Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman says one morning habit sets the tone for his day

Andrew Huberman, a Stanford neuroscientist and host of the “Huberman Lab” podcast, swears by this simple morning habit for maintaining his health.

Andrew Huberman, a Stanford neuroscientist and host of the “Huberman Lab” podcast, swears by this simple morning habit for maintaining his health. NBC/Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images

Andrew Huberman, a Stanford neuroscientist and host of the “Huberman Lab” podcast, swears by this simple morning habit for maintaining his health. NBC/Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images

lighning bolt icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.

lighning bolt icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. Impact Link

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.

Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman says one morning habit plays a key role in his overall health.

In an interview with GQ published on Monday, the host of the popular “Huberman Lab” podcast shared the routines he’s relying on to stay healthy in 2026.

“Getting your physical health right — which puts your mental health in the best possible place — is all about intentionally high cortisol in the morning and intentionally low cortisol at night,” Huberman told GQ.

Although cortisol has a bad reputation as a stress hormone, Huberman says it plays an important role in how the body transitions from sleep to wakefulness.

“No, you wake up in the morning because of a rise in cortisol. You want a big, massive spike of cortisol in the morning. If you don’t spike your morning cortisol, your cortisol spikes in the afternoon or evening, and then everything goes awry, OK? You want your morning cortisol at least 30x higher than your nighttime cortisol,” he said.

Follow Amanda Goh Every time Amanda publishes a story, you’ll get an alert straight to your inbox! Stay connected to Amanda and get more of their work as it publishes. Sign up By clicking “Sign up”, you agree to receive emails from Business Insider. In addition, you accept Insider’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

While cortisol levels do rise and fall throughout the day, these patterns can vary significantly from one person to the next, making it challenging to assign a specific number to what constitutes an “ideal” difference. Moreover, people with mood disorders are generally advised against spiking cortisol levels.

Huberman says one way to keep that rhythm on track would be to send the body a signal.

“The best way to spike your morning cortisol is to get bright light — ideally from sunlight — in your eyes in the first hour after waking. If you can’t do that, maybe invest in a 10,000 Lux artificial light,” Huberman said.

If that’s not possible, he suggests flipping on “as many artificial lights as you can.”

While morning light plays a role in cueing the body’s circadian rhythm, scientists aren’t in agreement on how directly it affects cortisol levels, which can vary depending on light intensity, duration, timing, and individual lifestyle factors.

“I’ve made a mistake in the past — a tactical mistake, a strategic mistake — by calling it sunlight. People say, ‘It’s overcast.’ What we should say is, ‘Get daylight in your eyes,'” Huberman said.

Having dim mornings and bright nights is “the worst way to go,” he added.

While Huberman’s advice aligns with mainstream circadian research on light exposure, it may not apply equally to everyone.

Light exposure isn’t the only thing Huberman says matters in the morning. He also encourages people to fit in a workout if they can.

“If you don’t have time to exercise first thing in the morning, you need bodily movement. Even some knee bends, some arm swings, some jumping jacks. Movement generates cortisol and adrenaline,” he said.

While physical activity influences cortisol, there is no strong research to suggest that people need to boost cortisol specifically in the morning through exercise to reap health benefits.

When it comes to winding down at night, people should take the opposite approach, Huberman said.

“If you want to wear BluBlockers, you can. But dim the lights down, avoid caffeine. If you’re going to exercise, don’t make it terribly intense,” he said.

The benefits of getting light in the mornings are supported by broader research in the field.

Mariana Figueiro, professor and director of the Light and Health Research Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Business Insider in 2023 that getting daylight is “just as important as diet and exercise.”

“Light in the built environment is not always strong enough to synchronize the biological clock,” Figueiro said. “The beauty of daylight is that daylight is the right amount, it’s the right color, it’s on at the right time.”

Moreover, getting enough darkness at night is just as crucial, since circadian disruption has been linked to poor cognitive performance and a weakened immune system, Figueiro said.

Source: RhinoEasy News