How Long After Waking Up Should I Eat? Huberman Lab Answers

November 24, 2025 •

4 min read

Over a decade of research and personal practice has led Andrew Huberman to advocate for delaying your first meal of the day. This approach, known as time-restricted eating, aligns food intake with your body's natural circadian rhythm to improve metabolic health and overall well-being.

Quick Summary

Andrew Huberman recommends waiting at least one hour, and ideally several hours, after waking before your first meal. This practice of time-restricted feeding helps align your body's processes, manage energy levels, and enhance mental focus by capitalizing on your natural morning cortisol peak.

Key Points

Wait at least 60-90 minutes: Delaying your first meal allows your natural morning cortisol peak to pass, which improves energy and focus.
Practice time-restricted feeding: Consuming all meals within a consistent 8-hour window, for example, helps regulate your body's circadian rhythm and metabolism.
Hydrate early: Drinking water upon waking, potentially with salt and lemon, can help manage hunger during the fasting period.
Delay caffeine intake: Wait 90-120 minutes after waking for your first caffeine dose to avoid interfering with your body's natural alertness mechanisms and to prevent an afternoon crash.
Focus on protein first: When you do break your fast, prioritizing a high-protein meal can enhance muscle protein synthesis and promote satiety.
Time carbs for sleep: If you consume carbohydrates, Huberman suggests a higher concentration of starchy carbs with your dinner to help facilitate better sleep.
Optimize for fat loss: An extended morning fast, combined with light cardio while in a fasted state, can promote fat metabolism.

Understanding the Huberman Lab's Approach to Meal Timing

Andrew Huberman's guidance on when to eat is deeply rooted in neuroscience and the body's internal clock, or circadian rhythm. The core recommendation is to delay your first meal, typically waiting a minimum of 60 minutes and often extending this fast to several hours, placing his own first meal around 11:00 a.m. or noon. This is more than just skipping breakfast; it's a strategic method to synchronize your bodily functions for better health outcomes.

The Science Behind Delaying Your First Meal

When you wake up, your body releases a peak of cortisol, a hormone that helps make you feel alert and awake. Eating immediately can blunt this natural cortisol spike. By delaying your food intake, you allow this important cortisol pulse to occur uninterrupted, which aids in waking up and setting a strong daily rhythm. This also relates to adenosine, a molecule that builds up throughout the day making you feel sleepy. The longer you wait after waking, the more pronounced your feeling of alertness will be when you do eventually break your fast.

The Role of Hydration and Caffeine

During the fasting period, Huberman emphasizes proper hydration. Consuming water, often with a pinch of salt and a splash of lemon, can help manage hunger and support the body, especially for those on low-carb diets.

It is also crucial to time your caffeine intake correctly. Huberman advises waiting 90 to 120 minutes after waking before having any caffeine. This delay prevents the caffeine from interfering with the natural morning cortisol spike and can reduce the severity of the afternoon energy crash.

How Time-Restricted Feeding Affects Your Body

Enhances Mental Clarity: By fasting in the morning, many individuals, including Huberman, report higher levels of mental clarity and focus. This is partly due to a shift in brain chemistry, including an increase in dopamine release.
Supports Metabolic Health: Restricting food intake to a specific window during the most active phase of your day can improve insulin sensitivity and regulate blood sugar levels. This is a core benefit of intermittent fasting protocols.
Promotes Fat Loss: After 5-6 hours of fasting, your blood sugar and insulin levels decrease, which encourages the body to metabolize fat for energy. Longer, consistent fasting periods, like the 12-16 hour window Huberman practices, can shift weight loss to predominantly fat tissue over muscle.
Improves Sleep Quality: Eating your last meal several hours before bed ensures you are in a fasted state while sleeping. This optimizes cellular repair processes like autophagy and can lead to better sleep. Huberman also notes that consuming more carbohydrates at dinner can aid in falling asleep.

Creating Your Optimal Eating Window

Consistency is a key factor. An erratic eating schedule can lead to "metabolic jet lag," disrupting your body's rhythms. A typical recommendation is an 8-hour eating window, for example, from noon to 8 p.m. or 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but this should be tailored to your lifestyle and hunger signals.

Comparison of Eating Windows


Aspect	Huberman's Typical Pattern	Early Feeding Window (e.g., 8 a.m.-4 p.m.)	Standard Feeding Window (e.g., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.)
First Meal	Typically 11 a.m.-12 p.m.	8 a.m.	9 a.m.
Last Meal	Typically 8 p.m.	4 p.m.	5 p.m.
Energy Levels	Optimized for morning focus due to fasting; uses caffeine strategically later.	Energy starts early, but afternoon dip may be more pronounced for some.	Follows a more traditional routine, potentially less metabolic synchronization.
Circadian Rhythm	Aligned by eating during daylight hours and fasting overnight.	Also aligns well with daylight, with an extended nighttime fast.	Less alignment with circadian biology if eating until later in the evening.
Fat Loss	Strong emphasis on extended morning fast and low-carb first meal to enhance fat burning.	Effective for fat loss by maximizing the overnight fast duration.	Less effective for fat loss than other models due to a shorter nightly fast.
Flexibility	Allows for social dinners later in the evening within the 8-hour window.	May be challenging for evening social events or late-night obligations.	Generally easier to adhere to for most lifestyles and social plans.

Conclusion

Andrew Huberman's framework for meal timing centers on waiting a minimum of one hour, and ideally several, after waking to eat. This protocol is not arbitrary but is carefully aligned with the body's natural circadian rhythms to optimize energy, focus, and metabolic function. The strategy involves allowing the body's natural cortisol spike to run its course, delaying caffeine intake, and restricting food to a consistent daytime window. By adopting these practices, individuals can enhance their mental clarity, support fat loss goals, and improve their overall health and well-being. Ultimately, finding the best timing depends on individual lifestyle and personal experimentation, but the science-backed principles from the Huberman Lab provide a powerful starting point.

This article summarizes and explains nutritional advice, but it is not medical advice. For personalized health guidance, consult with a qualified healthcare provider.

Frequently Asked Questions

Andrew Huberman typically does not eat breakfast in the conventional sense. He practices intermittent fasting, delaying his first meal until around 11:00 a.m. or noon.

The 90-minute rule, as discussed by Huberman, primarily refers to delaying caffeine intake, not eating. However, the broader fasting practice involves waiting at least an hour after waking to eat, allowing your natural cortisol spike to peak without interruption.

Delaying your first meal aligns with your natural circadian rhythm, allowing the morning cortisol pulse to energize you effectively. This can improve mental focus, enhance fat metabolism, and lead to better overall health markers.

During your fasting period, you should only consume non-caloric beverages. Andrew Huberman specifically recommends drinking water (with optional salt and lemon) and black coffee or tea, but only after the initial 90-120 minute delay.

Strategies for managing morning hunger include staying well-hydrated, especially with water and electrolytes. Some people find that light exercise, like a walk in the sunlight, can also help reduce hunger pangs and support the fast.

Huberman practices an 8-hour feeding window, often starting around 11:00 a.m. or noon and ending by 8:00 p.m.. He emphasizes consistency with this schedule to prevent metabolic disruptions.

Huberman practices and discusses time-restricted feeding, which involves skipping breakfast for many people, but does not advocate for extreme short feeding windows or one-meal-a-day diets for most people, citing potential for inadequate nutrition.