Andrew Huberman talks about your cortisol like you already know the number. He references testosterone levels as casually as someone discussing the weather. He mentions fasting blood glucose, thyroid function, and vitamin D status across dozens of episodes, weaving them into conversations about sleep architecture, dopamine optimization, and stress resilience as though his listeners have their latest lab results pulled up on a second screen.
Most of them do not.
The Huberman Lab podcast has become one of the most influential sources of health and performance information on the internet. Millions of listeners absorb detailed protocols for improving sleep, focus, exercise recovery, and hormonal health. They buy supplements, reconfigure their morning routines, and adjust their light exposure. But relatively few of them have taken the most foundational step Huberman repeatedly implies they should: getting comprehensive blood work done.
This gap is understandable. Ordering blood work has traditionally meant scheduling a doctor's appointment, convincing a physician to order the specific tests you want (rather than the minimal panel they default to), and then waiting for results you may or may not get a thorough explanation of. For someone who just wants to know their testosterone or cortisol level, that process feels disproportionately complicated.
It does not have to be. Direct-to-consumer lab testing lets you order the exact biomarkers Huberman discusses, on your own terms, without a doctor visit. This article maps the key biomarkers Huberman references across his podcast to a practical testing plan you can execute this week.
The Huberman Biomarker Map
Huberman's biomarker references are not random. They cluster around the biological systems he discusses most frequently: hormonal health, metabolic function, cardiovascular risk, and inflammation. Understanding which biomarkers belong to which system helps you prioritize testing based on what you are most interested in optimizing.
Hormonal Markers
Testosterone is the biomarker Huberman discusses most extensively. He has dedicated multiple episodes to the topic, covering how sleep quality, resistance training, cold exposure, and specific supplements influence testosterone production. He distinguishes between total testosterone (the overall amount circulating in your blood) and free testosterone (the fraction available for your cells to actually use), and has noted that a person can have adequate total testosterone but low free testosterone, which would still produce symptoms of deficiency. Order a testosterone panel to get both numbers in a single draw.
Cortisol is the other hormone Huberman returns to frequently. He frames cortisol not as a villain but as a timing signal: cortisol should spike in the morning (helping you wake up and feel alert) and decline throughout the day. Chronic stress disrupts this rhythm, keeping cortisol elevated when it should be low. Huberman ties this pattern to poor sleep quality, impaired recovery, and compromised immune function. A cortisol test captures a single point in time, so morning cortisol (drawn within an hour of waking) is the most informative measurement.
Thyroid hormones (TSH, free T3, and free T4) appear in Huberman's discussions of metabolism and energy. He has noted that thyroid function influences body composition, cognitive clarity, and overall metabolic rate. Subclinical thyroid dysfunction, where levels are drifting but have not yet crossed a diagnostic threshold, is common and often produces vague symptoms like fatigue and weight gain that people attribute to other causes.
Metabolic Markers
Fasting blood glucose and HbA1c are metabolic markers Huberman references in the context of energy regulation, body composition, and long-term disease risk. He has discussed the connection between blood sugar stability and cognitive performance, noting that large glucose fluctuations throughout the day can impair focus and energy levels. HbA1c provides a two-to-three-month average of blood sugar, making it a more stable and informative marker than a single fasting glucose reading.
Huberman has also discussed insulin sensitivity in the context of exercise timing and nutrition, though he tends to reference the concept rather than a specific test number. Fasting insulin, when paired with fasting glucose, allows you to calculate HOMA-IR, a straightforward index of insulin resistance. This combination catches metabolic dysfunction earlier than glucose alone.
Cardiovascular and Inflammation Markers
Huberman covers cardiovascular health less granularly than hormonal optimization, but he does reference standard lipid panels (LDL, HDL, triglycerides) as part of a general health baseline. More pointedly, he has discussed C-reactive protein (CRP) as a marker of systemic inflammation. Chronic low-grade inflammation is increasingly understood as a driver of nearly every major age-related disease, and CRP is one of the most accessible ways to measure it.
Nutritional and Performance Markers
Vitamin D is a biomarker Huberman cites repeatedly. He has stated on multiple occasions that he considers levels between 40 and 60 ng/mL optimal, a range significantly higher than the 20 to 30 ng/mL many labs consider adequate. He connects vitamin D status to immune function, mood, testosterone production, and sleep quality, making it a single marker that touches nearly every system he discusses.
Ferritin and iron status have appeared in episodes covering energy, brain function, and exercise performance. Iron is essential for oxygen transport, neurotransmitter synthesis, and mitochondrial function. Both deficiency and excess can cause problems, and ferritin (a measure of stored iron) is the most useful screening test.
A complete blood count (CBC) provides the broadest baseline: red blood cell count, white blood cell count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelet levels. It is not a marker Huberman discusses at length, but it underpins the general health assessment that makes all other biomarkers interpretable.
Huberman frequently discusses omega-3 fatty acids and has endorsed supplementation with EPA and DHA across many episodes. An omega-3 index test measures the percentage of omega-3s in your red blood cell membranes, reflecting your intake over the previous few months. This test is not universally available through every direct-to-consumer platform, but it is worth seeking out if omega-3 optimization is a priority.
The Starter Panel: Your First Comprehensive Blood Work
If you have never ordered comprehensive blood work before, or if your only experience is the sparse panel your doctor runs at an annual checkup, start here. This panel establishes your baseline across every major system Huberman discusses.
The starter panel should include a comprehensive metabolic panel (covering glucose, electrolytes, kidney function, and liver enzymes), a complete blood count, a lipid panel, HbA1c, fasting insulin, TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone), and vitamin D. This combination gives you meaningful data on metabolic health, cardiovascular risk, thyroid function, and one of the most common nutritional deficiencies in the developed world.
The cost for this set of tests through direct-to-consumer ordering typically runs between $150 and $250, depending on the platform and whether tests are bundled. No doctor visit is required. You order online, receive a lab requisition, and visit a Quest Diagnostics or Labcorp location for a standard blood draw. Results arrive electronically within a few business days.
Schedule your draw for first thing in the morning after an overnight fast of 8 to 12 hours. Water is fine. Skip coffee, supplements, and food until after the draw. Morning timing also ensures that your cortisol and testosterone readings (if included) reflect their natural daily peaks.
The Optimization Panel: Going Deeper
Once you have your baseline, the optimization panel adds the markers that Huberman's more dedicated listeners will want to track. This is where you move from general health screening into performance and longevity territory.
Add testosterone (total and free) to your panel. This is the biomarker Huberman's audience asks about most frequently, and for good reason. Testosterone influences muscle mass, bone density, mood, motivation, cognitive function, and libido. Knowing your baseline lets you evaluate whether lifestyle interventions (improving sleep, lifting heavy, managing stress, optimizing vitamin D) are actually moving the needle.
Add a full thyroid panel (free T3 and free T4 in addition to TSH). TSH alone can miss subclinical thyroid issues. Free T3 is the most biologically active thyroid hormone, and a low free T3 with a normal TSH is a pattern that produces real symptoms but often goes undiagnosed.
Add cortisol (morning draw). If you are implementing Huberman's protocols around morning sunlight exposure, cold plunges, and stress management, a morning cortisol level gives you a data point to track over time. Cortisol is highly variable and influenced by sleep, stress, and even the act of getting blood drawn, so do not overinterpret a single reading. The value is in tracking trends across multiple tests.
Add hsCRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein). This is the inflammation marker Huberman references most often. Levels below 1.0 mg/L are generally considered low risk; levels between 1.0 and 3.0 suggest moderate inflammation; and levels above 3.0 warrant further investigation. Lifestyle factors like sleep quality, diet, and exercise have measurable impacts on CRP, making it a useful feedback metric for protocol adherence.
Add ferritin. If your energy levels, exercise recovery, or cognitive sharpness are not where you want them despite following Huberman's other recommendations, iron status is worth checking. Ferritin below 30 ng/mL often produces symptoms even if it does not meet the technical threshold for iron deficiency anemia.
The optimization panel, when combined with the starter panel, typically costs between $300 and $500 through direct-to-consumer ordering. That is roughly the cost of a month of the supplement stacks many Huberman listeners are already buying, and it provides far more actionable information than any supplement ever will.
What to Do With Your Results
Huberman emphasizes the concept of personal baselines. Population reference ranges are useful as rough guides, but your real goal is to establish your own numbers and then track how they respond to the interventions you make. A comprehensive metabolic panel result in January, followed by the same panel in July after six months of improved sleep and consistent training, tells you more than any single lab report ever could.
For most markers, the standard reference ranges on your results report are a reasonable starting point. Pay closer attention to where your numbers fall within the range, not just whether they are flagged as high or low. A testosterone level of 350 ng/dL is technically normal for a 35-year-old man, but it sits at the low end of the range, and many clinicians who specialize in hormonal optimization would consider it suboptimal. Similarly, a vitamin D level of 25 ng/mL clears the sufficient bar at most labs but falls well below the 40 to 60 ng/mL range Huberman and many researchers prefer.
If any marker comes back significantly outside the reference range, bring your results to a healthcare provider. Direct-to-consumer testing gives you access to the data, and that access is empowering. But interpretation of abnormal results, especially in the context of symptoms, medication use, or family history, benefits from clinical expertise. The goal is not to replace your doctor. The goal is to show up to your doctor's appointment with better data than they would have ordered on their own.
For retesting cadence, Huberman has suggested every three to six months for markers you are actively trying to improve (testosterone, cortisol, vitamin D, HbA1c). For stable markers like your CBC or ferritin, once a year is typically sufficient unless you are addressing a specific deficiency.
Your Body Is Generating Data. Start Reading It.
Huberman's entire framework rests on a simple premise: biology is not a mystery. The systems that govern your energy, focus, mood, strength, and resilience are measurable. They respond to inputs. They can be optimized, not through guesswork, but through data, experimentation, and iteration.
Blood work is the most direct way to measure those systems. It is not expensive. It does not require a doctor's referral. It does not require you to commit to anything other than a single morning blood draw and thirty minutes of reviewing your results.
You are already doing the hard parts. You are adjusting your light exposure, timing your caffeine, training with intention, managing your stress. Blood work tells you whether those efforts are landing where they should. Without it, you are flying blind. With it, you have a dashboard.
The next step is yours.
Frequently asked questions
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare provider regarding any health concerns. LevelPanel does not diagnose, treat, or prescribe.