Control Your Vagus Nerve to Improve Mood, Alertness & Neuroplasticity

**Andrew Huberman** (0:00)
Welcome to the Huberman Lab Podcast, where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life.
I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. Today, we're discussing the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve, or what neuroanatomists call cranial nerve 10, is an extremely interesting nerve, because when we hear the word nerve, we often think of a small connection between one thing and another, the wires of the nerve, which of course we call axons. If you didn't know that, now you know they're called axons. But actually, the cranial nerve is an extensive pathway. It's a whole set of connections that link the brain and body. In fact, in many respects, it looks kind of like its own nervous system within the traditional nervous system of the brain and the spinal cord, the connections between spinal cord and muscle. The vagus nerve is so vast, it spreads out through so much of the body. And as you'll learn today, it's connected to so many interesting different brain areas and has so many interesting different functions that it deserves, well, an entire episode of this podcast. The other great thing about the vagus nerve is it is highly actionable, meaning what you will learn today, if you already know something about the vagus nerve is going to change what you know and believe about the vagus nerve. What you hear today will also, if you don't know or you're not familiar with the vagus nerve, is going to educate you on the latest about the vagus nerve. We've learned a lot about the vagus nerve and ways to control the vagus nerve in the last few years. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, the information that you're going to learn today includes actionable tools that will, for instance, allow you to make yourself more alert when you want to, without the use of pharmacology. It will allow you to calm yourself down quickly when you want to, on demand, and quickly without the use of pharmacology or devices. And it will also allow you to alter your mood for the better, and indeed to improve your ability to learn. The vagus nerve is that important. It's involved in that many different things. And the pathways of the vagus nerve, as I mentioned, have been charted in more detail in recent years. And the ways that we can get into the vagus nerve and stimulate its actions in specific ways to achieve those endpoints of improved mood, deeper relaxation, fast relaxation, elevated levels of alertness and on and on are now very well understood. So as you can probably tell, I'm extremely excited about today's episode because the vagus nerve is just one of the most fascinating aspects to our nervous system. You have one, I have one. So let's figure out how they work and how to put it to work for the better. Before we begin, I'd like to emphasize that this podcast is separate from my teaching and research roles at Stanford. It is however, part of my desire and effort to bring zero cost to consumer information about science and science related tools to the general public. In keeping with that theme, today's episode does include sponsors. Our first sponsor is Element. Element is an electrolyte drink that has everything you need and nothing you don't. That means the electrolytes, sodium, magnesium and potassium in the correct amounts, but no sugar. Proper hydration is critical for optimal brain and body function. Even a slight degree of dehydration can diminish cognitive and physical performance. It's also important that you get adequate electrolytes. The electrolytes, sodium, magnesium and potassium, are vital for functioning of all the cells in your body, especially your neurons or your nerve cells. Drinking Element dissolved in water makes it very easy to ensure that you're getting adequate hydration and adequate electrolytes. To make sure that I'm getting proper amounts of hydration and electrolytes, I dissolve one packet of Element in about 16 to 32 ounces of water when I first wake up in the morning, and I drink that basically first thing in the morning. I'll also drink Element dissolved in water during any kind of physical exercise that I'm doing, especially on hot days when I'm sweating a lot and losing water and electrolytes. Element has a bunch of great tasting flavors. I love the raspberry, I love the citrus flavor. Right now, Element has a limited edition lemonade flavor that is absolutely delicious. I hate to say that I love one more than all the others, but this lemonade flavor is right up there with my favorite other one, which is raspberry or watermelon. Again, I can't pick just one flavor. I love them all. If you'd like to try Element, you can go to drinklmnt.com/huberman, spelled drinklmnt.com/huberman to claim a free Element sample pack with a purchase of any Element drink mix. Again, that's drinklmnt.com/huberman to claim a free sample pack. Today's episode is also brought to us by Joovv. Joovv makes medical grade red light therapy devices. Now, if there's one thing that I have consistently emphasized on this podcast, it is the incredible impact that light can have on our biology. Now, in addition to sunlight, red light and near-infrared light sources have been shown to have positive effects on improving numerous aspects of cellar and organ health, including faster muscle recovery, improved skin health and wound healing, improvements in acne, reduced pain and inflammation, even mitochondrial function, and improving vision itself. What sets Joovv lights apart and why they're my preferred red light therapy device is that they use clinically proven wavelengths, meaning specific wavelengths of red light and near-infrared light in combination to trigger the optimal cellar adaptations. Personally, I use the Joovv whole body panel about three to four times a week, and I use the Joovv handheld light both at home and when I travel. If you'd like to try Joovv, you can go to Joovv spelled joovv.com/huberman.