← The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance
The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance
This 9,000-Year-Old Ritual Cleared 15 Years Of Brain Fog : 1460
00:14:47
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Imagine relaxing and connecting with friends without touching an ounce of alcohol. Alcohol is toxic no matter how you slice it. It wrecks your sleep, trashes your mitochondria and accelerates aging. There's a better way to relax without the toxic load. People in the South Pacific have used kava for over 3000 years for stress relief, mental performance and social connection, all while supporting brain health and longevity. That's why I'm excited about Tru Kava's new instant powders. For the first time, you can get the authentic whole food kava experience in a clean, mix and go sachet format. I travel with these powders because they actually deliver all the deeply relaxing social benefits I want without destroying my sleep score and metabolic health. If you want the effects of alcohol without the downsides, this is the Upgrade. Head to Trukava.com and use code DAVE170.0 for 10% off.
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Your hair is a sign of how healthy you are. So what actually works if you want to grow new hair? There are tons of products that sound good on paper, but they really don't do much in practice. Ey Restore is different because it is powerful and it's targeted and it's light therapy. Your hair follicles directly absorb the light energy, which means blood flow increases and that means dormant hair follicles can wake back up. The Elite delivers that through 300 lasers and 200 LEDs directly to your scalp. And it takes an easy 12 minutes a day. And you can wear it while you're working, while you're doing chores around the house. And the clinical results from it are amazing. Double blind study. 100% of participants grew more hair. In four months, their hair count increased an average of 43.2%. And this thing really works. Plus, you get a 12 month money back guarantee. Try it for a year and see what happens and you'll like it. Spring savings is happening right now, so
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go to irestore.com, use code Dave and
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get an exclusive discount on the elite. That's irestore.com code Dave. I spent 15 years living with brain fog. I tried everything. More sleep, better food, time off. But nothing worked. And every day I felt like my mind was waiting through mud. No matter how much rest I got, I still felt slow. I thought something was just wrong with me, that my brain was broken, or maybe I was just dumb. But then I learned something that when I saw it, made everything finally make sense. The problem wasn't really my brain at all. It was in my body, my nervous system that had Been stuck in stress mode for years. And when your body's stuck there, clear thinking's impossible. You can't think, you're out of it. You can't push through it. But humans discovered a way to reset this thousands of years ago. It's a 9,000 year old ritual that pulls your body out of stress mode and allows your brain to work again. In this video, I'm going to show you exactly what that ritual is, how it works, and how it helped me clear 15 years of brain fog and toxins quickly. When brain fog hits, most people just think it's because their brain's running on empty. You feel slow and sluggish and like your mind is dragging its feet. It's easy to think. I just need to recharge. So you try to fix it. You get a little bit more sleep, have an extra couple cups of coffee. You download some productivity apps, you set timers and you tell yourself, okay, let's just focus now. And you push and you grind and you try to force it and then it still doesn't work. And you start beating yourself up the way I did. Why can't I concentrate? What's wrong with me? Why isn't this clicking? Despite what we all like to think, your brain is not a machine that just gives full power whenever you need it. It's more like a safety oriented system. It's constantly scanning your environment, deciding what's most important in the moment. So it gets stuck in stress mode. And that means your brain shifts gears. It's not going to let you focus or be creative or solve problems. It's going to focus on survival. So even if there's nothing actually wrong, your body believes there's a real immediate danger around you. Your brain starts pulling energy away from things like deep thinking and sends it to your survival systems instead, to your amygdala. And that part of your brain, that part that helps you focus and plan and remember just is not a priority. When your body thinks it's an emergency, your body even slows your digestion down. Your breathing becomes shallow, your muscles become tense like you're ready to fight or run at any moment. And that's why brain fog is just so frustrating. Because it has nothing to do with laziness or morality or trying hard or being enough. It's that your body didn't get a message that it's safe. Yet without that signal of safety, your brain is not going to shift back into gear. So you might feel wired and tired at the same time, like you have energy, but it Just doesn't feel good. It can kind of feel debilitating and shaky. It's like your system is stuck in high alert and you can't get it to calm down. And so trying harder isn't the answer when it comes to brain fog. And clarity doesn't come back just because you try to force it. It comes back to when your body gets the message that there's enough nutrition and it's safe and there aren't too many toxins. It'll turn on your full power again. And this is why mindset alone won't cut it. And sure, mindset helps, but it's not going to override your nervous system when it's stuck in sympathetic or stress mode. What you need is a method that goes straight to the nervous system and even to your cell energy production and works directly on it. And try this three times a day. Morning, midday, evening. Ask yourself one simple. Can I breathe easily right now through all of your lungs? Or does my body feel tight even when I'm just sitting still? If your breathing is shallow, jaws clench, your shoulders are tense, your stomach feels like it's in knots. It's a sign that your body might be in stress mode. If you notice that, here's what to do every time. Breathe in through your nose for four seconds. Then breathe out slowly for six to eight seconds. Do this for five minutes. Keep your mouth closed, drop your shoulders, let the exhale guide everything. And when the out breath is twice as long as the in breath, it sends a signal to your nervous system that says, hey, you're safe now and you know what happens next. Your stress actually turns off biologically and it happens very quickly. But here's the catch. It doesn't work to rely on stopping stress in the moment all the time. So you want a way to keep the stress from becoming your default setting in the first place. And that's where this 9,000 year old ritual comes in. It's not just for calming your body. It literally pulls your nervous system out of survival mode and puts you back in rest and reset mode. And there's real science to back it up. Now let's talk about the quick fixes most people go for when brain fog hits. The first thing people usually do is reach for supplements.
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What if you could make your brain Sharper in just 10 to 15 minutes a day? Focus comes down to how well your mitochondria are working, because that's how your brain makes energy. When your mitochondria slow down, you get brain fog, fatigue and low motivation. Light changes how that system behaves. Scientists have been studying near infrared light for years because of how it interacts with mitochondria and supports energy production in your brain. And that's why I've been using Neuronic. It's a wearable light therapy device for your head that uses near infrared light to support clarity, focus and overall brain performance at home without adding another complicated routine. It is simple to use, easy to stick with, and fits into your day in just a few minutes. If you're ready to ditch brain fog or you just want better mental performance, this is a straightforward tool to add. Go to Neuronic online and use code Dave for $100 off.
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You'll start popping pills hoping for a miracle. And let's be clear, some supplements absolutely saved me when I had profound brain fog when I weighed 300 pounds. And they can get you through the day. So they're an incredibly important tool, but they're not going to fix the root cause. And until then, they're a band aid. But a very useful band aid. You can take magnesium to chill out. In fact, I like magnesium 101. That's why I make it. You can take the right form of B vitamins for energy. You can take nootropics to make your brain work better. But if the brain fog is coming from chronic stress and toxins, supplements aren't going to solve the problem problem completely. They might wake your brain up, but they're not going to fix the stressed out state your body's stuck in. When you're in long term stress mode, your digestion slows down, so your body doesn't even absorb the supplements properly. So half the stuff you're taking probably becomes expensive pee. It doesn't make it to your brain. And even if it does, your stressed out nervous system might interpret that extra stimulation as just more pressure. That's why some people feel jittery or anxious or even more, more scattered. After taking brain supplements, the signal doesn't match your desired state. Trying to turn up the volume when the volume is already too high doesn't work. Now, if you want to clear brain fog fast, you got to stop treating the symptoms and start figuring out why it's happening. And one of the oldest, most effective ways to do that is with heat. And that's why sauna actually works. Sauna is one of the oldest tools humans have used to calm the the nervous system. In Finland, the first saunas were literally dug into the ground about 9,000 years ago. But it wasn't just Finland. You'll Find ancient heat bathing practices in Greece and Rome. Indigenous sweat lodges, traditional Asian bath houses. Long before we even knew what stress hormones or nervous systems were, people noticed the same thing. After intense heat, you feel lighter, your mind feels clearer, you have less physical tension. Well, why does it work? Because heat bypasses your thoughts. It goes straight to your body. As your body heats up, your blood vessels open up, your blood flow improves. That includes blood flow to your brain. Your muscles relax, and the physical release sends a signal to your nervous system that basically says you're safe now. And that's why after a sauna session, you don't feel forced to think. You just feel clear. And the parts of your brain that handle focus and planning get the oxygen and the energy that they need. That's why so many people walk out of a sauna feeling refreshed, even if they were completely foggy earlier in the day. But not all saunas are created equal. The traditional sauna will heat the air around you so your body warms up from the outside in. And that works, but it takes a while. It can feel really harsh, and it can be exhausting. An infrared sauna works in a different way. It uses infrared light to warm your body directly, but it's not painfully hot air. It's heating from the inside out. So your body heats up faster, you start sweating much sooner, and it's easier on your system. And that's why I'm using the impulse smart sauna from sunlighten in my own routine. And I've used a sunlighten for more than a decade. And my team knows it, and my family knows it. They've seen how much I rely on it. And it's been a core part of my health routine for a long time, including when I was recovering from severe toxic mold and heavy metals. Infrared light is energy medicine. You can also get it from the sun, but not this concentrated. It works at the cellular level. It supports circulation and detox and recovery, and your nervous system. So in a nutshell, it's your whole body longevity. And the most powerful medicine is already inside you. Infrared makes it easy for your body to do its own natural healing. The impulse lets me customize all three types of infrared wavelengths. Red, near infrared, mid and far. To meet my specific goals. It's the only brand that has that level of personalization, because each wavelength of infrared does something different to your body. Near infrared is directly there for my cells and my mitochondria to turn my energy up and mid. Infrared support supports muscles and joints and circulation. And far infrared heats your core very deeply and supports that detox and cardiovascular function. And the red light that you see is there for cellular repair and skin and resilience. So when I want longevity, energy, detox and performance, which is pretty much every day, I use all these together. That's my personal Dave longevity program. Before my sunlight in session, I drink a glass of water with electrolytes and I make sure that I stay hydrated during the day. And I'm usually sitting in my sunlight and drinking a cup of danger coffee because it's full of extra trace minerals my body needs when I'm sweating. Personally, I do the sunlighten with all of the wavelengths on. My sessions are about 45 minutes long. But if you're new, start with 10 or 15 minutes at a lower temperature every other day and over time build towards longer sessions. During the session I'll breathe slowly through my nose, drop my shoulders on purpose, let my body soften and that slow breathing is telling my nervous system, you're safe. You can let go, recover now instead of think about work. And I can control the whole thing from my phone so when I wake up I can turn it on. And by the time I've made my coffee, it's ready to go. And that's another thing that I like about the sunlight nap. I can choose one of the six built in programs or load a custom one and the sauna is on before I even walk into the room. Makes it easy. And when something's easy, it's a lot easier for it to become a habit. There's no friction, no resistance. I don't have to hike across the house, turn it on. It's just always on when I need it. And at home, access is the reason that sauna works for the long term. If you have to drive somewhere to do the sauna, you'll probably not do this on it very much. Because driving somewhere and parking is a pain and I don't have a sunlight and because it's fancy, I have it because I actually use it and sunlight and is really studied this technology. They've patented their delivery systems. They test for safety, they've tested for ultra low emf. Even the materials are low toxic materials. Sunlight is the only sonic company directly involved in every step of the manufacturing process. Which means every piece is designed for safety and durability and long term use. And having used them for 10 years, I've tested that out. That matters when this is something you're putting your body into every single day. If you're thinking about buying the impulse, the latest Version version features enhanced infrared and red light delivery. It heats up even faster, and the energy output feels noticeably more powerful. You get hot fast. Even as I'm sitting here, I'm starting to sweat. And even setup is easy. It arrives in boxes about the size of a mattress. Most people can assemble it at home without any special tools. And you can save up to sixteen hundred dollars with additional savings throughout the year. If you follow the link in the description or use the QR code on the screen screen right now. And after my session, I'll have some more water with electrolytes. And remember, don't jump back into emails or your phone. Just chill for a few minutes, let the calm settle in, maybe take a cold shower. And when you use it this way, sauna doesn't just feel good. It finishes those stress cycles that your body usually never completes. That's why the clarity feels real. And that's why your body relaxes and feels better all day long. We know from lots of research that that sauna therapy is really effective, but there's something you can do to make it even better. And that's where that contrast therapy comes in. Contrast therapy uses heat and cold together to teach your nervous system how to switch states. Heat opens everything up. Blood vessels, muscles, your mind. And then cold steps in and shuts off the stress chemicals instantly. So if you've ever been to a hotel or community pool as a kid, you remember hopping between the hot tub and the cold pool. Soak in the steaming water, fill the muscles, melt, and then bam, you're in the icy pool and you feel really good. Even though it's a shock to the system. That mix of heat and cold wasn't just fun. It's called contrast therapy. And your body feels alive, your energy shifts, and you probably slept even better that night. That's the kind of reset that we're talking about here. Except now you've done it intentionally and with a purpose. You can retrain your nervous system, clear your brain fog, feel amazing from the inside out. So cold teaches your body how to turn the stress off. And heat helps you recover and rebuild. Together, they train your nervous system to handle stress calmly. And this is kind of cool. If you do hot, cold, hot cold a couple times, it can boost your growth hormone levels dramatically, which also helps you recover better. So here's how you do it. Start with heat. Stay in your infrared sauna for 15, maybe even up to 30 minutes. Then hit the cold, like a cold plunge or a freezing shower for anywhere between 30 seconds and two minutes and breathe slowly and steady while you do it. Don't tense up and fight the cold. Just surrender. Let the cold in, you'll be fine. And your mitochondria will learn that they can warm up all by themselves. And after you're a little bit chilly, come back into the heat. Warms you up, keeps the stress hormones from sticking around. And then do that cycle two to four times, depending on how much time you have. So when you train your recovery like this, your stress stops dragging you down, down, you get better blood flow, your brain shifts and clarity just comes back online. I had profound brain fog in my 20s, even my 30s. And if I had a good day where everything worked, I was incredibly happy because they were rare. And the calendar thinks I'm 53. My lab tests think I'm in my mid-30s. But whoever you want to believe, I have more clarity, more resilience, more capability now, and less body fast fat than any time in my life. And this is a part of the practice. So brain fog. It's not a lack of willpower, it's not a basic weakness. It's biology and it's nervous system regulation. And those are both things that biohacking can fully change for you. So it is your fault, which means you have the ability to change it. But you didn't choose this. It chose you. And now you know what to do. Do. Hope this was really helpful for you. These things have changed my life.
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A Human Upgrade Formerly Bulletproof Radio, was created and is hosted by Dave Asprey. The information contained in this podcast is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended for the purposes of diagnosing, treating, curing, or preventing any disease. Before using any products referenced on the podcast, consult with your healthcare provider carefully, read all labels and heed all directions and cautions and that accompany the products. Information found or received through the podcast should not be used in place of a consultation or advice from a healthcare provider. If you suspect you have a medical problem or should you have any healthcare questions, please promptly call or see your healthcare provider. This podcast, including Dave Asprey and the producers, disclaim responsibility for any possible adverse effects from the use of information contained herein. Opinions of guests are their own and this podcast does not endorse or accept responsibility for statements made by guests. This podcast does not make any representations or warranties about guest qualifications or credibility. This podcast may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products or services. Individuals on this podcast may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to herein. This podcast is owned by Bulletproof Media.