Biohacking: the key to better health?

What if small tweaks to your daily routine could supercharge your health? Biohacking is an approach to health and wellness that uses science and self-experimentation to bring your body back into balance. It can further optimise your physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. Another great way of describing it is regulating your biology by changing the environment inside you and around you.

Biohacking practices often focus on small measurable changes to things such as lifestyle, diet and your environment, overtime leading to a healthier and happier you. Some popular areas of biohacking include; fitness, diet, sleep and mental health.

Popular biohacks and their benefits

Fitness

Wearable devices such as a Fitbit or Oura ring can allow you to optimise workouts or recovery and track sleep.

Lifting weights/strength training¹ 3-4 times per week: Helps to improve glucose metabolism, lowers mortality risk by lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, increases bone density², reduces risk of injury and falls, amongst many other benefits.

Diet

There are so many diets and dietary interventions that it can be difficult to cut through all the noise.

Here are a couple of popular ones:

The Mediterranean diet³: Rich in healthy fats, whole grains and vegetables, this blue zone diet has reported benefits of reducing cardiovascular issues and supporting longevity.⁴ If it’s good enough for the centenarians right?

Probiotics and prebiotics: Due to their ability to improve mental health, wellbeing and immunity, research⁵ shows us just how important gut health is for your overall health. It’s no surprise gut health is big in the biohacking world.

Sleep

Practising a regular sleep schedule, avoiding screens 1-2 hours before bed, wearing blue light-blocking glasses in the evening⁶, and sleeping in a cool room are all said to improve sleep quality.⁷

Magnesium supplementation: With depleted levels of magnesium being linked to sleep issues and disorders⁸, this essential mineral can be highly beneficial. Opt for magnesium glycinate when choosing a supplement specific for sleep.

Mental Health

Mindfulness and meditation are some of the first things that come to mind when considering mental health due to how they reduce stress⁹, improve focus and enhance emotional regulation.¹⁰

Not forgetting the benefits of regular exercise and the previously mentioned synbiotic (probiotic + prebiotic) which are both shown to have profound effects on mental health.

Biohacks that are increasing in popularity include;

Red Light therapy: Benefits include the reduction of inflammation, wound healing, muscle recovery and skin rejuvenation.¹¹

Cold therapy: Including cold showers and cryotherapy purported to improve circulation, improve sleep, reduce inflammation, and enhance mood.¹²

The biohacks mentioned here are just some of the ways people are choosing to hack their health, within the ever growing field of biohacking. This should not be taken as medical advice and if you choose to make any changes to your health regimen please consult with your GP or healthcare professional.

To learn more about nourishing foods that can boost your brain health see here.

Any questions? Contact one of our Nutritional Therapists via live chat, weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm.