Andrew Huberman - Tools to improve focus & Concentration

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Acetylcholine: highlights specific neurons that should be more active in the environment. “Responsible for focus”
Epinephrine / Adrenaline: increases overall energy and alertness. Doesn’t increase focus alone.
Dopamine: “Molecule of motivation” | “Engine that drives focus”

Modulation: Ability of cells, chemicals and circuits to adjust how things change/work more broadly
- Sleep modulates every process of brain and body
Mediation: How specific cells, chemicals and circuits in the brain and body

Is shown by a large number of peer-reviewed studies that 40hz binaural beats can improve focus and concentration by increasing the levels of acetylcholine and dopamine
Recommendation: Use 5 minutes before doing a bout of work
Recommendation: Brainwave app

Doesn’t improve concentration, but improves the transition into concentrated states
Amplifies the neurons activity in the prefrontal cortex. Directly related to the ability to direct and remain focused.
Recommendation: use throughout bouts of work.

It’s unrealistic the ability of immediate concentration, as it’s unrealistic to lift heavy loads during a workout session before properly warming up.
For focus and concentration, warming up means to increase of acetylcholine, epinephrine, and dopamine.

Circadian cycles are 24h cycle that our body operates, and within that day we operate in 90 minutes cycles called Ultradian cycles.
Pushing for 2, 3, 4 hours focus periods is possible but not inline with the known biology.
After a period of 45 - 90 minutes of focus it’s important to go through a period of 10 - 30 minutes “defocus”.
Rest between sets is vital for a workout as “defocus” is vital for cognitive work
Recommendation: tasks should be 90 minutes long at max to respect Ultradian cycles.
- First 5 - 10 minutes should be accepted as transition to focus.
Recommendation: do only 2 - 3 sets of deep focused work a day
Think about: what activities can be included into decompression phase?

The ability to focus is related to blood glucose levels. Brain works better with higher levels of glucose.
When fasted one isn’t able to think as clearly. But intermittent fast practitioners can experience better focus. ![[focus-u-shape.excalidraw]]

Foods that includes tyrosine, which is precursor of dopamine, can help increase concentration and focus
Doesn’t matter if one ingest foods with precursor amino-acids for dopamine, acetylcholine and epinephrine, but do it in large amounts. The blood is going to be re-directed to the digestive system, which will cause sleepiness.

Optimal dosages of caffeine will depend on how adapted to caffeine one is.
100 - 400mg of caffeine before a deep focused work seems to be a sweet spot for improving concentration.
Caffeine is known to increase the density (amount) and efficacy of dopamine receptors, and can result in increase of motivation and drive.
Caffeine also increase alertness through neurochemical systems related to adenosine.
Recommendation: Delaying the first caffeine intake for 90 - 120 minutes before work can avoid the afternoon crashes.
Recommendation: Cut the caffeine intake at 2 pm to avoid lose of sleep.

Deliberate cold exposure can increase the levels of dopamine, epinephrine, and cortisol. Therefore it can lead to increase of focus and concentration.
Cold exposure is one of the best methods to increase epinephrine levels.
Recommendation: uncomfortably cold, but safe to stay in for 1 - 5 minutes.

Set a timer for about 13 minutes, sit or lie down, and with the eyes closed solely concentrate on breathing and focus on bringing awareness to a point about an inch behind the forehead.
The focus and concentration will drift away from the designed point every 10 to 20 seconds. The goal of this practice is to keep bringing back focus to breathing and the forehead point, in order to train the ability to refocus from a non-focus or diminished focus states.
Studies shown that this practice have positive effects on sleep and memory
Recommendation: As this meditation activates the prefrontal cortex, and can increase alertness, it shouldn’t be done 4 hours prior the bedtime.

Involves laying down for 10 - 30 minutes and listen to a script that induces deep relaxation, that reportedly restores levels of dopamine in the so-called basal ganglia.
NSDR can help with states of sleep deprivation.
Contrary to the 13 minute meditation mentioned above, NSDR is about to “defocus”.
Recommendation: do NSDR for 30 - 60 minutes after a bad night of sleep. It’s okay to fall asleep during the session.
Recommendation: drinking caffeine after NSDR can increase capacity of focus.

Highly focus and highly relaxed state.
Recommendation: Reveri app provides scripts for hypnosis. Use every 3rd of 4th day to perceive the results.

Limiting the visual field or focusing on an object helps to enhance focus because it generally help limit distraction.
Pick a target a try to focus your concentration on it while breathing normally and stay relaxed.
This is similar to the 13 minutes meditation in the sense of training focus and re-focus.
Recommendation: set a timer for 30 seconds and try to focus on a target. Increase that time in 5 seconds everyday.
Recommendation: do this practice at the beginning of a bout of focused work or any time focus is lost during a session.

Ingesting 1 - 3 grams of EPAs daily can improve mood and cognitive functions by modulation.
Creatine monohydrate is beneficial to the prefrontal cortical networks, modulating and supporting the brain networks that will generate focus and concentration. Take 5g/day
Alpha-GPC works as mediation to acetylcholine. Take 300 - 600mg/day.
Food containing choline, the amino-acid precursor of acetylcholine.
Garlic supplements can help improve cardio vascular function.
L-tyrosine is an amino-acid associated to the production of dopamine, and can be consumed through foods to improve levels of concentration