About this episode
In this episode, I discuss testosterone and estrogen hormones and how they impact the brain, body, and behavior after puberty. I also discuss how various behaviors such as exercise (resistance and endurance training) and sex or observing sex impact these hormones and their levels. I ask: "what specifically is it about such activities that impact testosterone and estrogen?"; the resounding theme is that when our nervous system is activated in particular ways, it drives our endocrine system and vascular system to activate or repress certain hormone networks in predictable ways. I also discuss peer-reviewed studies and protocols addressing (at a mechanistic level) how light, cold and heat, and respiration (breathing) can positively or negatively impact testosterone and estrogen. We discuss specific supplements and compounds that peer-reviewed studies illustrate can adjust testosterone and estrogen levels by changing their binding to other proteins, raising them directly, or changing other hormones released from the brain and pituitary. I discuss optimization in the normal reference ranges for these hormones, and I discuss pheromones, apnea, menstrual cycles, menopause and andropause. Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com . Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:26 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:05:50 Hormone Optimization 00:07:00 Salutogenesis: A Powerful Way to Conceptualize Health 00:10:03 Estrogen and Testosterone: Sources, Levels and Ratios 00:15:46 The Power of Competition, Plus: Anxiety, Persistence and Dopamine 00:20:58 Testosterone and Libido Pre-Ovulation 00:21:48 Estrogen and Sexual Receptivity; Libido In Males 00:23:10 How Sex Behavior Impacts Testosterone: Observing vs. Actual vs. Abstinence 00:26:46 Testosterone and Prolactin: Sex Seeking vs. Pair Bonding 00:27:30 DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone): Effects on Levels/Ratios 00:28:45 Behaviors That Decrease Testosterone (and Cortisol): Parenting and Prolactin 00:31:24 How Illness Impacts Testosterone and Estrogen: Cytokines, e.g., IL-6 00:33:20 How Exactly Do Behaviors Change Hormones? 00:34:18 Pheromones: Miscarriage, Menstrual Cycles, Puberty Onset, and Mate Recognition 00:43:33 Apnea: A Powerful Bi-Directional Influence On Estrogen and Testosterone 00:47:44 Mouth vs. Nose Breathing and Hormone Levels: Effects Via Sleep and Direct Effects 00:51:11 How Sleep Adjusts Cortisol/Testosterone and Cortisol/Estrogen Ratios 00:53:49 O2:CO2 Ratios, Nasal Breathing During Exercise 00:56:30 Light Viewing Patterns and Hormones: Dopamine, GnRH 00:57:44 Spring Fever: Tyrosinase, Hair Color, Mating Frequency 01:04:39 Specificity of Hormone Effects 01:06:03 Temperature: Cold and Hot Gonads 01:14:10 How To Exercise: Types, Effort Level, Sequencing 01:21:42 Cardio/Endurance vs. Resistance Training (First or Last?) Yes, It Matters 01:24:41 Estrogen and Menopause: Compounds That May Ameliorate/Reverse Symptoms 01:33:18 Nutrients That Optimize The Foundation For Hormones 01:36:00 Opioids as Severe Hormone Disruptors 01:37:23 Testes, Antlers and Ovaries 01:38:50 Creatine and Increasing DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) 01:40:14 Free and Bound Testosterone: SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin), Tongat Ali 01:43:23 Nettles, Prostate, Boron, and Blood Brain Barrier 01:45:27 Hormone Related Cancers: Sometimes Reducing Estrogen and Testosterone Is Optimal 01:47:43 Ecdysteroids: Mimic Mammalian Hormones 01:51:50 Optimizing Brain Hormones: Chorionic Gonadotropin, Fadogia Agrestis 01:57:18 Additional Compounds, Liver Toxicity, Overall Milieu 01:59:17 Summary: And Note About Additional Related Topic Coverage Coming Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices