Protocols collects about fifty science-based practices across seven areas of health. It starts with what you do every day and leaves supplements for last.
Huberman is a Stanford neuroscientist and host of the Huberman Lab podcast. Protocols is his first book. It turns years of the podcast's material into practices, and explains the biology behind each one so you can adapt it to your own life.[1]
Sleep, exercise, stress control, nutrition, light, focus and learning, and personal growth.[1]
Steven Bartlett's count when Huberman came on Diary of a CEO to launch the book.[4]
Daily behaviours that lift your baseline mood, energy and health, whatever else you are working on.
Specific protocols for a common problem or goal, like falling asleep, calming down fast or learning a skill.
How to read it. Front to back, or open the chapter you need. Some protocols rest on strong trials and others on early or mechanistic research. Because each one comes with its reasoning, you can tell which is which.
For each area, here is what the book covers and one place to start, drawn from what Huberman has published or said about it. The source sits under each one.
Get outside into daylight as soon as you can after waking.
Morning light sets your body clock, so you get sleepy at the right time that night. The book's own publicity uses this as its example of a simple sleep protocol.[1]
Australian note: morning UV can climb fast in summer. Use sun protection whenever the UV index is 3 or above.[12]
Two resistance sessions this week, each under an hour of hard work.
The book covers getting stronger and leaner at any age.[1] His published Foundational Fitness Protocol mixes resistance, cardio and endurance work across the week, trains each muscle group twice (once directly, once indirectly) and caps weight sessions at about 50 to 60 minutes after a warm-up.[7]
Two breaths in through the nose, then one long breath out through the mouth.
This is the physiological sigh. On Diary of a CEO he called it the most effective tool he knows for bringing stress down quickly.[5]
In a 2023 Stanford study he co-authored, five minutes a day of cyclic sighing for a month lifted mood more than mindfulness meditation did.[8]
Take a short walk after your biggest meal of the day.
The book uses this as an example of a protocol that takes only minutes: walking after you eat helps your body manage blood glucose.[1]
Bright light early, dim warm light late.
His published light routine: 10 to 15 minutes of sunlight soon after waking, some time outside around midday, a little sun before sunset, then dim, warm indoor lighting at night.[1]
Overcast daylight outdoors still counts. Light through a window does not.[5] Pair it with sun protection when the UV index is 3 or above.[12]
Practise just past the point where you start making mistakes.
He describes learning as driven by challenge and errors, done while you are alert enough to notice them.[5] The book adds protocols for learning faster.[1]
Do one small hard thing a day that you would rather skip.
In the same interview he linked willpower to a brain region, the anterior mid-cingulate cortex, and treated it as something you can build.[6] The daily hard thing is our way in; the chapter goes further.
The book is built in layers. Supplements and medicines can add to a strong base, but in his account they do little without one.[6]
Light, sleep, movement, food and breathing. Daily, mostly free, and the largest effect.
A specific protocol for the problem in front of you.
Adjuncts, added on top.
“Foundational behaviors come first, before supplements, technology, or products.”Huberman Lab, official book FAQ[1]
On Diary of a CEO, Steven Bartlett asked Huberman which five supplements he would keep for life.[4] Summaries of his answer are circulating on X with shop links attached. Here is what to check before buying, against Australian limits.
The adult upper limit for magnesium from supplements is 350 mg a day. Diarrhoea is usually the first sign of too much.[10]
The thread is right that 1,000 mg of fish oil is not 1,000 mg of EPA and DHA. Read the back of the bottle. If you take blood-thinning medication, ask your GP first.
The adult upper level is 80 µg, or 3,200 IU a day. Both ends of that range sit above it. Ask your GP for a blood test and dose to the result.[9]
One of the most researched supplements for both effect and safety. The usual maintenance dose is 3–5 g a day.[13]
Penguin publishes the Australian edition under its Cornerstone imprint. Each link goes to Penguin's page for that format, which lists Australian bookshops.[2]
The official page lists retailers by country and language, including the US edition from Simon Element.[1]
Official book pageAsk your local library for the book or the audiobook. New releases often have a hold queue, so reserve early.
The Diary of a CEO episode from 3 September 2026 walks through ten of the protocols in about two hours.[4]
Episode transcriptDaylight soon after waking is the book's own example, and it costs nothing. Once it sticks, pick one more area.