Discover a collection of stories from our authorities on the Longevity Lifestyle, created by ROAR Forward, a collaborative of longevity thought leaders and content creators.
Maybe you’ve seen the ads on social media for a magnesium foot spray to help you sleep. Or the PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field) mat that guarantees to reduce stress, improve metabolism, and increase energy.
These tools and techniques fall into the new-ish category of biohacks—aka, shortcuts to help your body do what it’s supposed to do on its own, but better, faster, and more efficiently. “Biohacking has become a movement designed to keep you healthy, strong, and fit, and to predict and prevent disease before it happens,” says Molly Maloof, MD who has been using biohacking in her medical practice since 2014. She’s also the author of The Spark Factor: The Secret to Supercharging Energy, Becoming Resilient, and Feeling Better Than Ever.
You’re likely already biohacking at home, you just didn’t know it. Here’s how to tap into more scientifically-backed hacks.
Sleep
Maloof says it’s often the simplest things that make a difference in health, including sleep. You can biohack your way to a solid 7-8 hours.
● Getting natural sunlight outside for 5-10 minutes upon waking—and again in the late afternoon — has been shown to help set circadian rhythms.
● Maloof says to avoid screens three hours before sleep. The blue light that they emit inhibits melatonin production, a natural hormone shown to improve sleep.
● “A simple biohack is a good solid magnesium powder supplement at night,” says Maloof. Higher levels of magnesium are associated with better and longer sleep, according to The Sleep Foundation.
Stress
Stress wreaks havoc on our health and longevity. In research that led to the Nobel Prize in 2009, scientist Elizabeth Blackburn discovered that perimenopausal women with higher perceived levels of stress aged 10 years faster than women with normal stress.
● Taking a 20-30 minute walk around the block a few times a week helps reduce cortisol, the stress hormone, and increase feel-good endorphins.
● Breathwork and meditation with a mantra can help manage stress and create focus. A basic breathing technique is inhaling through the nose to the count of five and exhaling to the count of five.
● Maloof does a combo of meditation, breathwork, and yoga in the morning. “I just feel my heart relax, my body relax, and my thoughts melt away.”
Exercise and Other Home Biohacks
Exercise is the classic biohack to improve muscle strength and heart health. Many experts are now saying we don’t need 10,000 steps a day; 7,000 is enough to make a difference.
• Strength training becomes more important as we age. High-impact and weight-bearing exercises can stimulate osteogenesis, or bone growth. Maloof says it’s all about “jumping, jumping, jumping. The body needs intense impact on joints and bones to stimulate growth.”
• Walking barefoot on the ground, beach, or grass, or “grounding,” connects the body’s electrical energy to the Earth. Studies show its effects relate to sleep, stress, and pain management, according to a study published in The Journal of Inflammation Research.
• Maloof’s favorite hack? Community, family, friends, and love, which foster oxytocin, the bonding hormone. “Love — literally linked to longevity — is the ultimate biohack,” says Maloof.