ACESO MENTAL HEALTH

Notes from The Huberman Lab Podcast, Andrew Huberman

Below are snippets and key points from Dr. Huberman’s Podcasts. This is not a substitute for listening to the episodes but an addendum. Please consult a Dr. before implementing any changes learned from these notes and podcasts

 

How Your Brain Works & Changes January 4, 2021

Key Theme: Organize productivity into 90 minute cycles, the first five to ten minutes will be hard. Follow that cycle with twenty minutes of rest.

• Agitation and strain are the entry points to neuroplasticity, the ability to form new neural connections, which becomes harder as we age.

• We are optimized for attention in 90 minute cycles. Twenty minutes of DEEP REST (turning off DPO to easy and relaxed state) after a period of intense focus and struggle, accelerates neuroplasticity.

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Notes: The nervous system includes the brain, spinal cord, and all the connections between your spinal cord and organs and the organ connections back to your spinal cord and brain. We have a continuous loop of communication between the brain, spinal cord, and body; everything we think, feel and imagine from the day we’re born to the day we die. Mobius strip: no matter which angle you look at it from you can’t tell where it ends and where it begins. The nervous system governs all other biological systems AND is influenced by those systems. A stomach ache is a nervous system feature triggered by the stomach, etc. We’re made up of trillions of nerve cells, called neurons. Nerve cells are separated by little gaps called synapses. Synapses are where the chemicals from one neuron are spit out → the next nerve cell detects those chemicals → passes electricity down to the next nerve cell and so on. We are a flow of electricity between these nerve cells, depending on which cells are active (lifting or lowering arm, perceiving something that is green or red)... Hippocampus involved in memory, but memories not stored there, stored as patterns of electricity and neurons that when repeated, give the sense that you’re experiencing it again (dejavu → neurons that were active in one circumstance are becoming active in a similar circumstance again) → the Jennifer Anniston neuron, a neuron that represents Jennifer Anniston to you → the brain is a map of experience. What does it mean for the brain to work- five things, maybe six: 1) Sensation: (non-negotiable element of nervous system) → neurons in eye that perceive light, in skin that perceive touch, neurons in ears that perceive sounds. Entire experience of life filtered by these sensory receptors. 2) Perception: whichever sensation we happen to be paying attention to at any moment, the sensation of feeling your feet attached to the ground is always there, but until you put the spotlight of attention on that, you don’t necessarily feel it, the sensation is always there you just weren’t paying attention. We can multi-task, we place a spotlight of attention on one thing and secondary spotlight to another. When we rested we can direct attention in 2 ways (reflexive and deliberate). Reflexive action bottom-up (walking) while deliberate top-down (requires focus). 3) Feelings/emotions → product of nervous system → neuron activity → neurons also release chemicals which have profound influence on emotional states → neuromodulators → dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine, acetylcholine → they bias which neurons are likely to be active and inactive → dopamine for example secreted and makes us feel good when an outside goal reached (instagram like/dopamine release can be addictive and dangerous) whereas serotonin makes us feel good with what we have, etc. If Serotonin too high however can also yield complacency, etc. Certain chemicals tend to be active in motivated states, focused states, active states, etc. 4) Thoughts: can be reflexive or deliberate. Reach into the past and predict the future.  5) Actions → most important as actions are the only thing that follows us after we die. Writing, words, engineering. Fossil record is through action, which is why so much of our nervous system is devoted to turning things into action. Aspect of creating movement comes from simple pathways, reflexive and deliberate (just like thoughts). Central pattern generators, groups of neurons for walking normally reflexive, on balance beam top down processing that’s deliberate, engaging other groups of neurons… What does it mean for the nervous system to do something deliberately? Pay attention to analysis of duration, path, outcome (DPO). When decide to learn something, delay speaking, etc, you’re engaging these circuits (neurons). Recruit neuromodulators and cue that something is different. Why you feel different when you are suppressing speaking after someone provokes you? Etc. It feels like agitation and stress b/c neuromodulators are releasing chemicals. Something does change. Norepinephrine is released and makes us feel agitated… If want to understand neuroplasticity, it requires top-down processing, this feeling of agitation. This agitation and strain is the entry point to neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity (ability for connections in the brain and body to change) → adaptive plasticity → self-directed → brain incredibly plastic until 25 → it is easy for them to learn → gets harder as we age → how can we change it → how can we engage it → governed by how awake or asleep we are → we can decide we want to change our brain unlike other organs → the brain can decide to learn a language or be less emotionally reactive → work on steps to change that so that it CAN BECOME REFLEXIVE → a lot more strain required for adult to learn language than a child → BUT we can increase plasticity → plasticity controlled by neuromodulators → dark side and positive side → easy to get neuroplasticity through traumatic experiences, the reason is b/c epinephrine (alertness) and acetylcholine (spotlight/focus) marking neurons and synapses for strengthening neurons to become more active in the future. Thus, for positive adaptive plasticity to occur, it’s critical to understand that no neuroplasticity occurs DURING the event. All the neuroplasticity (strengthening of the synapses and addition of nerve cell connections), occurs during sleep and non-deep sleep rest. How much attention and focus one can continually bring to whatever they are trying to learn, so much so that agitation and strain are required? The actual re-wiring occurs during sleep and non-sleep deep rest. Twenty minutes of DEEP REST (turning off DPO to easy and relaxed state) after a period of intense focus and struggle, accelerates neuroplasticity. Recent study showed that if learning a hard skill, with a tone in the background, in deep sleep, if that bell is played, learning is much better. Rate of retention significantly higher. Two-phase process, alert and focused followed by deep rest. What governs transition from intense focus and attention to deep rest, a system called the autonomic nervous system. Sympathetic (alert) and parasympathetic (calm) nervous systems work like a see-saw. When tired no ability to focus, engage in DPO. We need to master transition b/w the two to improve plasticity. Can improve sleep quality and timing, and time DEEP rest periods after 90m learning periods. To optimize DPO vs. reflexive times. Ultradian rhythms (within day) circadian (24 hours). We go through 90m ultradian rhythms throughout the day, including during sleep. We are optimized for focus and attention in 90m cycle, 1st five or ten minutes is hard, then the ability to focus and learn is greater, and then shuts off at 90m. Our entire existence is occurring in these 90m cycles. Early phase is gonna hurt then gets better, then after the 90m try to get 20m DEEP rest. Some people good learners early in day and not late. Pay attention to when brain is most anxious, most focused, motivated etc. By understanding the timing of these perceptions, feelings, thoughts and actions it can help direct how to best learn and increase plasticity. These ultradian cycles are critical to understanding how to perform best and increase plasticity. 

 

Master Your Sleep, January 11, 2021

Sleep resets our ability to be focused, alert and emotionally stable in the wakeful period. We can’t talk about focus, motivation, mood and well-being without thinking about sleep. Sleep and wakefulness are tethered to one another. What we do in the waking state determines when we fall asleep, how quickly we fall asleep, whether we stay asleep and how we feel when we wake up the next day. Getting consistent, good sleep is critically important to our overall health and well-being, but most people aren’t aware how to get there.. Very few of us are consistently getting 7-9 hours of terrific sleep, waking up feeling rested, like you're ready to attack the day, being able to go through the day focused and alert without dips in energy or focus. If you're like most people, you have some challenges with sleep, at least every third or fifth night, and maybe more often. This is going to talk about tools that help you fall asleep, sleep better and emerge from sleep feeling more rested. Two forces govern when we get sleepy and how well we sleep: 1) Adenosine: a molecule in our nervous system and body that builds up the longer we are awake. If you just slept for a great 8-10 hours → adenosine will be low. If you stay awake for 15 or more hours, adenosine levels will be much higher. Adenosine creates sleep hunger. We can think of it in an analogous way to nutrition. Our overall health, cellular health, fitness, etc. isn’t governed by a certain food we eat or not eat, it’s governed by numerous factors- how often you eat, how much you eat, which items we eat and which items work best for you. In a similar way, our sleep and wakefulness are the product of the average of a number of different behaviors: how long you’ve been awake (adenosine creeping up the longer we’ve been awake). Caffeine wakes most people up, some more than others) → caffeine acts as an adenosine antagonist. When we ingest caffeine, it binds to the adenosine receptor, and adenosine can’t park there, and nothing happens downstream of that receptor, the receptor can’t engage the normal cellular function of making you feel sleepy. So the reason caffeine wakes us up is because it blocks the sleepiness receptor/signal. When caffeine wears off, adenosine will bind to that receptor, sometimes with even greater affinity, and we feel the crash and feel especially tired. Most of us have different caffeine tolerances, some can sleep after ingesting caffeine and some get jittery. Thus, people need to figure out how much caffeine (if at all) they can tolerate and when, we’re all different, in order to time it so that we can fall asleep. You need to figure out what’s right for you. Caffeine has some health benefits yet can be problematic for others. Can raise blood pressure, increases the neuromodulator dopamine (which also makes epinephrine), which tends to make us feel good, motivated and gives us energy. 2) Circadian Forces: Interestingly, if you pull an all-nighter, adenosine levels start to decrease as morning rolls around because the second force kicks in, the circadian (about a day/24 hours) force. A clock exists in the brain of every animal that controls when you want to be asleep and when you want to be awake. This is governed by light, particularly sunlight. HUBERMAN CAN”T EMPHASIZE ENOUGH how important and how actionable this is. Parts of 24 hours day: 1) waking- most people wake up around when the sun rises (within 3 hours- jet lag and shift work different podcast) when adenosine levels tend to be low and our system generates an internal signal/hormone (chemical released by 1 organ that affects others). Cortisol is released in our adrenal glands as well as a pulse of epinephrine in our adrenals and our brains. It may come from our alarm clock or naturally. It’s important that those pulses come early in the day and all at once. Many relate cortisol to stress, which is accurate, but there is a normal, healthy rising tide of cortisol early in the day which gets us going. This cortisol pulse and rising cortisol level sets a timer in our body and nervous system that dictates when a different hormone, melatonin, which makes you sleepy, is secreted. The rise in cortisol signals to the pineal gland that melatonin should be released in 12-14 hours. Pineal gland: about the size of a pea sits on the brain (and there is only one). The only organ which releases melatonin. Huberman believes that except in rare cases, melatonin supplements should be avoided for a couple reasons. 1) Melatonin suppresses the onset of puberty. In babies melatonin is released throughout the day. Don’t freak out if on it or given to kids, consult with Dr. As we start to secrete Melatonin only at night, it correlates with the onset of puberty. If you’ve already gone through puberty, a melatonin supplement could affect other hormonal systems in your body. Further, melatonin will help you fall asleep but not stay asleep. 2) OTC/commercially available melatonin (which is weird b/c it’s a hormone- can’t get testosterone, estrogen, etc.) has been shown to  range from 15% of what’s listed or up to 400x more. The rhythm of cortisol and melatonin is endogenous, it’s happening all the time without external input (even in complete darkness or light). BUT EXTERNAL THINGS CAN GOVERN WHEN THEY HAPPEN. One particular sensory even determines when to rise. If you were in complete darkness, it would happen later and later each day, whereas under normal circumstances, when you wake up and open your eyes, the retinal ganglion cells, which are brain neurons, an electrical signal is sent to the clock (suprachiasmatic nucleus) which has connections with every cell and organ in your body. Thus, it’s critically important to get light to this clock, to properly time the cortisol/melatonin process. If you don't get cortisol/melatonin rhythm right, there are tremendously broad and bad effects on cardiovascular health, dementia, metabolic, learning, depression, etc. There are so many negative effects with getting this wrong, there is no need to expand and create anxiety. Focus on what we CAN DO NOW. If in a dark room, there is not enough light to trigger this. The quality and amount of light that work best come from sunlight, particularly sunlight at a low solar angle. The contrast of yellows and blues is what matters most. Get sunlight as close to waking as possible! If you can watch the sunrise, great, but if you wake up a couple hours later, get that sunlight in your eyes. It’s 50x less effective to view sunlight through a window than outside with no sunglasses. Once the sun is overhead, we miss the opportunity to time the cortisol pulse. A late shift cortisol pulse is correlated with anxiety and depression. Bringing the cortisol pulse early in the day helps dramatically. How long should you be outside? This will vary depending on conditions, bright in the mountains with snow can be 60 seconds; in Scandinavia winter however it’s much more difficult. So get outside for longer. Even if incredibly cloudy, sunlight photons get through. Depending on conditions 1m-20m should suffice. Your phone and turning on lights is fine if you wake up before the sunrise, but get outside, even if for 2m only! 2m-10m is ideal if there are no sunglasses (100x-1000x longer for the same effect with sunglasses). And blue light is fine during the day. All this being said, never get exposure that is painful. Blink, and don’t stare at the sun, you can damage the retina. The sunlight gives a signal to the ganglion cells, via a subconscious mechanism, via particular wavelengths in the atmosphere, even through cloud cover.  Don’t wear blue blockers during the day, only at night. Light suppresses melatonin. Light meter is an app.where you can measure light. Even cloudy will be 10-20k lux whereas inside with blaring lights might be 1000 lux. If you can't get outside every day don’t worry about it, but do it when you can. Prescription glasses and contacts do not filter out sunlight, they focus it. If you have eye issues, macular degeneration, etc., obviously consult with your Dr. Getting sunlight early will help set the sleep/wake rhythms and allow you to fall asleep easily; not all the time but it is the foundation of proper sleep and circadian health, which governs metabolism, etc. Half of you who think you are night owls are simply not getting enough light early in the day. What else can set this rhythm, light is the primary factor. Other things that can help, timing of food intake and exercise (not too close to bedtime), and chemicals. But they are secondary factors. For example, adequate light is ~1000x more effective than waking up and getting exercise, etc. If you wake up early, get sun and exercise, this will help shift the time clock in as little as two or three days. What keeps it anchored? Sunset, the low solar angle, signals the clock that it’s the end of the day. Will take 100x-1000x longer exposure if wearing sunglasses off than on. So keep them off if not painful. Every cell and organ in your body needs light information, and the only way to do it the way your body wants is to get outside and view it with your eyes (it’s dark inside your body), even for two minutes, at these two times. You will know when this rhythm changes and it can happen quickly. 

 

The bad effects of light. B/C of technology, screens, etc, we now have access to light all the time. Diabolical feature to how all this works. The longer you’ve been awake, the more sensitive your retinal cells are to light. So if you’ve been awake for 12-14 hours, it becomes very easy for even a small amount of light from a screen or overhead light to trigger the activation of the clock and make you feel like you want to stay up and make it harder to fall asleep and disrupt your sleep pattern. So get as much light as you can early in the day, take blue light blockers off during the day, and as little light as you can late. And absolutely no bright light exposure into your eyes between 10pm and 4am. Light that arrives to the eyes between 11pm-4am, suppresses the release of dopamine (which makes us feel good, is almost an endogenous anti-depressant) which can inhibit learning and make us depressed. The habenula (disappointment nucleus) gets activated, which makes us feel less happy and disappointed. If you wake up in the middle of the night and you need to read it’s not ideal, but looking at any screen triggers the aforementioned activation which can lead to issues. Take control of light exposure behavior at night. Red light won’t trigger this pathway, dim lights if need to. Candle light and fireplaces do not trigger the activation of these cells. We also can use light to reset the clock earlier. Even if eyes are closed and sunlight or overhead light gets in, it shifts forward the time you want to wake. Could put lights on a timer to go on, or open blinds if up at night, light gets through eyelids. All of these hormone releases, melatonin, serotonin, dopamine, etc. are all tied to this clock. One of the reasons there is so much challenge with focus, anxiety and depression, is because people’s internal mechanisms aren’t anchored to anything regular. Reconciling and optimizing circadian forces (hormonal, metabolic balances, etc.) does not require neuroticism and rigid behavior, but thought which should help guide behavior and shape routines. This does not require neurotically getting up at a specific time every day, going outside and getting sunlight at the same time every day. These systems will average but if you can provide consistent light anchors early in the day and at night, and avoid light at night, you’ll be amazed at the tremendous number of positive effects, metabolic hormonal and general feelings of well-being. Most of us are familiar with not sleeping well and all the terrible effects, most of us are not familiar to sleep really well on a consistent basis, and when you start doing that, controlling your sleep environment, proper sleep surface, pillow, temperature, light exposure, exercise at normal periods, it’s amazing how many other biological systems fall in line. When people ask Huberman what should I take, the first question he always asks is, how is your sleep? 

 

Naps, provided they are less than one ultradian cycle (90m),  can be beneficial (20m-30m ideal if needed). If you wake up really groggy it’s likely because you aren’t sleeping as well or for as long as needed at night and thus are dropping into REM or deeper forms of sleep. Circadian and nutrition behaviors folks often need to identify what works best for them. Light exposure however, is universal and hardwired. Yoga Nidra (yoga sleep) is a restful, relaxation period that Huberman likes as well as meditation (Headspace) for 10-30 minutes. Both are powerful as they bring our mind to a relaxed calm state and engage the parasympathetic nervous system. Links he provides in the show notes include Yoga Nidra 10m and 35m, research supported hypnosis scripts from Reveri (Stanford professor curated). Reveri has science supported, clinically supported hypnosis scripts that take the brain into deep states of relaxation for the purpose of rewiring the brain and neuroplasticity, as well as scripts to help sleep. When you have trouble sleeping, it is very difficult for the mind to control the mind or force yourself to fall asleep by thinking about it. These tools use the BODY TO CONTROL THE MIND, which should drastically improve outcomes. Activating the parasympathetic nervous system during the day via these tools will aid the body in transitioning to this state at night while also providing nighttime body tools (breathing, etc.) which should improve challenging sleep times. Non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) as a way to reset one's ability to be awake after emerging from NSDR (as well as be more emotionally stable) as well as make it better and easier to fall asleep at night. It allows dopamine to reset itself to improve duration, path and outcome (DPO) learning and action.

 

Examine.com is a good educational tool for supplements but Humberman recommends light, nutrition and exercise activation and analysis before using any supplements. He uses a magnesium threonate supplement (300mg), 30-60m before sleep to help him fall asleep when he’s struggling. 

 

So, get light in the morning and at sunset (2m-20m if super cloudy) and avoid bright light at night, especially 11pm-4am! And consider whatever NSDR activities may work for you. Check out Headspace, Reveri or the Yoga Nidra links and try any of them early in morning or after 90m of focused learning/work/activity. 

 

Using Science to Optimize Sleep, Learning & Metabolism- When to Eat and Exercise, January 18, 2021

Office hours- This is based on questions from the YouTube comment section from Master Your Sleep.

Remember this info should be filtered with a licensed healthcare professional; please consult with one before implementing changes.

Broken Down by:

Light: Moonlight, fire, candlelight do not reset circadian clock. Melanopsin ganglion cells do not convey daytime signals to the brain when exposed to the aforementioned lights. Dim red light won’t reset the circadian clock at night, but needs to be dim. Don’t wear blue blockers in the morning and during the day, helps only at night but light still needs to be dim. Light through windows takes 50-100x longer to get similar exposure required to reset the circadian clock. 1/2 the lux does not mean you need to view it 2x as long... Prescription lenses focus the light on the neural retina, yet typical windows filter and scatter light. In low light area, get outside for longer, brighten lights in the morning and during the day. Can add or sum photon activation in the morning and reset the circadian clock, during the day you're in the circadian dead zone; does not happen later in the morn, afternoon. At night low sunlight in the evening also helps reset as it provides biological signals and alarms your body that night time is approaching. It also helps you deal with getting light at night. Thus if have to watch a Netflix show, get outside at sunset to help! Seasonal changes → biological signals change. Equator less sunlight variability and near the poles drastic. Biological signal → Light inhibits melatonin → every cell in your body knows external day length by the duration of melatonin signal → longer melatonin signal → more depressed our systems tend to be → reproduction, mood, metabolism, turnover rates of skin and hair cells → some people are more emotionally tied to this than others → light therapies are useful for these folks. Suicide rates higest in early spring, as clinically depressed emerge from lowest emotional depths but gain energy. It makes sense to think that we should get as much melatonin as possible but melatonin gives critical biological signals so we are all different. If feeling low however, consider light exposure. Also need sleep to restore mood, thus can’t crush melatonin because then can’t fall or stay asleep- it’s a delicate balance. Melatonin is synthesized from the neurotransmitter Serotonin → associated with feelings of well-being associated with quiescence, calm, does not stimulate action but stillness → Dopamine, the precursor to neuromodulator epinephrine, stimulates action. Light in the middle of the night starts causing problems with dopamine which can affect learning, memory and mood. Difference b/w epinephrine and adrenaline. They are the exact same molecule but adrenaline secreted by adrenal glands throughout the body while epinephrine is secreted in the brain only → both stimulate agitation and the desire to move →

Exercise: Windows related to body temperature which optimize performance and reduce injury tend to be 30m after waking (correlates with cortisol inflection), 3 hours after waking (rise in body temperature), and the later afternoon (11 hours after waking → temperature tends to peak). Most importantly, however, do it whenever it fits your schedule! Light and exercise converge to give an even greater wake up signal/circadian set than either exclusively. After working out for 3-4 days early, the body will start to anticipate and wake up. Similar to if eat at the same time, the body will start to release chemicals that anticipate, prepare you for that, etc… 

Supplementation: Tryptophan, melatonin can accelerate sleep but then many also wake up and then find it harder to fall asleep again. 

Temperature: Temperature and circadian rhythm linked. Typically lowest 2 hours before waking (~4amish) and creeps up throughout the day, peaking b/w 4pm and 6pm. Temperature rhythm gets anchored by way of entrainment, matching some external clue, which is often light and/or exercise; day length affects this. Typically, willingness to exercise correlates to when the rise in temperature is the greatest (^ peak temp. slope) and when temperature peaks (generally eleven hours after waking)... Light enters eye → triggers activation of melanopsin cells → triggers activation of suprachiasmatic nucleus (the master circadian clock) → informs all cells and tissues in body and puts them into a nice cohesive rhythm. Light does that in two ways: 1) secretes a peptide (a protein that floats through the bloodstream) and signals to cells we’re tuning your clock, 2) synchronizes the temperature at which those cells exist. Thus, temperature is the affector of the circadian rhythm. You can alter the circadian clock with drastic temperature change. Getting into an ice bath at night for example (like exercising at night), makes your day longer, b/c the temperature increase mimics the early day when your temperature is going up. If do ice bath early in the day, or cold shower, you experience a more rapid temperature rise, will phase advance your clock which will help you get up earlier the next day (~30m). If shower late at night corresponding temp. decrease can help sleep. Joe Takahashi (pre-eminent circadian scientist) website for additional info... If calming yourself while in cold shower (resist shiver response) as a form of stress inoculation (which helps that process), you mitigate the thermogenesis effect. Thus, if attempting to increase metabolism (and brown fat production) you want to activate succinate which activates brown fat (dark under microscope rich with mitochondria) production, which causes burning of other kinds of fat. Thus, shiver away if trying to increase metabolism and brown fat production (which is powerful). Light and temperature are the heavy duty levers when trying to alter sleep times and circadian rhythm. Exercise and feeding can alter as well (more complementary), but not to the extent of light and temperature. 

Learning: To increase plasticity, if you play a tone when sleeping, the same tone (or stimulus) as while learning, rates of retention and learning were significantly higher. Can cue the subconscious brain to learn things better and faster. To implement can play a metronome, or particularly soothing music that can study AND sleep with… Twenty minutes of non-sleep deep rest/NSDR (may fall asleep and no difference) shown to increase rates of learning right after 90m learning cycles to a significant degree. In 90m cycles it’s hard in the beginning, then get your groove, then hard again.  

Plasticity: Hypnosis (Reveri) stimulates plasticity by combining focus and deep rest component in the same compartment of time. Nootropics (*smart drugs) Huberman generally doesn’t like and view it as a last resort. If done without first addressing sleep, nutrition, and exercise it’s essentially irresponsible. Nootropics also aren’t specific as to what cognitive algorithm you're trying to engage, we need more specificity. No nootropic allows you to bypass the need for sleep and deep rest. Nootropics typically combine multiple pathways when one is often needed. Most also include stimulants (use caffeine instead?) which for many are bad. After the stimulation is a crash that does not mimic NSDR but lacks certain spindles that don’t engage plasticity. Thus, not great for learning in the long run. If you’re going to explore these things at least know how they work, what pathways they engage and inhibit, and the corresponding response after engagement. All critical parts in understanding learning and plasticity effects. 

Mood and mood related disorders: Understanding the melatonin/light cycle is critical. 

Food and neurotransmitters and the relationship between sleep, wakefulness and mood → fed state and tryptophan (white meat turkey, complex carbs.) is the precursor to serotonin (calm state), fasting and tyrosine (nuts and red meat) is the precursor to dopamine (precursor to epinephrine→ wakefulness) → thus food can influence neuromodulators to some extent… Empty stomach generally corresponds to wakefulness and full stomach calmness. Food induced thermogenesis → if eat early in day bumps up the clock (temp. increase) and if eat later will tend to want to sleep later (temp. Increase mimics earlier in the day). Again, light is MUCH more important. 

 

Like anything, try one or two things and see what works best for you. Self-experimentation and working within whatever context works for you is likely the most-effective pathway to understanding what works best for you, which may be different than what works for others.