The Huberman Lab Podcast discusses neuroscience: how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health. We also discuss existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works. Dr. Andrew Huberman is a tenured Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. His laboratory studies neural regeneration, neuroplasticity, and brain states such as stress, focus, fear, and optimal performance. For more than 20 years, Dr. Huberman has consistently published original research findings and review articles in top-level peer-reviewed journals, including Nature, Science, Cell, Neuron, and Current Biology. He is a regular member of several National Institutes of Health review panels and a Fellow of the McKnight Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Dr. Huberman regularly consults for technology development companies, professional athletic organizations, and various units of U.S. and Canadian Special Operations.
Essentials: How to Optimize Testosterone & Estrogen
In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, I explain how to optimize hormones—particularly testosterone, estrogen, and related sex steroids—to enhance fertility and overall well-being.
I discuss the sources of testosterone and estrogen and how their levels fluctuate with age in both males and females. I also cover how behaviors such as exercise, cold and heat exposure, light exposure, illness, and breathing patterns affect hormones. Additionally, I examine specific supplements and replacement therapies, highlighting important precautions to consider when adjusting hormone levels.
Huberman Lab Essentials episodes are approximately 30 minutes long and focus on key scientific insights and protocol takeaways from past Huberman Lab episodes. These short episodes will be released every Thursday, while our full-length episodes will continue to be released every Monday.
Read the show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com.
Thank you to our sponsors
AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman
Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman
Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman
Timestamps
00:00:00 Huberman Lab Essentials; Hormones
00:01:15 Testosterone & Estrogen Sources & Age, Adrenals
00:03:34 Sponsor: Eight Sleep
00:05:05 Competition, Males & Testosterone; Dopamine
00:09:27 Testosterone Decreases, Expectant Fathers, Illness
00:11:30 Sleep Apnea, Testosterone, Estrogen, Cortisol, Tool: Nasal Breathing
00:15:57 Sponsor: AG1
00:17:00 Dopamine, Cortisol, Fertility, Tool: Light Viewing Behavior
00:19:31 Heat, Cold & Hormone Levels
00:21:14 Resistance & Endurance Training, Testosterone, Tool: Exercise Order
00:23:26 Estrogen, Menopause, Hormone Therapy
00:25:07 Sponsor: Function
00:26:54 Vitamins, Opioids, Supplements, Tongkat Ali, Cancer Risk
00:31:26 Luteinizing Hormone, hCG, Fadogia Agrestis, Tool: Blood Tests
00:36:00 Recap & Key Takeaways