NSDR is a cheatcode
Having a dip in energy in the afternoon after lunch is part of being a human. Many people have this phenomenon on a daily basis. I was on the lookout for a way to deal with it.
The first obvious choice was coffee. And that actually works. Caffeine, a psychoactive drug, suppresses the "sleep pressure" hormone adenosine. We feel more awake after taking it. The issue is that caffeine has a half-time of 5-7 hours, which means that taking it in the afternoon at 3 pm, you'll still have half of it in the body when going to bed.
I’m hearing from many people - “no it’s not affecting my sleep”.
If you’re not affected by an afternoon or even evening coffee - congrats - you are one of the few people with a genetic predisposition that allows reducing caffeine faster than for the normal human. For most of us, though, that’s not the case. I recommend actually checking that out with a sleep tracker like Whoop or Oura, as we're often not that good at subjectively assessing our sleep. (See Why We Sleep Chapter 7)
So then - what’s an alternative?
Non-sleep deep (NSDR).
"Non-Sleep Deep Rest, also known as NSDR, is a method of deep relaxation developed by Dr. Andrew Huberman (Hubermanlab), a neuroscientist at Stanford University School of Medicine. It's a process that combines controlled breathing and detailed body scanning to bring you into a state of heightened awareness and profound relaxation. The main purpose of NSDR is to reduce stress, enhance focus, and improve overall well-being."
– nsdr.co
How does it work?
NSDR is a guided breathing and body-sensing exercise and can go from 10min to 60min.
I’m regularly doing the one freely available on YouTube, spoken by Andrew Huberman himself, but Yoga Nidra or options from nsdr.com are also great resources.
In Huberman’s protocol, he utilizes a simple fact: Breathing out longer than breathing in lowers the heartbeat. You accomplish that by breathing out through thinly pressed lips.
Then, there’s a detailed body scan involved, which is about controlling the attention to which body part to focus on.
That’s pretty much it.
It sounds simple, but the effects are immense. After one session, you realize that you can fully control the relaxation state of the nervous system and what you are sensing.
Especially on days, when I didn’t sleep well and unfocussed out in the afternoon, this is highly effective.
It has been shown even to refuel the dopamine store, which is crucial to get anything done. It also reduces cortisol, reduces the need for overall sleep, and helps retain more if you do it after an intense learning session.
It's used by high achievers as well:
"So while I find it difficult to meditate, I can go to YouTube, find an NSDR video. They're available in 10, 20, or 30 minutes, so I do that occasionally."
– Sundar Pichai, CEO Google
For me, NSDR has been transformative. On days when I'm drained, a session recharges me. I view it as a cheat code for life—a zero-cost tool with immense benefits.
While I know it can be tough in certain office environments to find a place to lie down (in the home office, it’s much easier), I recommend giving a 10-minute NSDR session a try when you feel tired next time. Whether you're skeptical of meditation or just searching for a new method to recharge, NSDR might just be the protocol you've been seeking.