Timing Your Light, Food, & Exercise for Optimal Sleep, Energy & Mood | Dr. Samer Hattar

In this episode, I host Dr. Samer Hattar, Ph.D., Chief of the Section on Light and Circadian Rhythms at the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Hattar is a world-renowned expert on how viewing light at particular times adjusts our mood, ability to learn, stress and hormone levels, appetite, and mental health. We discuss how to determine and use your individual light sensitivity to determine the optimal sleep-wake cycle for you. We also discuss how to combine your light viewing and waking time with the timing of your food intake and exercise in order to maximize mental and physical functioning. Dr. Hattar is credited with co-discovering the neurons in the eye that set our circadian clocks and regulate mood and appetite. He explains why even a small shift in daylight savings leads to outsized effects on our biking because of the way that our cells and circadian clocks integrate across many days. And he offers precise tools to rapidly adjust to jet lag, shift work, and reset your clock after a late night of work or socializing. This episode is filled with cutting-edge data on the biological mechanisms of human physiology and practical tools for people of all ages.  Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlab Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Introducing Dr. Samer Hattar, Ph.D.   00:02:33 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up 00:06:15 Light, Circadian (24-hour) & Circannual (365-day) “Photoentrainment”   00:14:30 Neurons in Our Eyes That Set Our Body Clocks: Similar to Frog Skin   00:18:55 What Blind People See   00:20:15 When, How & How Long to View Light for Optimal Sleep & Wakefulness   00:30:20 Sunlight Simulators, Afternoon Light Viewing, Naps   00:33:48 Are You Jet Lagged at Home? Chronotypes & Why Early Risers Succeed   00:38:33 How to Decide Your Best Sleep-Wake Schedu