I’m sure you may have heard of hacking your televisions and hacking computers, but have you heard about hacking your body? The “biohacker" concept is not only rapidly buzzing, it’s gaining popularity at a speedy rate. It may sound madness to some, however, we biohackers have our reasons! So what, exactly, is biohacking?

Biohacking is optimizing practices to improve and enhance our overall health, wellbeing, and biology. It’s creating an environment for optimal performance and ultimate self-improvement.

There are common biohacking techniques that have been around for centuries and have roots in ancient practices. Some, such as meditation, grounding (also known as earthing) and intermittent fasting increase energy and vitality.

And there are other biohacking modalities that use a technology-based approach—think red-light therapy, blue-blocking glasses, infrared saunas, sleep trackers, and cold plunges. 

To take it a step even further, there are now biohacking techniques that use medical procedures to affect longevity genes and improve cellular health on an even deeper level. These procedures include stem cell therapy, IV drips, hyperbaric chambers, and even blood transfusions.

Biohacking is filled with opportunities to heal your body, to feel like the absolute best version of yourself, and to enhance your overall performance. 

How To Get Started With Biohacking

Let’s get down to the basics. Developing a plan to identify your health goals is a good place to begin. Start to pay attention to how you are feeling and keep track of it. Ask yourself how you can enhance your body, energy, and life. 

From there you can see exactly what you want to improve and work in while discovering simple hacks to figure out how to incorporate them into your daily lifestyle. You can start biohacking by including free and simple hacks into your daily routine and rituals. As mentioned above, this can include meditation, eating healthy, putting your bare feet into the ground, hydrating with water, spending time in nature and soaking up some healthy doses of vitamin D naturally, and in my opinion, probably one of the most important key factors is getting good quality sleep.

Let’s dive into some specific tips so can get started with biohacking.

Biohacking Tip #1: Better Sleep

Sleep is crucial for overall wellness and happiness. They also call it beauty sleep for a reason. Some questions to ask yourself and reflect on: How do you feel upon waking? Do you feel well rested, or groggy and tired? How do you feel the quality of your sleep is? How is your mood? How does your skin look? Are you waking up multiple times throughout the night or getting solid sleep? If you find yourself restless or having inadequate quality sleep, there are some hacks you can implement to ensure a more restful sleep.

Earplugs

If you find yourself waking up from noise or sound, you can try out earplugs to reduce noise and improve overall sleep quality. 

Darkness

Darkness is also essential for a restful sleep. Sometimes light can creep in from any electronics in the room‑including alarm clocks. Our brains are wired to produce melatonin when it is dark, so a dark room is important to ensure quality sleep. A satin or silk eye mask is helpful to block out any light, and is gentle on the skin around your eyes.

Air Quality

Air quality is also important. Breathing in clean air can make a significant difference. You can read more about the importance of air purifiers here, but the gist of it is that air purifiers work to purify the air in your home or office by pulling airborne dust and irritants out of the air, then recirculating purified air for you to breathe. Don’t forget to open your windows at least 3-4 times a week for air circulation.

Biohacking Tip #2: Mushrooms 

Another simple way to enhance your body includes daily movement and physical performance. Lifestyle and diet are also key factors. After flushing your body with a big ol’ cup of water first thing in the morning for hydration, you can give yourself a boost by adding adaptogens and mushrooms to your morning cup of coffee or tea. Four Sigmatic’s various coffees contains both mushrooms and adaptogens to give you extra brain power and restoration.  

The mushrooms used in Four Sigmatic have been shown to increase focus, memory, and support immune function. This coffee gives you a good dose of energy and is a proven hack for fasting which aids in increased energy, mental clarity, and reducing inflammation. Consider switching out your typical morning drink with this delicious upgrade.

Biohacking Tip #3: Grounding

Grounding or earthing is placing your bare feet directly in dirt, grass, sand, any natural element of the earth. When you place your feet on the ground, your feet are absorbing nourishing energy that can help restore our immune systems and reduce inflammation. Ideally, you want to be outside with no shoes or socks on for a minimum of 20–30 minutes to feel closer to nature and to maximize results. (This is a great hack to fight jet lag.)

Biohacking Tip #4: Sunlight and Vitamin D 

Consider getting a healthy amount of sunlight every day as well. Sun exposure and natural light keeps your circadian rhythm on track. Sunlight and natural light first thing in the morning and during the day is a great way to not only produce a healthy amount of melatonin at night but a great way to naturally soak up essential Vitamin D. Make sure to balance using protective sunscreen and don’t overdo the sun exposure by giving yourself sun damage and a sunburn. If where you live isn’t always bright and sunny, consider getting your vitamin levels tested and if deficient, supplementing with a good source of Vitamin D in the morning. 

Biohacking Tip #5: Epsom Salts 

Biohackers understand the importance of reducing stress or doing their best to manage it well. When you suffer from stress (as most people do), it can become challenging to focus. Combatting stress by using tools such as meditation, deep breathing, movement, and cold showers can significantly help lower stress hormones. Adding Epsom salts to your bath is an easy and simple hack to calm and ease any tension happening within your body and mind. These salts are shown to relax muscles and calm the nervous system after a stressful day or an intense workout. 

Biohacking Tip #6: Gratitude 

Develop a gratitude practice. Taking time out of your day, even for five minutes, to jot down or mentally think of things you are grateful for may be one of the most important biohacks of all. By considering things you are grateful for can not only increase your happiness and mood but help you recover more easily from stress related feelings, events, or thoughts. Gratitude lists also help to increase productivity. I personally have a few different mantras, love notes, and gratitude lists on sticky notes around my home for daily reminders. 

Start Simple And Work Your Way Up To More Complex Biohacks

These are some simple and natural biohacks, each with an abundant number of benefits. They are a great place to start before implementing more complex modalities such as red-light therapy, infrared saunas, IV drips, etc, or even activity trackers that are used to measure exercise, heart rate, body temperature, daily recovery and strain, and sleep quality. 

However, it’s very important to consult with your physician and do plenty of research if you are interested in your own biohacking. We biohackers want to take on our own responsibility for our health and wellness. It’s vital for energy, performance, happiness, and overall well-being. I wish you all a life filled with optimization, joy, and health!