:10 Stress Inoculation Tools: Separating Mind & Body, On Purpose

00:59:50 Use Vision to Calm the Mind When the Body Is Agitated

01:02:36 Beyond NSDR

01:04:36 Long Term Stress: Definition, Measurement, Cardiovascular Risks

01:06:30 Tools for Dealing With Long Term Stress

01:08:20 The Oxytocin Myth

01:09:15 Serotonin: Satiety, Safety

01:12:00 Delight and Flexibility

01:13:30 Chemical Irritants We Make But Can Control: Tackykinin

01:15:40 Impactful Gratitude

01:16:25 Non-Prescription Chemical Compounds For Additional Anti-Stress Support

01:18:04 Melatonin: Cautionary Note About Adrenal Suppression

01:19:15 Adrenal Burnout Is A Myth… But Why You Need to Know About It Anyway

01:21:10 L-Theanine For Stress Reduction and Task Completion Anxiety

01:23:00 Beware Taurine and Energy Drinks With Taurine

01:23:30 Ashwagandha: Can Powerfully Lower Anxiety And Cortisol

01:25:50 Examine.com Is An Amazing Free Resource

01:26:20 How This All Relates to Emotions: State Versus Demand = Valence

01:32:00 Modulating Reactivity, Mindfulness, & Functionality With Objective Tools

01:34:00 Next Steps

01:35:40 Topic Suggestions, Subscriptions and Reviews Please

01:37:40 Additional Resources, Synthesis

Disclaimer & Disclosures

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Huberman Lab

Master Stress: Tools for Managing Stress & Anxiety

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Short-term stress and the immune system

Use of breathing techniques to activate stress response

The importance of turning off the stress response

Medium-term stress and managing stressors

Understanding Stress Threshold

The Importance of Social Connection

Understanding Emotions in Context

Control Your Heart Rate Through Breathing (heart rate variability)

If you no longer can get good sleep, your eyes becomes chronic

Understanding the Two-Pronged Stress Response

The Power of Social Connection on relieving long term stress

Thank you to our sponsors

More Huberman Lab

Timestamps

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts