To maintain high motivation and energy, occasionally and randomly remove expected rewards for your efforts. This keeps the dopamine system tuned for anticipation and sustained pursuit of goals, rather than habituation to constant reward.
Utilize self-hypnosis for 10-15 minutes a few times a week, or even 1 minute daily, to reinterpret painful events and achieve significant relief from chronic pain. The free Reverie.com app offers guided self-hypnosis scripts for this purpose.
When engaging in cold water exposure (e.g., ice bath, cold shower), enter quickly and submerge up to your neck, including shoulders, and potentially your face. This minimizes the relative temperature drops sensed by cold receptors, making the experience less uncomfortable.
If a painful stimulus is anticipated, aim for a warning period of 20-40 seconds in advance to reduce the subjective experience of pain. This allows for mental preparation without the heightened anxiety caused by warnings that are too short or too long.
To alleviate pain from an injury (provided it doesn’t worsen the wound), rub the affected area or apply pressure above or below the site. This activates A-fibers that release GABA, a neurotransmitter that inhibits C-fibers carrying pain signals, thus providing relief.
To sustain pleasure and motivation long-term, avoid over-rewarding yourself or others for every accomplishment. Occasionally and randomly remove expected rewards to keep the dopamine system properly tuned and prevent a decrease in the ability to experience future pleasure.
Recognize that heightened states of arousal increase both your ability to experience pleasure and your tolerance/threshold for pain. This principle applies particularly to highly sensitive body areas like the lips, face, feet, and genitals.
Increase your pain threshold safely through practices like ice baths, ensuring no tissue damage occurs. Leverage top-down modulation by consciously telling yourself the experience is beneficial or a chosen challenge, or by distracting yourself.
To buffer against pain, leverage the dopamine-rich state of obsessive love or infatuation by thinking about your partner. This mental state can modulate pain perception through brain stem interactions with the immune system, increasing resilience.
When exposing yourself to heat, such as in a sauna, move into it gradually. Heat receptors respond to absolute temperature changes, and a slow transition allows your body to acclimate more safely and comfortably.
Be aware that what you see and how you interpret an injury or event profoundly influences your subjective experience of pain. Your visual perception can dramatically alter the intensity of pain felt.
For phantom limb pain, consider using a mirror box to create the visual illusion of the missing limb. Moving the intact limb to a relaxed position can reduce phantom pain by leveraging the visual system’s influence on perception.
Consider low-intensity electroacupuncture applied to the legs and feet for pain relief and potential wound healing. This specific stimulation can activate anti-inflammatory neural circuits.
Consider oral acetyl L-carnitine supplementation (1-4 grams/day) for chronic whole-body pain or certain acute pain conditions. Evidence suggests it can reduce pain symptoms and improve peripheral nerve health.
Explore Agmatine and SAMe (or its precursor 5-MTHF) as non-prescription options for various types of pain, such as osteoarthritis or injury-related pain. Note that SAMe may take up to a month to show its pain-relieving effects.
Instead of direct SAMe supplementation, consider taking 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) to increase endogenous SAMe levels. This molecule is a precursor necessary for the body to produce SAMe.
If experiencing fibromyalgia or chronic whole-body pain, consult a doctor about low-dose naltrexone. This prescription drug has shown success in treating certain forms of fibromyalgia by blocking TOL4 receptors on glia.
When petting animals, stroke their fur in the direction it naturally lies, as this is typically perceived as more pleasurable. This is due to specific neural pathways that respond to the direction of touch.
Take Athletic Greens once or twice daily to cover basic nutritional needs, address potential deficiencies, and support gut microbiome health with its vitamins, minerals, and probiotics. A special offer is available at athleticgreens.com/Huberman.
Ensure proper hydration and electrolyte balance by dissolving one packet of Element in 16-32 ounces of water first thing in the morning and during physical exercise. Adequate sodium, magnesium, and potassium are vital for optimal brain and body function.
Utilize the Waking Up app for meditation, mindfulness, Yoga Nidra, or Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) protocols. Even short 10-minute sessions can significantly restore cognitive and physical energy.