Biohacking: What It Is and How to Do It

Maintaining good physical health as you age can be a challenge. Due to reduced muscle mass and bone density, lowered immunity, and declining metabolism, older adults need to take proactive measures to stay in shape and protect against disease. In an effort to improve their quality of life and optimize their health, many are turning to biohacking, a broad term which encompasses lifestyle changes, data-producing wearable technology, and experimental practices.

Wearable Technology

If you use smart watches or any other form of wearable tech that tracks aspects of your health, you're engaging in the practice of biohacking. These tools provide valuable insights on aspects such as heart rate, blood pressure, and sleep, that can inform lifestyle changes. For example, by noticing spikes in your blood pressure during certain periods, you can meditate or do deep breathing exercises to relax. Tracking your daily steps can also encourage you to be more active.

Intermittent Fasting

Some people experiment with different eating habits to facilitate positive changes in their health. Intermittent fasting—the process of taking extended breaks between eating—has gone from a trendy practice to a relatively common method of dieting. Some people might only eat during an eight-hour window, while others may opt for only one or two meals per day. By restricting your eating hours, your body begins a process known as metabolic switching, wherein it exhausts sugar stores and burns fat.

Intermittent fasting, then, can help to reduce your body fat and decrease your likelihood of diabetes. Studies have also shown that it can lower blood pressure and inflammation, as well as your heart rate.

Light Therapy

Light therapy is an emerging practice with proven mental health benefits, particularly in combatting seasonal affective disorder. It usually involves sitting in front of a light box, which emits fluorescent light, for about 30 minutes per day. By consciously choosing to participate in an activity that can improve your mental health, you're technically biohacking your mind, which in turn can encourage you to be more physically active.

"We can also use light therapeutically, where we want to decrease blue light in the evenings, mostly from our electronics," notes Dr. Melissa Young, a functional medicine specialist at Cleveland Clinic. "But of course, we have light everywhere that comes into the home, even from the outside that we'd want to minimize. And then, bright light therapy in the mornings can help reset our circadian rhythms, so we can use that in two ways."

Limiting blue light from electronics at night can improve your sleep, which in turn will benefit your mood and energy the following day.

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy, or cold therapy, is a revitalizing practice that has been shown to alleviate muscle pain, promote recovery, and increase athletic performance. It involves sitting in a special chamber or using a machine to deliver cold air, often as low as -250 degrees Fahrenheit, for full-body or targeted treatments.

Cold plunges, which have become more popular in recent years, follow the same concept of cryotherapy. You immerse yourself in a tub filled with cold water, usually between 39 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit. This can help to activate brown fat metabolism, increase dopamine production, and improve your sleep, all of which contribute to better overall health.

Contrast therapy, which involves alternating between hot and cold sources, like a sauna and cold water tub, can amplify these benefits by creating a vascular pump effect. This rapid opening and closing of blood vessels promotes quicker post-workout recovery by increasing tissue blood flow and oxygenation.

Meditation and Mindfulness

By reducing stress and anxiety, meditation and mindfulness practices can also help to extend your natural biological life, making them forms of biohacking. Studies have also shown that regular meditation can improve sleep, reduce blood pressure, and decrease age-related memory loss.

Nootropics

Nootropics, which are sometimes referred to as "smart drugs," are substances that can help to improve your brain and body’s performance. These include non-prescription substances like caffeine and creatine, which offer stimulant effects, boosting your energy and mental focus.

Prescription nootropics, like Adderall and Provigil, are also considered forms of biohacking, as they can help to treat cognitive issues.

Experimental Practices

Biohacking can also refer to more experimental practices that perhaps aren't as accessible to the average person or supported by extensive research. These practices, which include egg rejuvenation and blood transfusions, are more controversial than the aforementioned biohacking measures and raise some ethical questions about aging.

For blood transfusions, plasma taken from younger people and injected into older adults can slow the aging process, improving your skin, memory, and heart function. Stem cell transplants offer similar benefits. They are primarily used to treat blood cancers, other diseases, and injuries.

Gene editing is another experimental form of biohacking. This controversial life-extending practice involves scientists altering a person's DNA, whether by adding or removing genetic material. Bryan Johnson, a longevity enthusiast who is leading the "Don't Die" campaign, has undergone several of these controversial procedures in pursuit of longevity, complementing a strict lifestyle and dietary regimen.