Welcome back to Protocols Study Group — my YouTube-exclusive series where I'm working through Andrew Huberman's book Protocols: An Operating Manual for the Human Body, one protocol at a time. This is essentially my version of fan art. I'm not affiliated with Huberman, his podcast, or Stanford — I'm simply a fan, reading the book, highlighting what sticks, and teaching it back to you because that's how it solidifies in my brain.
Put simply, we win by sleeping. Sleep is the foundation of mental and physical health and performance, and sleep deprivation is linked to many diseases and mental health issues. So before the new protocol, a quick recap of where we've been in Chapter 1, Protocols for Sleep:
- Protocol 1: view sunlight as soon as possible after waking — 5–10 minutes within 30–60 minutes of waking — to keep your body and brain on schedule.
- Protocol 2: view sunlight in the late afternoon, which also keeps you on schedule and protects your retinas from artificial light after dark.
- Protocol 3: avoid bright lights in the final hour before bedtime. LEDs emit a disproportionate amount of short-wavelength light that can reduce melatonin and activate the habenula, a brain part tied to depressive feelings and disappointment. The fix: dim lights, candlelight, red lights, or blue-green blocking glasses.
- Protocol 4: find your ideal sleep and wake times and stick to them, in sync with your chronotype. Sleep runs in ~90-minute cycles of non-REM (N1, N2, N3) and REM, and N3 deep sleep is where growth hormone releases and the brain washes out waste. About 7.5 hours is 5 cycles.
- Protocol 5: lower your core body temperature at night — cool the room to 65–68°F, take a hot shower to trigger the drop afterward, and keep your hands and feet out from under the covers, no socks.
This episode is Sleep Protocol 6: increase your core body temperature in the final 1–2 hours before you wake. It's the mirror image of Protocol 5 — and once you see the pair, the pattern in this chapter starts to show.
The protocol: warm up to wake up refreshed
Protocol 5 was about cooling down to fall asleep. Protocol 6 runs the other direction: in the final 1–2 hours of sleep, raise your core body temperature — and you'll wake up far more refreshed than if your temperature stays low until the alarm goes off.
The thermostat: 1–3°F above room temperature
The practical version is simple: program your heating or thermostat (or a temperature-controlled bed) to rise 1–3°F above room temperature, starting 1–2 hours before your wake-up time. You don't need to feel hot — a small, gradual rise is enough to start the warming process while you're still asleep.
Clothing by the bed
If you wake up 1–2 hours early — or get up in the night to use the bathroom — put on socks, sweats, or a knit cap and go back to sleep. Warming up raises your core temperature, increases REM sleep in that final stretch, and you wake up energized instead of groggy.
Why it works: thermoregulation is the wake-up trigger
Here's the mechanism that makes this one click: wakefulness itself is triggered by thermoregulation. Waking up is, in part, how the body brings its temperature back to normal. So if your core temperature is already rising before you wake, the transition is smoother — more REM in the final hours, and a much more refreshed morning.
My own take: the hooded robe test
I tested this one myself. I usually wake up around 2–3am to use the bathroom, so I started keeping a hooded robe by the bed. I put it on tight, hood up, and go back to sleep — and I fall back asleep quicker and feel more refreshed in the morning. It's a small thing, but it's the kind of small thing this whole series is about: a tweak you can actually do tonight, with stuff you already own.
A note on the temperature-controlled bed
The book recommends a temperature-controlled bed — Eight Sleep, specifically. Worth saying plainly: Huberman is a sponsor of that product and financially invested in it, so take the recommendation with a grain of salt. The protocol itself doesn't need the bed — a thermostat and some clothing by the bed do the same job.
The pattern so far
I'm starting to see the shape of this chapter: Protocol 1 is morning light and Protocol 2 is evening light; Protocol 5 is lowering your temperature and Protocol 6 is raising it. Each pair works together — light in the morning and light in the evening, cool to fall asleep and warm to wake up. The protocols aren't a random list; they're a system.
The road ahead
There are 15 protocols for sleep in this book and we'll be covering them all here, then moving into other chapters such as protocols for stress, nutrition, focus, and more. As noted in the episode, the book was recently $28 for hardcover, $17 for Kindle, and $0.99 for the audiobook with membership — but it's not really meant to be read cover to cover. It's a manual to reference protocols as needed, so the hardcover, kept on the coffee table, picked up frequently, jumped around in, and highlighted, is the recommendation.
And if you want to put any of these protocols into practice: the Headphones to Action Workbook is available on the website, thisweekinmyheadphones.com — a 16-page PDF workbook, downloadable immediately after purchase, for $9. Reflect on what you heard, set an intention, and formulate a 7-day action plan — and it doesn't have to be a podcast; anything you hear counts.
Show notes
- Book: Protocols: An Operating Manual for the Human Body by Andrew Huberman
- Protocol: Sleep Protocol 6 — increase your core body temperature in the final 1–2 hours before you wake (thermostat rise of 1–3°F above room temperature; socks, sweats, or a knit cap by the bed if you wake early)
- Key idea: wakefulness is triggered by thermoregulation — warming the core before waking increases REM in the final hours and leaves you more refreshed; the mirror of Protocol 5's cool-down
- Kevin's takeaway: tested it himself — a hooded robe by the bed for the 2–3am bathroom trip, hood up, falls back asleep quicker and wakes more refreshed
- Disclaimer: independent fan-made educational project. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Andrew Huberman, Huberman Lab, or Stanford University. For educational purposes only — not a substitute for professional medical advice.