Behaviors
3,474protocols, ranked by how often the world’s top health podcasts mention them.
- Limit Processed Foods▶ 1
Regardless of dietary pattern, limit processed and highly processed foods, especially when trying to dial in sodium intake or follow salt appetite accurately.
- Slightly Increase Sodium Intake for Anxiety or Stress if Appropriate▶ 1
If feeling anxious, especially if related to low blood pressure or stress, slightly increasing sodium intake may help; do this through cleaner sources such as a little sea salt in water or salting food more, not processed foods or salty-sweet foods.
- Ensure Enough Sodium and Potassium on Low-Carbohydrate Diets▶ 1
Low-carbohydrate diets increase water excretion and likely sodium and potassium loss, so make sure you get enough of both electrolytes.
- Replenish Fluids and Electrolytes Before, During, and After Fasted Exercise After Caffeine▶ 1
If exercising fasted after drinking caffeine, replenish fluids and electrolytes including sodium before, during, and after exercise.
- Avoid Very High Salt Intake▶ 1
Avoid very high salt intake; health risks appear to rise substantially past about 6–7 g sodium per day.
- Adjust Sodium Intake in the Context of an Unprocessed Diet▶ 1
If exploring increasing or decreasing sodium intake for health or performance, do so against a relatively pure, unprocessed-food background and use clean salt sources rather than salty processed or salty-sweet foods; some people find this also reduces sugar cravings.
- Avoid Drinking Too Much Water in a Short Time▶ 1
Do not ingest excessive water rapidly; too much water in a short period can be dangerous or fatal.
- Recognize and Regulate Your Autonomic Nervous System in Relationships▶ 1
Develop awareness of your baseline autonomic state when with someone and when they leave, and build the ability to self-soothe and regulate yourself in a partner's temporary or permanent absence rather than relying entirely on their presence for calm.
- Take Supplements Only After Checking With a Doctor▶ 1
Before adding or subtracting anything from a supplementation or health regimen, check with your doctor or healthcare provider.
- Pay Attention to Seasonal Aggression Patterns▶ 1
Notice how you feel at different times of year, including summer vs. winter, and whether changes in day length, sunlight exposure, being indoors too much, or late-evening artificial light correlate with feeling more aggressive or irritable.
- Use Caution With Deliberate Heat Exposure▶ 1
Approach heating cautiously: hydrate, do not overheat, and avoid excessive hyperthermia because heat stroke and death are possible. Check with your doctor first, especially if pregnant, nursing, heat-sensitive, or otherwise medically vulnerable.
- Shower Briefly After Evening Sauna▶ 1
After evening or nighttime sauna, take a brief warmish, warm, cool, or cold rinse shower—mainly to rinse off sweat—then get ready for sleep. This may help leverage the cooling phase for easier sleep onset.
- Use Cooling Methods if Fever Exceeds 103–104°F▶ 1
If fever goes above 103°F, start getting concerned; at 104°F, cooling methods and urgent medical care may be needed to prevent hyperthermia.
- Local Heat Therapy▶ 1
Local hyperthermia therapy was described as heating a local patch of skin to 41°C (105.8°F) without damaging the skin to promote browning of white fat and systemic metabolic effects. Human protocol described: expose the supraclavicular fat deposits/upper shoulders-upper back area to 41°C heat for 20 minutes, three days per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) for five weeks total.
- Repetition▶ 1
Repeat or recite the information or perform the skill over and over; more repetitions strengthen the relevant neural circuit and improve retention.
- Hydration Before Learning▶ 1
Make sure you are hydrated before trying to learn, because hydration supports brain and body function.
- Take Photos or Mental Snapshots of Important Things▶ 1
If you want to remember a person, object, or scene better, deliberately capture it either by taking a photo or by taking a mental snapshot—often by deciding to 'snap' the scene with your mind, sometimes with a blink. Pay attention while framing or observing it. You do not need to review the photo later for the memory benefit. Mental snapshotting can improve visual memory but may reduce memory for concurrent auditory information.
- Take Fish Oil With Food▶ 1
If fish oil is in ethyl ester form, including prescription omega-3s like Lovaza/Vascepa, take it with food because absorption is otherwise poor.
- Use IFOS Third-Party Tested Fish Oil▶ 1
Use International Fish Oil Standards testing to evaluate concentration, contaminants, and oxidation of fish oil products.
- Refrigerate Fish Oil▶ 1
Keep fish oil in the refrigerator to reduce oxidation and extend shelf life.
- Choose Low-Oxidation Fish Oil▶ 1
Look for fish oil with total oxidation (TOTOX) under 10, ideally under 6.
- Eat Fatty Fish a Couple Times Per Week▶ 1
Try to eat fatty fish a couple times a week in addition to fish oil.
- Steam Greens or Consume Cooking Liquid▶ 1
Cooking can release magnesium but it can go into the water, so steam greens or consume the cooking liquid.
- Take Magnesium Before Sleep▶ 1
Take magnesium threonate and/or bisglycinate 30–60 minutes before sleep.
- Wait a Few Minutes Between Sauna and Cold Plunge▶ 1
Do not go straight from very hot to very cold; wait a few minutes before going into cold due to blood-pressure/vertigo concerns.
- Hot Bath at 104°F for 20 Minutes▶ 1
A hot bath at around 104°F for 20 minutes, shoulders down, was described as producing robust activation of heat shock proteins and BDNF.
- Infrared Sauna With Waon Therapy Protocol▶ 1
Japanese Waon therapy uses an infrared sauna at about 140°F, followed by wrapping in a towel and staying warm; the full protocol lasts about an hour.
- Consult an OBGYN Before Melatonin Use During Pregnancy▶ 1
If pregnant and considering melatonin supplementation, talk to your OBGYN and another doctor because melatonin can strongly affect placental development and the developing fetus.
- Modulate Indoor and Outdoor Time Across the Year▶ 1
If you are not suffering from depression, modulate indoor and outdoor time across the year to allow normal seasonal changes in melatonin duration: generally more outdoor time in spring and summer and more indoor time in winter.
- 20–30 Minutes of UVB Sun Exposure Two or Three Times Per Week▶ 1
A practical UVB protocol is about 20–30 minutes of midday-equivalent sun exposure, two or three times per week, for 10–12 total sessions over several weeks. This same protocol was also recommended for chronic pain relief.