Tools for Managing Stress & Anxiety

About this video

Huberman explains tools for managing stress and anxiety, emphasizing that the stress response is generic across psychological, physical, bacterial, and viral stressors, and that it primes cognition and the immune system. Huberman explains that when adrenaline is released from the adrenals, it liberates killer cells from immune organs, particularly the spleen, to combat infection. He maps this onto so-called Wim Hof breathing, noting its roots in Tummo breathing and describing it as deliberate hyperventilation: rapid breathing, in through the nose and out through the mouth, done for cycles Huberman describes as 15, 20, or 25 breaths. Huberman explains that rapid diaphragm movement liberates adrenaline from the adrenals, which is why practitioners feel very alert, and why, he cautions, people with anxiety may feel anxious or even have an anxiety attack. He draws the same mechanism for cold water: Huberman explains that getting into an ice bath or cold shower immediately releases adrenaline as a stress response.

Key takeaways

• Huberman explains that the stress response is generic across many kinds of stressors.
• Huberman describes adrenaline as liberating immune killer cells from the spleen and elsewhere.
• Huberman describes deliberate hyperventilation breathing as a way to release adrenaline.
• Huberman cautions that such breathing can provoke anxiety in anxious people.
• Huberman explains that cold water exposure also triggers immediate adrenaline release.

Episode details: published March 8, 2021 · 2.9M views · 1:38:24 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. The science and protocols described are Andrew Huberman’s, presented for education — not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before changing your own health practices.

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