Team Asprey

4 Ways to Beat Depression, According to a Neurosurgeon

January 18, 2019 by Team Asprey

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At 41 years old, Joseph Maroon was a highly accomplished neurosurgeon. At 42, he was working in a truck stop, had gained so much weight that he struggled to breathe, and was too depressed to get out of bed most days.
Maroon beat his depression, and has gone on to become one of the best neurosurgeons in the world. This article covers four science-backed tools Maroon used to beat depression.
Getting out of depression is exceptionally difficult, but you have more strength in you than you think. Exercise, stable circadian rhythm, honest mindfulness, and working hard toward meaningful goals can beat depression and help you find more resilience in yourself than you thought possible.

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At 41 years old, Joseph Maroon was a highly accomplished neurosurgeon. He was chief of surgery at a prestigious hospital, he had money, he was healthy, he was helping people — he’d achieved his biggest personal and professional goals.

That all changed overnight. In his Bulletproof Radio Podcast episode [iTunes], Maroon describes the biggest downward spiral of his life.

“One day, my father died,” Maroon explains. “My family broke up. I was doing brain surgery in the hospital one week. The next week I literally did not have the ability or strength or resilience to continue.”

One year later, he was working at a truck stop. He had gained weight to the point where he had trouble breathing. He had lost friends and colleagues. He was so depressed that most days he struggled to get out of bed.

Maroon’s fall from grace taught him perhaps the most valuable lesson he’s ever learned: how to climb out of suffering and beat depression, step-by-step, until you’re exceptionally strong.

You can beat depression

Today, Maroon is one of the most celebrated neurosurgeons in the world. He’s also an advocate for changing the way society views depression. He believes that, in the majority of cases, you can work your way out of depression and create happiness and stability in your life.

Fighting depression is not easy — pulling yourself out of darkness requires extraordinary strength — but in the process, you can build a depth of resilience you may not have thought possible. You’re capable of far more than you think. Here’s how to take depression into your own hands.

First, though, a quick disclaimer: this article is not suggesting you get off antidepressants or any other medication. Doing so without a doctor’s supervision can be disastrous. Incorporate these tools into your life to beat depression, and if you feel you can, talk to your doctor about gradually tapering off your medication.

Move your body every day

After his father died, Maroon spiraled to the point where he was too depressed to get out of bed. Exercise is what saved him and helped him beat depression.

“[A friend] called me one day and said, ‘Hey Joe, let’s go for a run,’” Maroon recalls. “We went to the high school track in Wheeling, West Virginia. I made it around four times and said, ‘Never again. I’m exhausted.’ But that was the first night I slept in probably three or four months.

“A light bulb went off. The next day I went down to the track and did a mile and a quarter. Then a mile and a half, then two, then five.”

Today, at 79 years old, Maroon does Ironman Triathlons — a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and a full 26.2-mile marathon, all back-to-back. Exercise was the first thing that helped him start to work his way out of depression, and he’s made it a staple of his life ever since.

Lots of research backs up Maroon’s experience. Consistent exercise is as effective as an antidepressant at treating depression, and long-term, exercise is more effective than medication at preventing relapse into depression[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11020092″][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3448908/”].

Exercise relieves depression in the short-term, too. A single workout rewires your brain for happiness and relaxation. Exercise releases feel-good endorphins (the same chemicals responsible for a “runner’s high”) that immediately lift your mood and create a feeling of calm euphoria[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3632802/”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6091217″]. Working out also immediately increases serotonin, the target of antidepressants, and can rapidly lift the cloud of depression[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2077351/”]. Finally, exercise increases norepinephrine, which increases your ability to deal with stress[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24032709″]. In rodents, increasing norepinephrine reverses learned helplessness (the idea that you’re stuck in a bad situation and have no hope of getting out of it)[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8255916/”].

And research aside, exercise gives you a sense of accomplishment. It’s tangible proof that you can overcome a challenge and become physically and mentally stronger, day by day.

It can be tremendously difficult to start working out when you’re depressed. Do it anyway, even if it’s the only thing you do all day, and you only run two blocks and head back.

Wake up at the same time every morning

Depression often messes with your sleep schedule. About 75 percent of depressed people have insomnia, and about 40 percent have hypersomnia (sleeping for many hours a day and still feeling tired)[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181883/”].

Waking up at different times every day confuses your biology. It stops producing hormones and brain chemicals at the right daily intervals, which can lead to further depression[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3630972/”].

Getting your body on a structured sleep schedule can make a bigger difference than you might think. One of the most effective non-pharmacological treatments to beat depression is getting patients on a consistent sleep-wake cycle[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181887/”]. Waking up at a set time is more important than going to bed at a set time.

You don’t have to wake up early if it doesn’t feel right to you. Just pick a time and stick to it, whether it’s 6 AM or 10 AM. The first couple days will be a real challenge. You’ll probably wake up feeling groggy, especially if you’re dealing with insomnia, and you may be exhausted throughout the day. But if you can just set an alarm and get out of bed when it goes off, you can cause major shifts in your body that gear you toward happiness and stability.

Pro tip: if you really struggle with getting up when your alarm goes off, buy an old-fashioned alarm clock, set it, and put it in the bathroom. That way you can’t stay in bed and hit the snooze button.

Don’t underestimate the power of routine when you’re depressed. Get on a steady sleep schedule and add some structure to your day.

Practice spirituality or mindfulness of some kind

Before you skip this section: mindfulness doesn’t have to be religion, and you don’t have to believe in anything metaphysical (although you certainly can).

For Maroon, it was Buddhism that gave him perspective on his depression.

“I thought of quitting life and had self-destructive thoughts. I was in a very, very bad, dark place…[For me], the most important thing is Buddhist awareness, mindfulness, having insight into where you are on a daily basis.”

Buddhism’s central tenet is that life is suffering. If you think about it for a moment, it’s pretty evident that the Buddhists were spot-on: life is painful and difficult, and it doesn’t get easier. When you’re depressed, that pain can feel overwhelming. It’s easy to fall into a victim’s mindset and lament all the bad things in your life. It’s also tempting to wish for things to be easier.

For Buddhists, the response is mindfulness: sitting with the pain of existence until it’s no longer overwhelming. Mindfulness works; Buddhist monks are consistently happier than the average person, and are able to cope with stress far better, too[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21391415″]. This is despite the fact that monks live a brutally spartan life. They eat very little, have almost no stimulation in their lives, wake up at 4 AM every morning, often have inadequate housing and minimal protection from the elements, and so on.

Life isn’t going to be easy, but you can make yourself strong enough to handle the suffering it brings you. We’re not suggesting you make your life as austere as a Buddhist monk’s. Instead, try a simple mindfulness meditation, where you focus on your breath going in and out for 5-10 minutes. Your mind will likely bring up all kinds of restlessness and horrible thoughts. Let them be, be patient with yourself, and stay focused on your breath. Every time you sit with your challenges — observing them instead of judging them — you’ll increase your capacity to deal with hardship.

Get started with this 30-day meditation challenge. It includes both guided and unguided meditations that will bring you into the present moment and make you stronger.

Set goals (no matter how small) and work hard toward them

Maroon’s final tool for overcoming depression is work.

Set a goal for yourself and work hard toward it. If you’re so depressed that you can’t get out of bed, make your goal getting out of bed and going for a walk or run.

If going to a coffee shop gives you overwhelming anxiety, make your goal to go to that shop and order a coffee every morning, until you can handle that anxiety without letting it take you over.

There are two things that happen when you set goals. The first is that you voluntarily face challenges in your life, which changes the dynamic from being a victim of difficult things to being someone who overcomes them. Research on people with phobias (irrational terror in response to things or situations) shows that the best way to overcome a phobia is to gradually expose yourself to it. Brain scans show that the terror doesn’t decrease; the person’s ability to handle the terror increases[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3384187/”].

In other words, when you face challenges in your life, the challenges don’t get easier. You get stronger, to the point where you can handle them. This is where the second benefit of goals comes in. Setting a goal and achieving it means overcoming obstacles between you and that goal. Learn more here about how to set goals and actually achieve them.

Overcoming things infuses your life with a deep sense of meaning[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3149846/”]. Working hard to overcome challenges makes people happier in a way that lasts, and builds permanent resilience to future challenges[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3132556/”]. You also show yourself that you’re capable of more than you thought, which increases self-worth and is one of the leading ways to combat depression long-term[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11488379″].

Basically, beating depression will be hard. It’ll be a battle, and anyone who tells you otherwise isn’t being straightforward with you. But you can do it. If you’re depressed right now, push yourself to do something challenging, no matter how small, and build from there. You’ll find that you’re a lot stronger than you thought.

Melatonin for Sleep: Everything You Need to Know About the Snooze-Inducing Hormone

January 18, 2019 by Team Asprey

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Melatonin, aka the sleep hormone, is produced by our pineal gland to help regulate our biological clock. It’s activated by light and dark and is secreted at night.
Melatonin can be derived from plants and used as a supplement to help improve sleep, and it’s often used as a treatment in sleep disorders, as a remedy for jet lag, and among shift-workers.
As a supplement, melatonin is mostly safe, but it can produce side effects such as grogginess, dizziness, and headaches — especially if you’re taking too much. Your best bet is sticking to a 0.3 milligram dose, which is significantly less than you’ll find in a standard supplement dose.

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Wouldn’t it be great if you could pop a pill for better sleep? A pill that’s non-habit-forming, doesn’t require a prescription, and doesn’t make you do strange things like eat in your sleep? Well, maybe you can. While more satisfying zzz’s in pill form sounds too good to be true, there’s promising evidence that melatonin, the naturally occurring hormone in our bodies, can be harnessed as a supplement for better sleep.

What is melatonin?

Melatonin is a multitasking hormone produced by the brain’s pinecone-shaped pineal gland.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4334454/”] Melatonin plays several roles in the body, including helping to regulate blood pressure, boost immune function, and manage cortisol levels.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1325257/”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3775223/”] But melatonin is probably best known for its soporific powers. Chief among its responsibilities is regulating the body’s circadian rhythm so it knows when to rest and when to wake up. That’s why melatonin is often referred to as the body’s sleep hormone.

How does melatonin work?

Melatonin is controlled by light and darkness. When we’re awake and the sun’s out, we don’t produce any melatonin. But at night, the onset of darkness signals to our pineal gland to release melatonin into the bloodstream. Your melatonin levels begin to increase about two hours before you go to bed, typically around 9 p.m., and peak about five hours later. As melatonin levels rise throughout our body — it’s found in a variety of our organs, including our eyes, bones, ovaries/testes and gut — our body knows it’s time to drift off to Slumber Town.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4334454/”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3676828/”]

Supplementing with melatonin

Humans aren’t the only organism that produces melatonin. It’s also found in meat (eggs and fish are particularly high in melatonin compared to other animal products)[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5409706/”] as well as leaves and seeds, in which it protects plants from oxidative and environmental stress. As a result, many plants are a good source of melatonin. But melatonin is also extracted from these leaves and seeds and conveniently packed into melatonin supplements, for all of your sleep-hacking needs.[ref url=”https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1742-4658.2006.05322.x”]

Melatonin pills

Melatonin supplements are used to treat a variety of sleep and circadian rhythm disorders, ranging from insomnia to jet lag. It also makes sleep more efficient and helps people fall asleep faster. Melatonin supplements work the same as the melatonin we naturally produce works. Ingested melatonin simply adds to our melatonin levels, so people who are melatonin-deficient will likely experience the biggest benefit from supplementing with melatonin. And according to research, there’s no need to worry that supplements will interfere with your body’s ability to produce melatonin on its own.

Melatonin dosage

To get the most out of melatonin supplements, take them one to two hours before you hit the sack.[ref url=”https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1742-4658.2006.05322.x”][ref url=”https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01616412.2017.1315864″][ref url=”https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0748730403256796″] You’ll see melatonin recommended in a range of doses, starting at around 0.5 milligrams up to 10 milligrams for people with sleep disorders, with the most common dosage being around 3 milligrams. But even this is probably way more than you need. You’re better off basing your melatonin intake on increments that mirror how much melatonin our bodies produce at night. According to clinical studies, the optimal dose is 0.3 milligrams, which is the amount of plant-sourced melatonin you’ll find in one dose of Bulletproof’s Sleep Mode supplements. Sleep Mode is also formulated with other synergistic snooze-boosters, including L-ornithine, a stress-relieving adaptogenic amino acid, and MCT oil, which gives your body the energy it needs while at rest. These ingredients work together to help you fall asleep faster, without the morning grogginess.

Melatonin side effects

Overall, the side effects of melatonin are pretty toothless. Unlike other sleep aids, like benzodiazepines and z-drugs (think: Ambien and Lunesta), melatonin does not cause dependence or withdrawal symptoms.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4334454/”] The most commonly reported melatonin side effect is daytime drowsiness. Other melatonin side effects include nausea, headache, and dizziness.[ref url=”https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/074873049701200627″] If course, if you’re taking other medications, you should check with your physician before popping a melatonin. It has been known to interact with some antidepressants, blood pressure medications, sedatives, antibiotics, and antihistamines.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2014953/”][ref url=”https://www.poison.org/articles/2015-sep/melatonin”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5263083/”]

And lest you think melatonin supplements are a family affair, it’s worth noting that though melatonin supplements has overwhelmingly been deemed safe for adults, it has not yet been approved for kids or teens.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3380753/”]

Melatonin overdose

Even though the overwhelming verdict is that melatonin is safe, you can have too much of a good thing. Overdosing on melatonin has not been shown to be fatal, but it can produce the aforementioned side effects, like dizziness and grogginess. In one known case, after taking 24 milligrams of melatonin (that’s eight times more than the standard dose and 80 times more than Bulletproof’s recommended dosage), a man became lethargic and disoriented, but returned to normal and did not continue to have issues once he lowered his dosage.

In addition, large doses could potentially cause amenorrhea (skipped periods) in women, due to it suppressing gonadotropin-releasing hormones, but if you can easily remedy this side effect by simply stopping your melatonin supplements.[ref url=”https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1742-4658.2006.05322.x”]

Feeling Stressed Out? The Definitive Guide to Stress Management

January 16, 2019 by Team Asprey

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Stress is an epidemic, and it wrecks your body in more ways than one. Fortunately, you don’t have to let stress hold you back.
These Bulletproof-approved stress management tips are designed to help you cool down in the middle of a hectic day and build your resilience over time.
Meditate. Go outside. Work out. Get better sleep. These techniques work because they give your brain and body time to recharge.
Certain types of stress can make you stronger. Physical and mental challenges can rewire your brain so you’re better prepared to handle whatever life throws your way.

[/tldr]

Raise your hand if this scene is familiar: You’re frazzled after work, so you binge on comfort foods that taste so good but make you feel like a bloat-monster. When you try to go to bed, you lie awake for hours. You start the next day feeling hungover and sluggish, which makes it that much harder to face obstacles at work and home and life, so you feel even more wiped out. Repeat ad infinitum. Ugh.

Stress is an epidemic, and it wrecks your body in more ways than one. It makes your hair fall out, your pants fit tight, and your immune system (and your hormones, gut, mood, and poor, overloaded brain) go haywire.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22169588″][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2186751″][ref url=”https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470204504015979″][ref url=”http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1988-09946-001″] The good news is, you don’t have to let stress hold you back. Keep these Bulletproof-approved stress management techniques in your personal toolkit. They’ll help you take a step back from your biggest stressors, recharge in the middle of a high-strung day, and prepare for anything life throws at you.

A hectic schedule? No problem. A last-minute deadline? Bring it on. What are your go-to methods to navigate stressful waters? Share your tips in the comments.

Stress management tips for the chronically stressed out

Meditate

In Bulletproof founder Dave Asprey’s new book “Game Changers,” meditation was one of the most commonly cited recommendations top-level leaders and innovators made to perform better at life. “In huge numbers, they talked about meditating and using breathing techniques to find a state of peace and calm,” Asprey says.

It makes sense: On a biological level, meditation has been shown to significantly reduce levels of stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine.[ref url=”https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/da.21964″] Left unchecked, these hormones contribute to system-wide damage, including chronic disease, fatigue, sleep difficulties, and depression. Learn more about the benefits of meditation for stress relief.

It’s easy to start a meditation practice. Try one of these meditation apps to get your om on. Download the free 20-minute guided yoga nidra meditation on the Bulletproof Library of Resources. For extra biohacker points, meditate in a sensory deprivation tank. Whatever you do, aim to meditate for at least five to 10 minutes every day. Slowly increase your time once it starts to feel like a habit.

Hack your brain

Did you know you can rewire your brain so it’s easier to chill out? The vagus nerve is a two-way network of communication between your brain and your major organs. Your vagal pathways regulate things like anxiety, respiration, and heart rate.[ref url=”https://journal.chestnet.org/article/S0012-3692(15)31878-X/fulltext”] By hacking your brain, you can effectively reduce overall stress. Learn how to strengthen your vagus nerve. Here’s the short version:

Heart rate variability (HRV) training: When you’re calm, your heart rate naturally varies. But when your brain is preparing for a fight-or-flight response — aka, freaking out — your heart rate steadies. HRV training teaches you how to control your brain’s stress response. In “The Bulletproof Diet,” Asprey uses an electroencephalogram (EEG) brain-wave monitoring machine to track his HRV. You can also use a device like the OURA ring, which gives you detailed information on your HRV, body temperature, breathing rates, and more.
Cold thermogenesis: Cold exposure tones the vagus response and measurably reduces stress markers.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18785356″] Don’t want to blast yourself with a cold shower? Try this ice face hack.
Diet: Did you know there’s a connection between your mood and what you eat? Stress can cause an imbalance in your gut bacteria, leading to serious GI disorders like IBS and food allergies — which stress your body even further. The critters in your gut also play a key role in your happiness level. Check out these signs your gut is unhealthy and how to fix it.
Improve myelin production: The vagus nerve is coated in myelin, a protective covering of fat. The condition of your myelin impacts your mood, attention, and cognitive ability — so, it’s pretty important to take care it. Find out how.

Use supplements to relax

Adaptogenic herbs help you adapt in the face of stress, and they’re powerful supplements to add to your stress management toolkit. They work in a few different ways: Ashwagandha reduces stress by helping the hypothalamic, pituitary, and adrenal glands communicate effectively and by regulating testosterone overproduction,[ref url=”http://www.healingpoints.com/Adrenal.PDF”] while kava contains psychoactive kavalactones that put you in a state of relaxed focus. Discover the best adaptogens to feel less stressed and laser-focused.

Then there are nootropics, or smart drugs. Nootropics enhance brain function and some can provide natural anxiety relief without medication. Your results may vary based on your individual biology and what’s stressing you out. For example, your brain uses an amino acid called L-tyrosine to increase the neurotransmitters dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Supplementing with L-tyrosine can improve your brain’s resilience to physical and mental stress. Learn more about the best mood-boosting supplements for depression, anxiety, and stress.

Give your mind a break

When you need a quick hack to wind down in the middle of a hectic day, keep these methods in your back pocket:

Watch this fractal video to lower your stress in seconds
Use one (or all) of these deep breathing exercises to lower your heart rate and blood pressure pressure.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3705176/”]
Try this tapping exercise (Emotional Freedom Technique) on seven specific acupressure points to relieve anxiety and stress
Take a walk outside (barefoot) to benefit from earthing, the practice of putting yourself in direct contact with the earth’s negative charge. The practice has been shown to reduce stress and improve sleep.[ref url=”http://www.next-up.org/pdf/ACM_Journal_The_Biologic_Effects_of_Grounding_the_Human_Body_During_Sleep_as_Measured_by_Cortisol_evels_and_Subjective_Reporting_of_Sleep_Pain_and_Stress_2004.pdf”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15650465/”] Learn more about earthing here. Even if you can’t be barefoot, spending time in nature (aka forest bathing) lowers stress hormone levels, blood pressure, pulse rate, and heart rate variability.[ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19568835″]
Stop making so many decisions. Decision fatigue is a real problem that saps your willpower and makes it harder to focus. Automate your life, switch to a capsule wardrobe, delegate what you can, and check out the Bulletproof 30-Day Decision Fatigue Challenge for more hacks.

Change your diet

Bad news: Sugar may taste good, but it’s stressing you out — specifically, your gut. Sugar, gluten, dairy, and food additives (like MSG) behave like drugs in your body. When you’re emotional, you’re primed to turn to them for comfort — also known as emotional eating. Switch to a high-fat, low-carb diet to stay full longer, maintain steady blood sugar, and feed your brain with healthy fats. Learn more about what to eat to keep your brain young and strong, even in the face of major stressors.

Go to sleep

Once more for the people in the back: GO TO SLEEP. Quality sleep regulates your hormones, gives your body time to repair itself, and improves brain function. A lack of restorative shut-eye raises your blood pressure and stress hormone levels, which increases your risk of chronic disease over time.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19506175″][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9415946″] You don’t have to necessarily get more sleep — just better quality. Find out how to hack your sleep here.

Want to follow an easy, laid-out series of steps to help you sleep better? Check out the Bulletproof 30-Day Sleep Challenge.

Exercise

Your body was built to move, and exercise helps you feel better when life is wearing you down. It literally improves your brain function so you’re more resilient to stress.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4061837/”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10775018″] It eases muscular tension to help you feel more relaxed.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27410979″] And it helps you sleep better, which is an overall good move for mental health. Try these five mood-boosting workouts you can do anywhere.

Why it’s okay to feel stressed out sometimes

Here’s an unconventional stress management technique: Embrace it. Certain kinds of stress — specifically, the “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” type — actually makes you stronger, according to Andrew Herr, a Department of Defense biotechnologist, in this Bulletproof Radio (iTunes) podcast episode. Herr says the military uses psychology and physical challenges to make their soldiers more resilient to stress.

Why? As difficult as it may be, pushing your limits rewires your brain to handle stress like a boss. You don’t have to be a soldier to benefit from hormesis. Take a cold shower, get out of your comfort zone, try intermittent fasting, or do a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout. These challenges boost your resilience by boosting your body’s repair functions and building new connections between brain cells. Plus, it’s fun to get uncomfortable every once in a while. Learn more about the benefits of hormesis.

How to Deal With Black Mold and Recover From Mold Poisoning

January 11, 2019 by Team Asprey

[tldr]

Black mold is extraordinarily toxic, and more common than you might think. An estimated 22 percent of people and half of all buildings in the U.S. have a mold problem.
The good news is that the word about mold is spreading, and it’s becoming easier and easier to deal with black mold and mycotoxins (the toxins mold produces).
This guide will tell you how to test for black mold, permanently remove it from your home, and flush mycotoxins from your body and repair the damage they do.
Mold can make you feel hopeless and like your health is out of your hands. Don’t worry; with these steps, you can take control of your body and brain and get rid of mold for good.

[/tldr]

Black mold is nasty stuff. It causes chronic fatigue, mood swings, allergies, asthma, unexplained weight gain — even cancer.

Mold contamination is also more common than you might think. In a recent Bulletproof Radio podcast episode [iTunes], geneticist and mold researcher Dr. Andrew Heyman explains why.

“We estimate that 22 percent of the population is vulnerable to [black mold exposure],” says Heyman. “Forty million people and at least half of all buildings in the U.S. have a mold problem.”

Heyman goes on to say that people frequently overlook black mold, partly because it often shows up in hard-to-reach places, like ventilation systems in commercial buildings or apartment complexes.

The good news is that, thanks to researchers like Heyman, people are more aware of mold than ever before. It’s easier to detect than it was in the past, and once you know you have it, there’s plenty you can do to address the issue. Let’s take a look at the three steps you can take to get black mold out of your life and help your body get back to full strength after mold exposure.

1. Test for black mold and mycotoxins

Mold can grow in your home for a variety of reasons. If you notice any of these things, you may want to test for mold:

Musty smell
Water damage, soft/wet walls, bubbling paint
Leaking pipes
Discolored wood or walls
Unexplained fatigue
Trouble concentrating
Sudden mood swings

And a few common places to check for mold are:

Bathtub or shower caulking
Window sills (they sometimes collect condensation in the winter, which causes mold to grow in the wood)
Under the bathroom/kitchen sink
Toilet tanks

The different black mold tests

The first thing to do is verify that you have black mold. Symptoms of mold exposure are almost identical to other fatigue issues, like Lyme disease and chronic fatigue syndrome. And because mold can grow behind walls as a result of burst pipes or water damage, it’s often hard to pinpoint where mold is in your home.

If you can see black mold — in the caulking around your bathtub or below your kitchen sink, for example — and you have no reason to suspect it’s elsewhere in your house, you may be okay skipping a formal test. Otherwise, you have a few different options when it comes to testing for mold in your home:

Mold culture test. This test includes a petri dish with a swab. You expose the petri dish to either the air or, through the swab, a specific area in your home, and then you cover it and let it sit for 48 hours. If you get lots of growth in the petri dish (particularly black growth), you have a mold problem. If you get little to no growth, you’re okay. Mold culture tests are fast and cheap (under $10, plus a little extra if you want to send the culture to a lab for analysis). A mold culture test is a good option if you suspect mold in your workplace or school. The downside is that the test won’t tell you where mold is — only if mold is present. Here’s a good mold culture test.
ERMI test. Environmental relative moldiness index (ERMI) testing will tell you with much more specificity what mold is in your home and how big of a problem it is. ERMI tests will run you $200-$300.

In addition to testing for environmental mold, you may want to test your own body for mycotoxins — the damaging compounds that mold spores create. Mycotoxin contamination is what causes serious health and performance problems. It’s good to know if you have mycotoxins in your system.

GENIE test. The Genomic Expression by Nanostring: Inflammation Explained (GENIE) is the best way to tell whether you have mycotoxicity or something else (it also tests you for Lyme). The GENIE test looks at 215 genes that turn on in a particular pattern in response to mold. GENIE is the most accurate mold test on the market.

2. Clean black mold and get rid of it for good

Once you know how bad your mold problem is (both in your environment and in your body), it’s time to get rid of the problem.

Clean mold yourself. If your mold problem is small and visible, like caulking around your bathtub, you can get rid of it yourself. You just want to make sure you use the right cleaning solution. Bleach won’t kill mold entirely, and as the chlorine in bleach dissipates, the bleach turns into water, which creates the perfect environment for new mold to grow. Cleaning vinegar (stronger than kitchen vinegar) will kill mold, as will industrial chemicals like Moldex. Always wear a P100 respirator so you don’t inhale mold spores while you clean. Goggles are a good idea too, and a full body suit for larger mold infestations.
Get rid of mold-contaminated items. Clothing, carpet, drapes, caulking, and paper goods like books and files will all absorb mold spores and can cause new mold growth. If they’ve been in an area with black mold, get rid of them, or in the case of cloth goods, get them professionally dry-cleaned. Throwing out belongings is a bummer, but it’s better to be safe than to have to deal with a new mold problem all over again.
Professional mold remediation. If you have water damage or major mold contamination in hard-to-reach places, hiring a professional is your best bet. Mold remediation can be expensive, but professionals have the tools to find and eliminate all the mold in your entire home.

Put the time, effort, and money into handling your mold problem fully. It’s better than having the mold return in a few weeks, and you can rest easy knowing you’ve gotten rid of it entirely.

3. Help your body get rid of mycotoxins

Note: you have to get rid of mold in your environment (that includes the foods you eat, particularly coffee) before you can hope to successfully detox from mycotoxins. If you don’t, you’ll just keep accumulating new mycotoxins as you get rid of old ones. You may stall mold poisoning, but you won’t start to get rid of it — especially considering that it takes 35 days for your kidneys and bladder to flush out the more stubborn mycotoxins[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10849253″].

Once you’ve gotten rid of the source of mold, it’s time to get your body back into fighting shape. Mycotoxins mostly target your mitochondria[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3705282/”], which explains why mold poisoning affects brain and heart function more than anything else (they’re the two parts of your body that are most mitochondria-dense).

To recover from mold toxicity, you want to boost your mitochondria as much as possible, while also clearing out lingering mycotoxins. These mold recovery therapies will help:

Phosphatidylcholine: Your brain mitochondria incur a lot of inflammation and damage from mycotoxins. Phosphatidylcholine is an essential component of mitochondrial membranes; it helps your mitochondria build up their defenses and get back to functioning properly after serious damage[ref url=”https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijcb/2014/709828/”]. Dr. Heyman notes that you want to make sure you get oral phosphatidylcholine; some people go for an IV, and while an IV won’t hurt, it doesn’t contain related phospholipids that you get from a phosphatidylcholine supplement. Take 1-2 grams (1000-2000 mg) of phosphatidylcholine per day, with food. You can also eat a few pasture-raised egg yolks, which are packed with phosphatidylcholine. Make sure the yolks are runny so you don’t destroy this precious nutrient.
Glutathione: Known as your body’s master antioxidant, glutathione is particularly good at protecting your mitochondria from the damaging effects of oxidative stress. Glutathione will help your mitochondria ward off damage enough that they can begin to repair themselves[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2821140/”]. Bulletproof Glutathione Force is easy to absorb and also has phosphatidylcholine.
Synapsin: Synapsin is a prescription nasal spray made of Rg3, a component of ginseng that supports glial cells, special cells in your brain that clean up toxins and protect your neurons from damage[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6997753″]. Synapsin also contains nicotinamide riboside, which further protects your brain from toxins and stress[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28842432″]. You’ll need a doctor to prescribe you Synapsin; here’s a list of doctors who specialize in treating mold poisoning.
Cholestyramine and activated charcoal. These toxin binders are the central part of the military’s protocol for mold poisoning. They adsorb mycotoxins and remove them from your body[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3654247/”]. Cholestyramine is particularly effective, but you’ll need a prescription for it. You can get activated charcoal here. Make sure to take these toxin binders at least 60 minutes away from other supplements. They’ll bind to good stuff as well as bad.
Ozone therapy. This is less well-studied for mold recovery, but can make a big difference in recovering mitochondrial function and clearing out mold. It’s important to do ozone therapy with a doctor’s supervision; it can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Here’s a more detailed guide to ozone therapy, and exactly how it helps with mold.

Mold exposure can be incredibly frustrating. It can make you feel like you have no control over your environment, your health, your weight, your emotions — your life in general. If you’re dealing with mold, don’t despair. These tools can help you get rid of mold and mycotoxins and return to your healthy, high-performing self.

30 Ways to Avoid Decision Fatigue (So You’ll Stop Eating Fistfuls of Twinkies)

January 10, 2019 by Team Asprey

[tldr]

Your brain is tired. Making decisions all day saps your energy and willpower. It’s called “decision fatigue,” and it’s exhausting.
When you have to decide what to eat, where to go, and how you’re going to spend your attention, you have less energy to focus on the things that truly bring you joy.
Save your brain power. The most effective way to avoid decision fatigue is to reduce your decision load to begin with.
With the Bulletproof 30-Day Decision Fatigue Challenge, you’ll be equipped to make better choices with iron-clad willpower.
Once you’ve checked everything off, what else can you do to streamline your life?

[/tldr]

Your brain is tired. You want to eat clean, exercise more often, and stop feeling like a raging stress monster at the end of the day. But from the moment you wake up to the moment you fall into bed, every decision you make saps your willpower.

It doesn’t have to be that way. You have the power to take control of your life. You just have to start saying “no.”

That’s where the Bulletproof 30-Day Decision Fatigue Challenge comes in. With this checklist, you’ll be equipped to make better choices in the new year. Save your brain power so you can be a better, more productive person with stronger willpower. Keep reading to find out how.

How decision fatigue makes you weak

The term “decision fatigue” refers to the burnout your brain feels after making choices all day. It sounds like a first-world problem, but decision fatigue is a studied issue. People who avoid chocolate chip cookies all day are less able to resist other temptations.[ref url=”https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/magazine/do-you-suffer-from-decision-fatigue.html “] Physicians become increasingly more likely to prescribe antibiotics as their workday progresses.[ref url=”https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1910546″] And if you ever end up in court, try to have your trial scheduled early in the day: You’re more likely to get a favorable decision from the judge.[ref url=”https://www.pnas.org/content/108/17/6889″]

What gives? When you have to decide what to eat, where to go, and how you’re going to spend your attention, you have less energy to focus on the things that truly bring you joy. In “Game Changers: What Leaders, Innovators, and Mavericks Do to Win at Life,” Bulletproof founder Dave Asprey says that every time you avoid making a choice, you save a little bit of willpower that you can then put toward something that will have a greater impact.

Think about it: After a stressful day at work, you reach for the closest pint of ice cream, even though you swore off sugar. You snap at your kids because they’re demanding your attention and you have zero cares left to give. You collapse on the couch instead of going to the gym because your brain and body are tapped.

The most effective way to avoid decision fatigue is to reduce your decision load to begin with. Decluttering your wardrobe and planning your meals might seem small, but these choices add up. Instead of losing precious minutes picking an outfit, figuring out what to eat for breakfast, or searching for your car keys, you’ll have more energy to focus on yourself and your goals.

It’s an ounce of pre-planning with major payoff: a happier, more productive, more awesome you.

30 ways to streamline your life and make better decisions

Below, you’ll find 30 easy ways to reduce decision fatigue. Every day, try something new on this list. You can go in order, or jump around. Check off these items as you try them.

Here’s how you can tell if you’re effectively reducing decision fatigue: You feel less stressed, more focused, and like you’re actually working toward your goals. You’re saying “no” to things that don’t bring you joy and “yes” to the things that do. You know exactly what you need to do to set yourself up for success the next day.

Think of this checklist as your starting point. Once you’ve checked everything off, what else can you do to streamline your life?

The Bulletproof 30-Day Decision Fatigue Challenge

1. Set your goals

The first step in this challenge is arguably the most important: Identify what you want to accomplish. Maybe you’ve always wanted to save up for a big trip, learn a new language, master the art of meal prepping, or meditate a little bit every day. To keep things simple, pick three. Learn how to set fail-proof goals and resolutions.

2. Create realistic deadlines

OK, you probably won’t be able to learn a new language in 30 days. Instead, focus on intention — “I’m going to study Spanish every day for the next 30 days.” That mindset is much more sustainable, realistic, and forgiving. It’s also tied to a clear action you can stick to every day.

3. Schedule everything

Look at your goals and deadlines, and make them fit into your life. Schedule the immovable things first, like your work hours and the time it takes to drop your kids off at school. Then, pencil in the things you want to accomplish.

Here’s an example: If you want to exercise more often, schedule your workouts into your week (these quick workouts are a great place to start). Be realistic. If you aren’t a morning person, don’t say you’re going to work out at 4 a.m. every day. Instead, schedule a 15-minute HIIT routine after work two or three times a week. Treat it like an appointment.

3. Say “no”

This is your permission to say “no” to the activities and obligations that eat up your time and energy. If you really don’t want to grab lunch with a friend-of-a-friend, say no. If your coworker wants you to bring something for the office potluck and you don’t have the time, turn them down. And if you’re tired of replying to messages all day, say “no” to notifications — work in “Do Not Disturb” mode for up to an hour, and then check your alerts. Odds are, you’ll get a lot more done.

4. Become a meal planning ninja

Meal planning is a great way to minimize waste, save money, and reduce decision fatigue in one fell swoop. Plan your meals based on what you like to eat, what you like to cook, and what you have available. Prep your meals a few days in advance, or pick out go-to recipes to cook during the week. When you go grocery shopping, you’ll know exactly what you need to buy because you’ve picked out your recipes ahead of time. Make a little extra so you have an easy lunch the next day. Boom. Click here for a downloadable meal plan and easy recipes.

5. Master a few delicious meals

It’s the end of the day, and you want to cook dinner. What’s your go-to meal? Pick five or six recipes you love, and keep them in your rotation. Instead of wondering what to cook for dinner (and then eating out instead), you’ll have a selection of favorite recipes you can feel good about eating. They don’t have to be fancy. Even something as simple as chicken and rice can be elevated to new levels when you’ve mastered it — transform it into an Indian-inspired dish with some turmeric and curry, or add a bed of salad greens and cilantro for a quick burrito bowl. Magic. These weeknight dinners take 30 minutes or less.

6. Keep a running grocery list

Keep a notepad by your refrigerator. Any time you start to run low on everyday essentials — like eggs, grass-fed butter, or coconut oil — write it down. When it’s time to hit the grocery store, you won’t forget something you absolutely need. Instead, you’ll have a stocked kitchen, which means you’ll have an easier time preparing your meals.

7. Drink Bulletproof Coffee

Your breakfast should fuel you up for hours so you can focus on your day, not your hunger. Instead of loading up on sugary carbs or running out of time to prepare breakfast in the morning, drink a cup of Bulletproof Coffee. It’s tasty, buttery, and frothy like a latte. It’s also way easier to prepare than a traditional breakfast, but it’ll keep you satisfied for hours because fat is an amazing energy source.

8. Eat more fat

Want to stop thinking about food and dealing with hanger pains? Eat more fat with every meal. High-quality fat is good for you — it keeps you full, boosts your mood, regulates your hormones, and helps you lose weight.[ref url=”https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166432816302571″][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4763493/”] And unlike carbohydrates, fat won’t spike your blood sugar and make you crash. When you’re fueled by fat, you’ll enjoy stable energy all day long. That way, you can focus on being awesome all day, not wondering what you’re going to have for lunch. Learn more about

9. Eliminate obstacles

Want to read every night? Leave a book and reading lamp on your nightstand. Want to stop eating out as often? Set aside one or two days per week to prep your lunch and dinner. Identify the obstacles that hold you back. Find a solution that works for you. Then, smash that obstacle to pieces.

10. Identify your sleep chronotype

According to sleep expert Michael Breus, PhD, your sleep chronotype determines when you are the most energetic — and therefore the most productive. Some people are naturally night owls, while others are naturally morning people. Use that information to inform your schedule. If you’re a Bear, push your intense meetings to mid-morning. If you’re a Wolf, you’re most productive in the evening. Learn more about your sleep chronotype here. Listen to Breus in conversation with Asprey on this episode of the Bulletproof Radio podcast.

11. Go to sleep

Want to have enough energy to power through your decisions throughout the day? Go to sleep at the same time, no matter what. It establishes a healthy bedtime routine, which helps train your brain into recognizing that it’s time for shut-eye. Don’t fall into the temptation of another Netflix binge: Irregular sleep patterns are so detrimental that they directly impact your mental health, happiness, and overall performance.[ref url=”https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170605085336.htm”][ref url=”https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170612094045.htm”] Do you have trouble winding down at the end of the day? Download the Bulletproof Sleep Roadmap here to identify why you’re not sleeping — and get personalized solutions that really work.

12. Pick a workout plan

Take the guesswork out of exercise by following a workout plan. The Bulletproof Body Workout Plan is a great resource — you exercise just three days per week, and every workout is designed to push your entire body in less than 20 minutes.

13. Downsize your closet

There’s a reason why CEOs wear the same thing every day. Having a uniform frees up your brain to focus on more important tasks at hand. Donate or give away old clothes you haven’t worn in a year. Put away seasonal items so they don’t clutter up your closet. For hardcore mode, try a capsule wardrobe. Pick a handful of tops, bottoms, jackets, and shoes that complement each other. Get rid of all your other clothes (or just put them out of sight for now). Your goal is to have less than 30 items in your closet that work well together.

14. Automate what you can

Most utilities offer automatic payments so the bill is automatically deducted from your account. Try a subscription to minimize the amount of time you spend at the store — ButcherBox will deliver meat directly to your door, and other services will deliver basic essentials like razors and toothbrushes on a customizable schedule.

15. Put things in their place

The junk drawer is the scourge of every home. Designate a space for items like your keys, your phone, your wallet. Leave them in the same place every day. That’s less energy wasted looking for lost items, and more attention you can place elsewhere.

16. Delegate your decisions

Stop shouldering everything — it’s killing your willpower. Instead, at work and at home, find opportunities to delegate decisions so you can make fewer choices throughout the day. If you’re stressed because of a big project, reach out to your supervisor to see about delegating other tasks. If you’re drowning in laundry every time you go home, ask your partner (or recruit your kid!) to wash a load.

17. Identify barriers

Once you’ve spent some time actively streamlining your life, take a step back and look at the places you keep hitting a wall. Are you having a hard time waking up early enough to make it to the gym? Try a quick home workout instead, or try working out later in the day. Can’t stick to your new diet? Change your approach and find out how to stop sugar cravings for good. Your goals and decisions aren’t set in stone; they can and should evolve over time. Identify what’s holding you back and find solutions to create change.

18. Practice self-care

Having trouble clearing up brain space? Spend some time taking care of yourself to feel recharged and refocused. Take a meditative walk, hop in a bath, or try this guided meditation to get back in touch with yourself and restore focus.

19. Pack your bags

This is a simple way to set yourself up for success the following day. At night, prep your bags for the gym, work, lunch — whatever you’re planning for the day ahead. In the morning, you can focus on enjoying your routine, drinking a cup of coffee, and starting your day the way you want — not rushed and stressed.

20. Do the most important thing first

Whether it’s an important project for work or a personal task you’ve been putting off for ages, take care of it as soon as you start your day. You’ll have all the mental clarity and energy you need to power through. Double up your focus by turning off notifications on your phone and laptop, even if it’s just for 20 minutes. Try these five fast hacks to improve focus and concentration.

21. Donate, recycle, or give something away

When you have fewer possessions, you can appreciate the things that truly bring you joy. Pick one item to get rid of. Once you get rid of one thing, see how it feels when you get rid of something more — odds are, you’ll enjoy the way it feels to live with less clutter in your cabinets (and in your life).

22. Master the mid-day recharge

Embrace the power nap. If you usually hit a wall halfway through the day, you’re going to have a harder time making decisions later on. Take a coffee nap, exercise, or meditate to replenish your energy in no time. Learn how here.

23. Delete apps you never use

Decision fatigue extends to your phone, too. Delete apps you haven’t opened in ages. This is especially true if they send you annoying notifications because you haven’t used them. Try to reduce your phone to one screen of essential apps you use all the time.

24. Simplify your desktop

Tired of searching for files? Clean up your desktop. Create nested folders for the files you use all the time, and delete everything else or store it in a cloud system like Dropbox or Google Drive.

25. Go on a digital detox

Overusing technology is stressing you out. Deciding to scroll through social media is stealing your attention away from more important things, like spending quality time with loved ones. Pick a day to abstain from social media and screens after dark. If you want to go big, ditch all technology for a full day. (It’s just as challenging as you think.) Learn more about the benefits of disconnecting.

26. Create a morning routine you enjoy

Whether you start your day with a workout or a big mug of coffee (or both), find a routine that works for you and stick to it. Routines are important because they create habits over time. Fill your morning with habits you want to make a part of your lifestyle, like 5 minutes of meditation.

27. Keep your bedtime routine sacred

Two hours before bedtime, stop eating and don’t exercise two hours. Limit your screen time after dark. Go to bed around the same time every night. Life may get in the way sometimes, but stick to your bedtime routine as much as possible — it’ll help you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can tackle the next day with properly renewed energy and focus.

28. Be picky with your social time

You don’t have to say “yes” to every happy hour, family reunion, or dinner date. Say “yes” only when you genuinely want to spend quality time with someone else. It’s okay to be picky — your time is valuable, and the way you spend it determines how much energy you have to make decisions with the rest of your day. For the ultimate social hack to avoid decision-making, set up a recurring date with your friends. Pick a day and time every week or month that generally works with your schedules, and stick with it — that way, you won’t have to deal with trying to cram a brunch date last-minute into your already busy schedule.

29. Adjust as needed

Life happens. If you weren’t able to stick to your schedule, don’t take it as a failure — just adjust accordingly. It’s already Saturday, and you weren’t able to work out twice this week — so do a quick workout at home today.

30. Practice gratitude

Gratitude literally rewires your brain by strengthening neural pathways to make you happier and more productive.[ref url=”https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1052562911430062″] Write down your gratitudes daily to reinforce what truly brings you joy. Learn more about how to practice gratitude here.

Can Dirt Double as an Antidepressant? The Mood-Lifting Benefits of Soil Microbes

January 8, 2019 by Team Asprey

[tldr]

Modern living is clean — maybe a little too clean. Getting out in the dirt now and then increases biodiversity in your gut bacteria and can give you some unexpected (and powerful) benefits.
The soil microbe Mycobacterium vaccae is one of the most common bacteria in dirt. It also influences your brain — people and mice exposed to M. vaccae show elevated mood and increased serotonin, the same neurotransmitter antidepressants target.
Simply walking out in nature eases stress and improves your brain function and immune system, even without getting dirty.
Read below for a few ways to get more nature in your life and feel happier.

[/tldr]

If you deal with depression, chances are your therapist has asked you a lot of questions about your habits, but probably not this one: When was the last time you rolled around in the dirt?

If you’re an adult, it’s probably been a while. Modern life is very clean; we separate ourselves from the natural world with a wall of soap and water, and sometimes it’s to our detriment, like when it comes to mood.

There are certainly positives to modern culture’s obsession with being sanitary. Infectious diseases, for example, are lower than ever in human history. However, humans evolved to be running through forests, sleeping on the ground — generally communing with nature far more than the average person does today.

It turns out there’s major physical and emotional health benefits to playing in the dirt now and then. You have millions of bacteria living in your gut, and while a few of them are bad and you want to keep them under control, the majority of your gut bacteria work with your body to run things smoothly. Gut bacteria influence your digestion and immune function. They even control your brain.

Sanitary modern living decreases the variety of bacteria in your gut biome. Getting out in nature increases your gut biodiversity, and exposing yourself to soil microbes in particular can give you some powerful (and unexpected) benefits. Here’s why you want to commune with dirt on a regular basis.

P.S. Your body responds to nature in all kinds of different ways that extend beyond soil exposure. Pick up a copy of Dave’s latest book, Game Changers, for a more in-depth look at using the great outdoors to upgrade your performance.

Mycobacterium vaccae: the soil microbe that lifts your mood

Back in 2004, Dr. Mary O’Brien, an oncologist at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, injected lung cancer patients with a soil bacterium called Mycobacterium vaccae to see if it helped them live longer. It did not. However, patients did start getting happier. They reported a significant increase in overall quality of life, including more vitality and better brain function.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15151947″]

The scientific community was fascinated. Two years later and just up the road, neuroscientists at the University of Bristol injected the same bacterium into mice. They discovered that M. vaccae activated brain pathways that increase serotonin, in a pattern similar to the one you get from taking antidepressants. [ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1868963/”]

Walking in the woods boosts your mood, too

In the 1980s, more and more Japanese citizens began moving from quiet rural villages to cities. Doctors noticed an increase in respiratory and immune problems, depression, and anxiety, and began prescribing shinrin-yoku, which translates to “taking in the forest.” They would have patients go for regular walks in the woods to improve their health.

Since then, research has shown that those doctors knew what they were doing. A simple walk in the woods does all kinds of good for you:

Improves mood: Walking on its own improves mood and decreases stress.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16891758″]
Lowers blood pressure and heart rate: Walking in the woods gives you a further ~15% drop in cortisol compared to walking in a city, and also decreases blood pressure and heart rate.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2793346/”]
Alleviates sadness: For depressed people, time in nature enhances problem-solving and focus and improves mood at levels comparable to an antidepressant.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3393816/”]
Decreases stress: Forest exposure lifted mood and decreased stress in overworked but healthy young adults.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17055544″]
Boosts immune system: A forest walk improves immunity by boosting your natural killer cells, which fight off pathogens to keep you healthy.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2793341/”]
Speeds recovery: Going out in nature speeds up recovery from illness/surgery and eases respiratory issues like asthma.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4053896/”]
Less cancer: People living in forested areas have a 10-15% lower risk of dying from cancer.[ref url=”https://benthamopen.com/contents/pdf/TOPHJ/TOPHJ-1-1.pdf”]

All these studies involved people simply walking in nature. Adding dirt exposure to get in touch with soil microbes like M. vaccae can give you even more emotional health benefits.

3 ways to get more nature (and more dirt) in your life

You can get the mood-lifting benefits of nature no matter where you live. Here are three simple ways to get dirty and add a little natural beauty to your life.

Get some indoor plants

Just looking at pictures of plants eases stress, and real plants are even better.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3699874/”] It seems like there’s some hardwiring deep in your brain that rewards you for being surrounded by greenery. Get a couple plants for your room. Sansevieria trifasciata, also called a snake plant, can thrive at pretty much any light level, with minimal watering. If you get lots of direct sunlight in your room, a fiddle leaf fig is a beautiful option. Fiddle leaf figs are a little more delicate than snake plants, but their large, elegant leaves make them worth the effort. Water your plants, touch their soil, and look at them when you want to relax. And if you don’t want to care for something living, get a picture of trees and hang it on your wall. Even images of plants decrease cortisol and boost mood.

Go for a barefoot walk in nature

Stroll around on the dirt and grass with your shoes off. You’ll increase your gut biodiversity from the soil microbes on your skin, and you’ll enjoy all the mood-lifting benefits of being in nature. Bonus points if you climb a tree or roll around in mud for extra happiness-promoting M. vaccae exposure. (No wonder pigs are so happy.)

Grow a garden (even a window garden)

Tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh herbs like basil and parsley — they’re all easy to grow as long as you have moderate sunlight. You can grow them in pots on your deck, and herbs are even good for a window garden. Gardening gives you the chance to work with soil on a regular basis. M. vaccae is one of the most common bacteria in soil; any natural soil that’s been enriched with organic matter will have it.

Go out in nature and get some mud on you now and then. Get some direct sunlight while you’re at it. Your body responds to the great outdoors in all kinds of powerful, life-enhancing ways. Make it a part of your daily or weekly routine. You’ll feel the difference.

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Team Asprey

You can beat depression

Move your body every day

Wake up at the same time every morning

Practice spirituality or mindfulness of some kind

Set goals (no matter how small) and work hard toward them

What is melatonin?

How does melatonin work?

Supplementing with melatonin

Melatonin pills

Melatonin dosage

Melatonin side effects

Melatonin overdose

Stress management tips for the chronically stressed out

Meditate

Hack your brain

Use supplements to relax

Give your mind a break

Change your diet

Go to sleep

Exercise

Why it’s okay to feel stressed out sometimes

1. Test for black mold and mycotoxins

The different black mold tests

2. Clean black mold and get rid of it for good

3. Help your body get rid of mycotoxins

How decision fatigue makes you weak

30 ways to streamline your life and make better decisions

The Bulletproof 30-Day Decision Fatigue Challenge

1. Set your goals

2. Create realistic deadlines

3. Schedule everything

3. Say “no”

4. Become a meal planning ninja

5. Master a few delicious meals

6. Keep a running grocery list

7. Drink Bulletproof Coffee

8. Eat more fat

9. Eliminate obstacles

10. Identify your sleep chronotype

11. Go to sleep

12. Pick a workout plan

13. Downsize your closet

14. Automate what you can

15. Put things in their place

16. Delegate your decisions

17. Identify barriers

18. Practice self-care

19. Pack your bags

20. Do the most important thing first

21. Donate, recycle, or give something away

22. Master the mid-day recharge

23. Delete apps you never use

24. Simplify your desktop

25. Go on a digital detox

26. Create a morning routine you enjoy

27. Keep your bedtime routine sacred

28. Be picky with your social time

29. Adjust as needed

30. Practice gratitude

Mycobacterium vaccae: the soil microbe that lifts your mood

Walking in the woods boosts your mood, too

3 ways to get more nature (and more dirt) in your life

Get some indoor plants

Go for a barefoot walk in nature

Grow a garden (even a window garden)

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