Few people have done more to get the world talking about sleep, focus and daily routines than Dr. Andrew Huberman.
He's a neuroscientist and tenured professor at Stanford School of Medicine, and his Huberman Lab podcast is one of the most popular health shows on the planet. What makes him useful to follow is that he explains the why behind each tool, and he's open about what he personally takes.
I went through his sleep toolkit and his episodes on supplements and brain nutrition, pulled out the stack, the doses and the research, and then boiled it down into a starter version you can actually use this week.
(Quick note: Andrew isn't affiliated with Health & Cognition. We just think his framework is one of the most practical out there.)
The short version
Huberman's stack splits neatly into two parts: a sleep stack for the evening and a few daytime basics for the brain and body.
| Supplement | His dose | When he takes it |
|---|---|---|
| Magnesium (threonate or bisglycinate) | 145 mg threonate or 200 mg bisglycinate | 30-60 minutes before bed |
| Apigenin | 50 mg | 30-60 minutes before bed |
| L-theanine | 100-400 mg | 30-60 minutes before bed |
| Creatine monohydrate | 5 g a day | Any time; he's taken it for years |
| Omega-3 (EPA) | 1-3 g of EPA a day | With meals |
| L-glutamine | 1-10 g a day | Daytime |
On some nights he adds 2 g of glycine and 100 mg of GABA. If you're starting from zero, magnesium in the evening and creatine in the morning are where most of the value is.
Why this stack is worth copying
Huberman's whole philosophy is "behavior first, supplements second." Before he talks about a single capsule, he talks about morning sunlight, a consistent wake time, a cool dark bedroom and cutting caffeine 8-10 hours before bed.
That's what makes his stack worth copying. It isn't built to replace good habits. It's built to support them, and he's clear that you should add one thing at a time and keep only what works for you.
The logic behind each piece is simple: - Magnesium is a mineral many people under-eat, and it supports normal muscle and nervous system function. - Creatine fuels quick energy in both muscle and brain, and most people get far less from food than the studied dose. - Most people eat far less fatty fish than they should, so omega-3 intake runs low. - Glutamine is an amino acid that's easy to add to a daily routine.
Let's go through each one.
1. The sleep stack: magnesium, apigenin and theanine
This is the stack that made Huberman famous. In his "Toolkit for Sleep" newsletter, he suggests that people consider taking, 30-60 minutes before bed:
- 145 mg of magnesium threonate or 200 mg of magnesium bisglycinate
- 50 mg of apigenin (a compound found in chamomile)
- 100-400 mg of L-theanine (an amino acid found in tea)
The part most people skip: he says to start with one supplement, or none, and add one at a time. Some people like theanine but not magnesium, and the only way to know is to test.
Magnesium is the easiest place to start, and the research lines up well with his bisglycinate dose. A 2025 randomized trial gave adults who reported poor sleep 250 mg of elemental magnesium as bisglycinate before bed, and after four weeks they reported better sleep than the placebo group (Schuster et al., 2025, Nature and Science of Sleep).
How to copy it: take 200-350 mg of elemental magnesium as glycinate (bisglycinate) 30-60 minutes before bed. Glycinate is gentle on the stomach and pairs well with a wind-down routine. Full breakdown in our guide to magnesium for sleep.
2. Creatine: 5 g a day
Huberman has said he takes 5 g of creatine monohydrate a day and has done so for a very long time. He calls it a kind of "baseline insurance policy" for the brain as well as the body, and on his brain-nutrition episode he names 5 g a day as the threshold dose for cognitive benefits.
Why it's in the stack: creatine is one of the most studied supplements in the world. Your brain uses it as a fast energy buffer, just like your muscles do. A 2024 meta-analysis of 16 randomized trials found creatine supplementation improved memory in adults (Xu et al., 2024, Frontiers in Nutrition).
How to copy it: 5 g a day, every day. Timing doesn't matter much; consistency does. Stir it into coffee, a smoothie or water. I go deeper in creatine for your brain.
3. Omega-3: 1-3 g of EPA a day
On his brain-nutrition episodes, Huberman puts essential fatty acids near the top of the list. His target is specific: get at least 1-1.5 g of EPA a day, and ideally 2-3 g, from fish, other foods or a supplement. He's honest that he doesn't eat much fish himself, which is why he supplements.
How to copy it: eat salmon, sardines or mackerel two or three times a week, or use a quality fish oil with your biggest meals. Check the label for EPA specifically, not just "fish oil," since the EPA number is what his target refers to.
4. L-glutamine: 1-10 g a day
Glutamine is one of the less famous picks in Huberman's brain-nutrition toolkit. He discusses it in a wide range, 1-10 g a day, as an amino acid many people add to their routine. It's also a staple in plenty of training-recovery routines, which makes it a natural fit for anyone who trains hard.
How to copy it: start at the low end, around 2-5 g a day mixed into water or a shake, and see how it fits your routine.
5. The foundation: vitamins and minerals
In his episode on building a rational supplement plan, Huberman starts with the foundation: covering your vitamins and minerals first, then adding targeted tools on top. For years he's used a daily greens-and-vitamin drink for that purpose.
You don't need a specific brand to get the idea. The point is to cover the basics so the targeted pieces have something to build on. A daily multivitamin is the simplest way to do that, and it's backed by solid research: in a trial of 3,562 adults aged 60 and up, a daily multivitamin improved memory scores after one year compared with placebo (Yeung et al., 2023, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition).
The extras (what he adds on top)
Once the basics are dialed in, Huberman layers in a few extras. A few worth knowing:
- Glycine (2 g) and GABA (100 mg) on some nights, as part of his sleep routine.
- Alpha-GPC a few times a week, which he discusses alongside omega-3 for focus.
- Phosphatidylserine, a fat-like compound found in meat and fish, which he names in his brain-nutrition toolkit.
These are the "advanced" layer. They make the most sense once the basics, and the sleep habits, are already a routine.
How I'd build a starter version
If I were starting from scratch tomorrow, here's the Huberman-inspired stack I'd use. It's built around his behavior-first idea, so the habits come first and the supplements slot in around them.
Morning: get outside for 10 minutes of daylight within an hour of waking, then take 5 g of creatine with your coffee or water.
With lunch: take one serving of a multivitamin and plan a fatty-fish dinner two or three times this week, or use a fish oil with meals.
Evening: cut caffeine 8-10 hours before bed, dim the lights, and take magnesium glycinate (200-350 mg elemental) 30-60 minutes before sleep.
That's two or three bottles and a few habits that cost nothing. Run it for a month, see how you feel, then decide whether to try theanine or glutamine on top.
It's the whole idea behind work hard, play hard, recover hard: train the habits, give your body the raw materials, and let sleep do the rest.
Common questions
Magnesium threonate or glycinate? Huberman lists both. Threonate gets attention for brain research; glycinate (bisglycinate) is the form used in the 2025 sleep trial and is gentle on the stomach. Either fits his framework.
Should I take all three sleep supplements at once? He says no: start with one and add one at a time. That's the only way to know what's actually working for you.
How much creatine does Huberman take? He has said 5 g a day, which is also the dose with the most research behind it.
How is this different from Rhonda Patrick's stack? There's a lot of overlap: both use creatine, magnesium and omega-3. Rhonda leans on a multivitamin and vitamin D as her core, while Huberman's best-known piece is the sleep stack. See our breakdown of Rhonda Patrick's supplement stack.
The bottom line
Andrew Huberman's stack works because it sits on top of great habits. The sleep stack, creatine, omega-3 and a solid foundation of vitamins and minerals are simple, well-studied and easy to stick with.
Start with the habits, add magnesium at night and creatine in the morning, and stay consistent for a month.
Shop the core of the stack: Magnesium Glycinate, Creatine Monohydrate, L-Glutamine Powder and Complete Multivitamin.
Sources
- Huberman A. "Toolkit for Sleep." Huberman Lab Neural Network newsletter, September 20, 2021. hubermanlab.com/newsletter/toolkit-for-sleep
- Huberman A. "Nutrients For Brain Health & Performance." Huberman Lab Podcast. hubermanlab.com/episode/nutrients-for-brain-health-and-performance
- Huberman A. "Essentials: Food & Supplements for Brain Health & Cognitive Performance." Huberman Lab Podcast, September 11, 2025. hubermanlab.com/episode/essentials-food-supplements-brain-health-cognitive-performance
- Huberman A. "Developing a Rational Approach to Supplementation for Health & Performance." Huberman Lab Podcast, January 2023. hubermanlab.com/episode/developing-a-rational-approach-to-supplementation-for-health-and-performance
- Schuster J, et al. Magnesium bisglycinate supplementation in healthy adults reporting poor sleep: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Nature and Science of Sleep. 2025;17:2027-2040. doi:10.2147/NSS.S524348
- Xu C, Bi S, Zhang W, Luo L. The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2024;11:1424972. doi:10.3389/fnut.2024.1424972
- Yeung LK, et al. Multivitamin supplementation improves memory in older adults: a randomized clinical trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2023;118(1):273-282. doi:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.05.011
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
