Want to think better, feel less stress, and have a clearer mind? Dr. Andrew Huberman has a plan that uses cold water and breath control to make your mind work better and make you stronger. Here's the easy guide:
- Cold Exposure: Spend 11 minutes each week in cold water (45–60°F) split into 2–4 times. Just 20 seconds in cold water starts brain stuff like dopamine and epinephrine, making you focus better and feel happier.
- Breathwork: Breathe slow and deep to stay cool in the cold or try the Wim Hof Method (fast breathing and holding your breath) to deal with stress well and feel more awake.
- Science-Backed Benefits: Cold water turns on brown fat (which uses up calories), cuts down swelling, and lifts dopamine by up to 250%, keeping you pumped for hours.
How to Start: Kick off with 1–2 minutes in 57–60°F water, slowly drop the temperature as you get used to it. Do it with deep breaths for top results. This easy, backed by science trick can help your mind work better, help you handle stress, and lift your mental game.
Using Deliberate Cold Exposure for Health and Performance | Huberman Lab Podcast #66
Understanding the Cold Exposure Component
Dr. Huberman talks about how key it is to add 11 minutes of cold time each week to what you do every day. He says to split this into 2–4 parts, with each part taking 1 to 5 minutes. This way of doing it helps you get the most body and mind gains, which he will talk more about later.
As Dr. Huberman puts it:
"Consider doing deliberate cold exposure for 11 minutes per week TOTAL, distributed across several short sessions." [1]
Using Breathwork for Better Outcomes
Mixing cold time with planned breath work can make your mind sharp and stress low. See it like this: while cold puts your body to the test, mindful breathing lets you tune and manage how your body reacts. Both of them turn a simple cold dip into a strong way to get better focus and keep your feelings even.
Calm Breathing When in Cold
Being in cold water makes your body start the fight-or-flight mode, filling you with stress things. This is when calm breathing helps - it keeps the body’s act steady and opens up mental goods. Don't breathe fast or in gasps when you first get into the cold. Think about breathing slow and even through your nose. This easy change wakes the calm side of your nervous system, making you feel both calm and awake.
"I sometimes recommend facial cold water immersion to my patients as part of the T in TIPP skills to help people with emotion regulation. TIPP stands for temperature, intense exercise, progressive muscle relaxation, and paced breathing... Some people find brief facial immersion in cold water or taking a cold shower to be helpful in shifting their body chemistry and thereby shifting their emotional state."
When you get good at slow breathing in cold water, try rapid breathing to push your body to fight stress more.
Rapid Breathing (Wim Hof Method)
The Wim Hof Method lets you handle stress better by using fast breathing and holding your breath. It can make your immune system stronger and ease swelling. Here's how to start doing it:
- Pick a safe and cozy spot to sit or lay down.
- Take 30 big breaths, pulling air in and pushing it out through your mouth.
- After the last breath, let all the air out and hold your breath as long as you can.
- Breathe in deep, hold it for 15 seconds, then let go.
- That's one full round. Try to do 3–4 rounds as you keep going.
"The point of [the] breath is to increase oxygen levels and blow out carbon dioxide. It has been shown to help with depression, anxiety, mood, mental focus, and pain management."
- Christina Casey, RN, Certified Wim Hof Method Instructor [3]
Oddly, when you do this, the oxygen level in your body might dip to about 50% for a short 10 seconds. This kind of hard test trains your body to get used to it and work better when it's tough.
If this is new to you, begin easy: do 2 turns of the Wim Hof breath way, then a 2-minute cold dip. This lets your nerves get used to it. As you get more at ease, you can do more breath turns and stay in the cold longer.
The Simple Facts Behind Brain and Body Boosts
Cold dips and set breath work are not just popular for fun - they come with a science side that tells us how they better brain work and body energy. These methods, when used together, kick off a body reaction that lifts brain power and energy use for hours. Let’s get into how these things work.
Better Brain Chemicals for Mental Sharpness
Cold dips jump start the flow of strong brain chemicals that help with focus and how you feel. When you step into cold water, your body fills up with epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline), making your mind clear and giving you a rush.
"Deliberate cold exposure causes a significant release of epinephrine (aka adrenaline) and norepinephrine (aka noradrenaline) in the brain and body. These neurochemicals make us feel alert and can make us feel agitated and as if we need to move or vocalize during the cold exposure. Cold causes their levels to stay elevated for some time and their ongoing effect after the exposure is to increase your level of energy and focus, which can be applied to other mental and/or physical activities." - Huberman Lab [1]
Studies show this: a cold dip at 57°F can raise your dopamine by 250% and noradrenaline by 530%. These boosts last for hours [4]. Even just 20 seconds in water at 40°F can shoot up your epinephrine [1]. The cool part is that these brain perks keep up even when you get used to the cold [2]. Also, getting cold can set your metabolism right for using energy better.
Waking Up Brown Fat and Making Metabolism Better
Cold on your skin does something neat: it wakes up brown fat, which is a type of fat that burns calories to make heat. Cold water makes this brown fat work and might even help it grow.
"Brown fat is a very energetically active type of fat, which is completely different from energy-storing fat that everyone wants to get rid of. Both are fat cells, but their function is opposite." - Dr. Shingo Kajimura, Principal Investigator at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School [7]
The results look great. Being in the cold can up the use of sugar in brown fat by up to 12 times [6], making your body handle sugar better and stop it from turning into fat. Also, people with more active brown fat might cut their risk of getting type 2 diabetes by 50% [7]. One test found that being in 62°F for 2 hours a day for six weeks really upped how well brown fat works [5]. If you keep it up, cold time can make your body run better all day.
Less Swelling and Stress
When you mix cold times with some ways of breathing right, it helps fight swelling more. Work done shows that doing both can greatly lower swelling in people who are well [8]. The cold makes blood paths tight, cutting blood flow to sore spots and helping them heal [9].
"The combination of cold exposure training and a breathing exercise most potently attenuates the in vivo inflammatory response in healthy young males. Our study demonstrates that the immunomodulatory effects of the intervention can be reproduced in a standardized manner, thereby paving the way for clinical trials." - Jelle Zwaag, MD [8]
When you dip in cold water, your body lets out mood-helping stuff like dopamine, serotonin, cortisol, norepinephrine, and β-endorphins. Dopamine, most of all, can shoot up by up to 250%. This big jump can make you feel better and more sharp [10]. These changes in your body can also help you deal with stress and mood troubles. They might be good for dealing with things like worry and sadness [9].
How to Start the Huberman Plan
You don't need hard tools or tough steps to start the Huberman Plan. The main thing is to keep at it - build a plan you are able to stick to, week by week. Here's how to start your own cold use and breathing work for clear changes.
Making Your Cold Use Plan
Winning starts with the right set-up and a set time. You will need a way to get into cold water in a safe and steady way.
Picking Your Cold Dive Set-up
Choose a cold dive tub that fits what you can spend and keeps the water cold - between 45°F and 60°F.
Temperature Checks and Keeping Track
A thermometer is key to keep an eye on your water's coldness. Dr. Huberman says to aim for a coldness that feels very cold but you can handle:
"The key is to aim for a temperature that evokes the thought, 'This is really cold (!), and I want to get out, BUT I can safely stay in.' For some people, that temperature might be 60°F, whereas for others, 45°F." [1]
If you're just starting with cold water, begin at the warmest cold temps - about 57-60°F - and slowly go colder as you get used to it. Many new people find even the high 50s hard but good for what they want.
Plan Your Week
Use your 11 minutes of cold time over 2-4 days each week, each time for 1-5 minutes. Morning times wake you up well, and after workouts, they help you heal. But don’t do this too close to bed, about 3-4 hours away, as it might make it hard to sleep.
For instance, you might try three times a week, each for about 4 minutes, in the morning or after being active. Change how often or how long as you feel better and can handle more.
After setting up this cold routine, add special breathing for better results.
Use Breathing for the Best Effect
When you bring in set breathing ways to your cold times, it makes everything work better. Dr. Huberman’s tips show that when and how you breathe changes your experience and what you get from it.
Getting Ready to Plunge
The Wim Hof Method is good for getting ready for the cold. Here’s how:
- Take 30 big breaths, breathe out all the way and hold it till you need to breathe.
- Breathe in deep, hold for 15 seconds, and do it all twice more.
Christina Casey, RN, who teaches the Wim Hof Method, talks about the perks:
"The point of [the] breath is to increase oxygen levels and blow out carbon dioxide. It has been shown to help with depression, anxiety, mood, mental focus, and pain management." [3]
Doing two rounds of this breath type before going into cold water can wake up your body in a way that makes starting less harsh.
Breathing When Cold
In the water, aim for slow, smooth breaths. Avoid fast, light breaths, which may make you panic. Keep your breathing even to stay cool and be in the cold for longer. You can also slowly move your hands or feet to stir up the water near you, making the cold feel stronger.
Breathing After Being Cold
After you get out, don’t rush into a hot shower or wrap up fast. Let your body warm up on its own while taking slow, deep breaths to recover. This step helps turn on brown fat and shape how your body deals with cold. Take long, calm breaths out to relax your body and lock in the good effects of your cold time.
Keeping Track and Making Changes
To do your best in this habit, keep an eye on your sessions and change things slowly as you get used to the cold. Think about three main things: how cold the water is, how long you stay in, and how you feel in your mind and body.
Getting Stronger Mentally
When you feel like you must get out, try a method called "counting walls." Every tough moment is a "wall” to get past. Aim to get past one more each time. This way helps you get stronger in your mind bit by bit.
Slowly Getting Used To It
Begin with short times in not-so-cold water. If you're new, maybe try 1-2 minute stays at 57°F. If you've done this more, maybe go for 4-5 minutes at 45°F. Keep it up for 4-6 weeks, your body will get used to it, and you can change how long and how cold based on how you feel. The aim is to end feeling awake and sharp, not worn out or too cold for a long time.
Getting Used to Cold
It's normal to shake a bit when you’re cold; it means your body is responding. Let it happen - it can help the good effects. As you get better, try longer times or colder water, but always keep it safe, not too extreme.
End Point: Reaching Top Brain Power
The Huberman Plan uses cold and deep breaths to make the mind sharp and lift how you deal with stress. By doing these things, you can teach your mind to deal with life's hard parts better.
Science supports this idea. Tests show that short times in cold water can make you more awake and may light up new ideas [11]. Also, stress hormones go down a lot after being cold and stay low for about an hour [2]. These proven facts back up the key ways this plan helps you get strong in facing tough stuff.
Dr. Chawla puts it well:
"Resilience is the ability to adapt to life's stressors and adversities. The body and mind are interconnected, therefore greater physiological resilience may lead to greater psychological resilience as well." [2]
If you keep at it, your body gets better in cool ways. When cold hits you, it makes you shake and sends norepinephrine into fat cells, turning white fat to brown fat. This is good for keeping your energy right. Cold also wakes up proteins that might guard your brain from illness.
What's great about this method is how simple it is. You don't need special gear or lots of time. Just 11 minutes a week, in 2-4 parts, with deep breaths, can help fix how your nerves deal with stress. New folks should start with water at about 55-60°F and slowly go cooler as they get used to it.
Staying safe is key. Listen to what your body says, don't go too far, and maybe have someone with you at the start. Aim to get stronger bit by bit, not all at once.
Adding this to your day can make your mind sharper, calm your stress, and raise your focus. These good things don't just stay in the practice - they help you do better at work, in personal bonds, and with daily troubles. The real strength of the Huberman Protocol is getting you set for life, not just for cold dives.
FAQs
How does being cold help your brain work better?
Being in the cold can make your mind sharper by raising norepinephrine, a brain signal that helps keep you alert, focused, and paying attention. It also wakes up the vagus nerve, which calms you down and clears your mind. Plus, going into cold water makes more oxygen reach your brain, which makes you even more focused and smart. All these things come together to make being cold a good way to make your mind clear and work better.