Understand that plasticity is not the goal, but a capacity for the nervous system to change. Define specific end goals (e.g., learning a language, improving focus, reducing stress) to direct this plasticity effectively.
If you are happy or unhappy with an aspect of your life and wish to shift it positively, leverage neuroplasticity mechanisms, which are available at any stage throughout the lifespan.
Trigger learning and brain changes during states of high focus and alertness. The actual rewiring and reconfiguration of brain connections then occur during non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) and deep sleep.
Become an observer of your own system to understand what works for you, recognizing your position on the autonomic arousal scale (alert vs. calm) and matching tools and activities to your specific goals.
Integrate brain optimization segments of about 90 minutes (one or two, or more, per day) into your schedule, anchoring them to your natural biological rhythms like peak alertness or post-NSDR calm.
Get sunlight in your eyes in the first 30 minutes of the day (or use a bright light if natural light is unavailable) to help wake up, prime connections between melanopsin cells and the circadian clock, and reinforce cortisol release for increased alertness.
Delay caffeine intake for the first two hours after waking to allow natural cortisol release to occur and keep adenosine receptors unoccupied, preventing a mid-morning crash and enhancing caffeine’s later effect on alertness.
Drink water first thing in the morning to prevent dehydration, which can cause headaches and increase vulnerability to migraines.
Exercise early in the day (within an hour, no later than three hours after waking) to bias towards earlier waking, trigger the release of neuromodulators like epinephrine, and create a neurochemical context for increased energy and mental acuity throughout the day.
Utilize states of high alertness for tasks that involve strategy implementation, where you already know how to do something and need to execute, such as linear tasks, calculations, or responding to emails.
If you are feeling very alert or ‘keyed up,’ work in complete silence and eliminate background noise (e.g., turn off internet, phone) to quiet autonomic arousal and suppress distractions, which is optimal for focused learning and linear tasks.
If you are experiencing low arousal, tiredness, or sleepiness, some background chatter or noise can help elevate your level of autonomic arousal and alertness by engaging the salience network.
Utilize fasted states and low-carbohydrate states to increase alertness, as carbohydrates tend to induce sleepiness, while fasting promotes a state of wakefulness.
If you drink a lot of caffeine or are fasting, consider drinking water with a little bit of sea salt or typical table salt to prevent low sodium, which can cause shakiness, inability to think, or headaches (consult a doctor, especially if you have hypertension).
Eat a low-carbohydrate meal (e.g., meat, salad, nuts, fats, fruits, vegetables) for lunch to maintain focus and alertness throughout the afternoon.
Avoid eating hot food for lunch if you want to maintain alertness, as hot food can cause post-lunch sleepiness.
Around 2-3 p.m. when feeling groggy, shift from tasks requiring high cognitive load and linear analysis to more mundane tasks that require less cognitive effort and can be done out of sequence, like answering emails.
Perform a non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) protocol (e.g., 10-30 minute yoga nidra or hypnosis) in the afternoon to restore cognitive and physical energy, enhance plasticity, and aid in falling asleep later, rather than relying on more caffeine.
Engage in creative work, such as exploring novel configurations of existing elements or brainstorming ideas, in the afternoon when in a clear, calm, and focused regime, often after an NSDR session, as this state facilitates creative discovery.
Recognize creativity as a two-part process: creative discovery (facilitated by relaxed or slightly sleepy states) and linear implementation (requires high alertness). Conceive ideas in relaxed states, but revisit them later for deliberate, linear implementation during highly focused states.
Get light exposure in the evening (by going outside or using bright artificial lights) to slightly delay your circadian clock, which helps prevent waking up too early and maintains a regular 24-hour sleep-wake cycle.
Minimize bright light exposure, especially overhead, in the evening (from about 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.) by dimming lights and screening off devices to promote falling asleep and ensure a good night’s sleep.
Eat a more carbohydrate-rich evening meal (e.g., pasta, rice, vegetables, eggs, fish, or chicken) to facilitate calmness and sleepiness, stimulate tryptophan release, and replenish glycogen if you exercised earlier in the day.
Anticipate a natural peak in alertness and activity about an hour before bedtime, which is a normal circadian blip, rather than confusing it with insomnia or anxiety; use this time for mundane tasks or organizing for the next day.
If you wake up in the middle of the night with looping thoughts, do not trust any thinking that occurs during those wee hours for creative insights or linear implementation.
If anxious or experiencing looping thoughts after waking in the middle of the night, use a non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) protocol, such as a hypnosis app or yoga nidra script, to help turn off the thinking and fall back asleep.
Use tools like cold showers, ice baths, or super oxygenation breathing (e.g., Wim Hof type breathing) to increase alertness when needed, and warmer baths to promote calmness (always research and understand associated cautionary notes).
Consider taking Athletic Greens once or twice a day to cover basic nutritional needs, address potential deficiencies, and support microbiome health with probiotics.
Consider supplementing with Vitamin D3 K2, as D3 is essential for brain and body health, and K2 regulates cardiovascular function and calcium, with many people being deficient in D3 even with sun exposure.
Drink Element, an electrolyte drink with sodium, magnesium, and potassium in correct ratios and no sugar, dissolved in 16-32 ounces of water first thing in the morning and during physical exercise to ensure adequate hydration and electrolyte balance for optimal brain and body function.
Use the Waking Up app, which offers hundreds of meditation programs, mindfulness trainings, yoga nidra, and NSDR protocols, to learn different types of meditation for various states and to restore cognitive and physical energy.
Drink black coffee or mate (a high-caffeine drink) after the two-hour delay from waking to enhance alertness and focus.