Video: Stress by Huberman

Tools for Managing Stress & Anxiety | Huberman Lab Podcast #10

• The system that governs stress is GENERIC. So its not overfit to specific situations.
• This is a GOOD thing. It’s hardwired biologically.
• System for STRESS and DESTRESS. They are genetically encoded. You can control it.

• Real time tools to push back against stress.
• If you understand the mechanism, you can understand the cheat sheet.

• STRESSORS vs. STRESS
• Stress is the response to Stressors.

• Sympathetic Chain Ganglia – starts from neck to the stomach. These are neurons.
• Generic stress communicator – physical or mental stressors.
• This chain becomes active.
• They release a chemical called ACETOCOLYN at various parts in the body.
• Actually, this chemical is used to move muscles and even focus in the brain.

• Epinepherine / Addrenaline is then released to various parts of the body.
• Two functions: Muscles of heart and legs get energy boost?
• It also acts on digestion, etc. and constricts them. So digestion slows down?

• Stress response is GENERIC and it tilts the body to say MORE YES to some things (legs, heart) and LESS YES to others (digestion)

Tools to reduce stress

• Real time reduction
• Brain to spinal chord

• Best tool: Physiological sigh – breathing
• exhale more than inhale (opposite is true for opposite purpose), gets rid of CO2.

• You don’t necessarily want HR to come down too soon.
• But this physiological sigh is pretty cool.

Length of stress

• Is stress bad? It’s nuanced.
• Short term stress can be beneficial by narrowing focus. Better cognition. Combat nutrition.
• Whim Hoff Breathing? Rapid Deliberate Breathing?

• Deliberate hyperventilation 25x will feel anxious. it’s a way to increase adrenaline.

Chronic stress is bad

• Chemical imbalances due to lack of deep social interactions
• Social connection, actual people, not apps / messages / calls – serotonin
• Sleeping but not necessarily alone – oxytocin
• Actual chemicals start getting produced in long periods of lack of connection – Tachykinin