Essentials: How to Defeat Jet Lag, Shift Work & Sleeplessness

Andrew Huberman organizes this Essentials episode around a distinction between being tired and having an internal clock that matches the local day. He describes the suprachiasmatic nucleus as a roughly 24-hour clock synchronized by light reaching the eyes. In his account, sleepiness, wakefulness, temperature, metabolism and other bodily functions are coordinated with the external light-dark cycle. Artificial lighting and irregular obligations can disturb that match even without air travel. His general starting point is more light during the intended waking period and less during the intended sleeping period, with exposure kept within safe limits.