7 months ago
Stanford Neuroscientist Advocates Morning Cortisol Spike
A scientist named Andrew Huberman says that having a big increase in cortisol, a stress hormone, in the morning is good for your health.
Cortisol helps you wake up, gives you energy, and makes you alert.
Huberman suggests getting bright light, like sunlight, in your eyes soon after waking up.
If you can't get sunlight, using bright artificial lights or doing some exercise or movement can also help.
He says it's important to have high cortisol in the morning and low levels at night.
Too much cortisol all the time can be bad for your body, causing inflammation and making your immune system weak.
Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman advocates for a morning cortisol spike to boost health.
Cortisol is essential for alertness, energy, and cognitive readiness, acting as a natural alarm clock.
Huberman recommends getting bright light, ideally sunlight, in your eyes within the first hour of waking.
Exercise or bodily movement in the morning can also help spike cortisol levels.
Chronic high cortisol levels can lead to inflammation and a weakened immune system.
- Who
- Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman
- What
- Advocates for a morning cortisol spike to boost health
- Where
- Anywhere with access to bright light or sunlight
- When
- Morning, ideally within the first hour of waking
- Why
- To improve alertness, energy, and cognitive readiness
Key facts
- Cortisol Function
- Boosts alertness, energy, and cognitive readiness
- Morning Cortisol
- Should be 30x higher than nighttime levels
- Cortisol Sources
- Sunlight, artificial light, exercise, bodily movement
- Cortisol Effects
- Regulates glucose, blood pressure, sleep-wake cycle
- Cortisol Risks
- Chronic high levels cause inflammation and weakened immunity
Quotes
Andrew Huberman
Stanford-trained neuroscientist
“Movement generates cortisol and adrenaline. Then, at night, you want to do everything the opposite way. If you want to wear BluBlockers, you can. But dim the lights down, avoid caffeine. If you’re going to exercise, don’t make it terribly intense. You wouldn’t want to cold plunge at night. Notice I didn’t even say 'cold plunge' for morning.”
financialexpress.com
“The best way to spike your morning cortisol is to get bright light—ideally from sunlight—in your eyes in the first hour after waking. If you can’t do that, maybe invest in a 10,000 Lux artificial light. If you still can’t do that, you just flip on as many artificial lights as you can.”
financialexpress.com
Sources
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