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Using Cortisol & Adrenaline to Boost Our Energy & Immune System Function

This episode I describe the biology of two essential hormones we all make: cortisol and adrenaline (also called epinephrine). Cortisol and adrenaline powerfully regulate our levels of energy, focus and immune system function. I describe various science-supported tools and practices to increase or decrease cortisol and/or adrenaline, depending on one's specific needs and goals. I also describe the biology of nootropics, and how cortisol and adrenaline can improve or degrade learning. Finally, I review the scientific data and tools for timing the release of these hormones to improve memory, energy and immune system function. #HubermanLab #Science #ImmuneSystem Thank you to our sponsors InsideTracker - https://insidetracker.com/huberman Athletic Greens - https://athleticgreens.com/huberman Headspace - https://headspace.com/specialoffer Supplements from Thorne http://www.thorne.com/u/huberman Social & Website Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Twitter: https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Website: https://hubermanlab.com Newsletter: https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network Links: Intermittent Fasting & Growth Hormone Mechanism: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2017.10.016 Habitual Coffee Drinking & Changes In Brain Connectivity: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-021-01075-4 Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:05:41 Energy & Your Immune System, & Learning Faster 00:08:34 Why & How Intermittent Fasting Increases Growth Hormone 00:11:56 Why Your Stomach Growls 00:13:09 Hot Baths & Hormones 00:14:35 Energy, Adrenaline (Epinephrine), & Cortisol 00:15:48 Cortisol & Cholesterol, Competition With Testosterone & Estrogen 00:17:54 Adrenaline (Epinephrine) Is Your (Immune Systems) Best Friend 00:18:48 Cortisol Basics In Two (Actually 1) Minute/s 00:19:48 Adrenaline Basics In Two Minutes 00:21:32 Tool: Time Your Cortisol Peak To Waking Using Specific Light Intensities 00:27:20 Brief Increases In Cortisol & Adrenaline Boost Energy, Focus & Immunity 00:30:04 Ways To Increase Adrenaline, Epinephrine & Cortisol & Why That Is Good 00:35:00 Does Mindset During Stress Matter? 00:36:15 Protocols: Adrenaline Breathing Described 00:39:00 Practices To Increase Energy Without Increasing Stress 00:45:00 Using Stressors to ENHANCE Our Immune System: Science & Tools 00:55:11 Timing Thyroid Release For Energy 00:57:02 Adrenaline/Stress Increase Performance & Memory. IF They Are After Learning 01:02:45 An Optimal Learning Protocol 01:03:20 Coffee Changes Your Brain & Increases Connectivity Of “Anxiety Circuits” 01:05:43 Nootropics: Two Kinds, & How & Why They Work, “Neural Energy” 01:09:00 Biology of Comfort Foods: From Negative to Positive Feedback Loops 01:14:00 Bombesin: Energy Without Eating 01:15:00 How Stress Makes Our Hair Gray, & How To Prevent Stress-Induced-Graying 01:18:05 Blunting Chronic Cortisol, Including: Ashwagandha & Science Of 01:25:50 Licorice Increases Cortisol & Blood Pressure, & Reduces Testosterone (by Glycyrrhizin) 01:28:50 Apigenin: Anti-Cortisol 01:29:53 Protocols For Optimizing Energy & Immune System Function (& Learning) 01:37:00 When Fasting, Exercise, Cold & Intense Breathing Become Detrimental 01:39:00 Prescription Compounds 01:39:47 Tools For Accessing Alert & Calm States of “Energy”: Separating The Brain & Body 01:42:11 Ways To Apply Knowledge Presented Today 01:43:20 No-Cost Ways To Support Us, Feedback, Sponsors, Patreon, Partners, “Office Hours” The Huberman Lab Podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions. Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com

Andrew Hubermanhost
May 2, 20211h 46mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Harness Cortisol And Adrenaline To Supercharge Energy And Immunity

  1. Andrew Huberman explains how cortisol and epinephrine (adrenaline) are not simply 'stress hormones' but core drivers of daytime energy, learning, and immune function.
  2. He details how to time and deliberately trigger these hormones—through light exposure, breathing, cold, exercise, and fasting—to boost alertness, memory consolidation, and short‑term immune defenses.
  3. Huberman also warns about the damage from chronically elevated stress hormones, including weight gain, gray hair, mood issues, and disrupted hormones, and offers behavioral, nutritional, and supplement tools to reduce chronic stress.
  4. Throughout, he reframes stress as a controllable, trainable system, emphasizing the power of learning to have an activated body with a calm mind.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Anchor your daily cortisol peak with morning sunlight to optimize energy, mood, and metabolism.

Getting outside within about 30 minutes of waking and viewing natural light (2–10 minutes on sunny days, up to ~30 minutes on overcast days) reliably times your cortisol spike to early day. This improves daytime focus, learning, and thyroid regulation while preventing late‑evening cortisol elevations that are linked to depression, anxiety, and insomnia.

Use short, deliberate stressors to boost energy and immune function.

Cold exposure, cyclic hyperventilation (Wim Hof/Tummo breathing), and brief high‑intensity exercise all acutely raise epinephrine and cortisol. When applied intermittently (e.g., 2–3 times per week) and followed by recovery, these spikes increase alertness and can enhance immune responses for 1–4 days by mobilizing immune cells via adrenaline released from the adrenals.

Time epinephrine spikes after learning to lock in memories and skills.

Epinephrine is a powerful, endogenous 'smart drug' but its biggest impact on consolidation comes when levels rise immediately after a learning session, not solely during it. A practical protocol is ~90 minutes of focused learning, followed by a deliberate adrenaline‑raising bout (cold shower, intense breathing, or hard exercise), then non‑sleep deep rest (NSDR) and good nighttime sleep to cement plasticity.

Differentiate acute stress from chronic stress and train a calm mind in an activated body.

Brief, intense stressors with recovery are beneficial; stress persisting beyond several days can flip cortisol regulation into a harmful positive feedback loop, driving more stress, comfort‑food cravings, abdominal fat, gray hair, and mood issues. Practicing staying mentally calm (via self‑soothing, breath control, mindset) while the body is highly activated teaches the nervous system to separate peripheral adrenaline release from brainstem adrenaline, reducing overreactions to real‑life stressors.

Adjust eating and fasting patterns with respect to your current stress load.

Any fast beyond ~4–6 waking hours raises cortisol and epinephrine; this can be leveraged to boost energy if you’re under‑activated but can push you into harmful chronic stress if you’re already overwhelmed. Fasting, especially combined with other stressors (cold, intense training), should be dialed back when you feel exhausted, burnt out, or sleep‑deprived, and used more when you need an energy lift and are otherwise well‑recovered.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

I would like you to think about cortisol not as a stress hormone but as a hormone of energy.

— Andrew Huberman

Epinephrine is your best friend when it comes to your immunity and when it comes to remembering things and learning.

— Andrew Huberman

You can control your immune system by finding a way that you can increase adrenaline.

— Andrew Huberman

The body can enter states of readiness and alertness while the mind remains calm. That is biologically possible.

— Andrew Huberman

Stress isn’t good or bad. Short‑term stress is healthy… It’s an opportunity to learn how to control these hormones better.

— Andrew Huberman

Biology and functions of cortisol and epinephrine (adrenaline)Circadian timing: morning light, cortisol, thyroid, and energyDeliberate stressors: cold exposure, Tummo/Wim Hof breathing, high‑intensity exerciseUsing epinephrine and cortisol to enhance immunity and learningFasting, food timing, and comfort foods in relation to stress hormonesDangers of chronic stress and tools to reduce cortisol (ashwagandha, apigenin, etc.)Caffeine, nootropics, and how stimulants reshape brain connectivity and performance

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