Control Your Heart Rate Through Breathing (heart rate variability)

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

AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab

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

More Huberman Lab

Huberman Lab Premium: https://go.hubermanlab.com/premium

Huberman Lab Shop: https://go.hubermanlab.com/merch

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