What Is Biohacking?

Biohacking is essentially a “do-it-yourself” type of biology that is supposed to boost overall health and well-being. It covers a wide range of practices from cryotherapy to gratitude meditations, to improve both the physical body and the mind.

Whether you’re not sure what biohacking is and you want to learn more about it, you are keen to biohack yourself healthier, but you’re unsure which practice to try, or you’re interested in learning about the best biohacking supplements out there, this article covers it all.

So, let’s get into it and dive into the world of biohacking!

A Brief History of Biohacking

Biohacking is an over-arching term that refers to various lifestyle changes and practices.

Although biohacking has only recently been brought into mainstream culture, a similar term, biotechnology, was first mentioned in a mainstream context in 1988 in a Washington Post article.

More recently, Dave Asprey, the founder of Bulletproof, has created most of the hype around biohacking.

Asprey shares information, and products, that are supposed to help people manipulate their bodies and minds to improve their fitness, health, happiness, and productivity.

Why Do People Biohack?

Obviously, the main draw for people to get involved in biohacking is to improve their mental and physical health.

However, the main benefit of biohacking is that it can be done for free or for very little money compared to other health and wellness programs.

Additionally, unlike having a personal trainer or diet plan, people that choose to biohack their way to health can slowly implement biohacking practices into their life, meaning they can not only make changes at their own pace, but will be less likely to give up on these changes and go back to an unhealthy lifestyle quickly after ending a plan.

The Different Types of Biohacking

Although biohacking is a general term, as mentioned above, biohacking practices are typically split into three categories – do-it-yourself biology, nutrigenomics, and grinder biohacking.

Do-It-Yourself biology is the most commonly known type of biohacking and refers to people who experiment with biology and improve their health with non-medicinal and non-conventional practices.

Nutrigenomics is a type of biohacking that focuses on the relationship between the human genome and nutrition. Therefore, this type of biohacking centers around practices that change the body through nutrition.

Grinder biohacking is a type of biohacking that focuses on chemical and technological manipulation of the body and mind. This is the most dangerous type of biohacking because it often requires unsafe body modification. This is not recommended!

Is Biohacking Safe?

Most commonly known biohacking practices, such as those we’ll tell you about later in this article, are generally safe – these are the DIY and nutrigenomics types of biohacking.

However, it may not be safe if you change your lifestyle significantly or undertake extreme biohacking practices!

Grinder biohacking, on the other hand, is absolutely not a safe way to improve your health and wellness and can be incredibly dangerous.

8 Ways To Biohack Your Way To Success

Now you know a little more about what biohacking is, we’re going to be looking at the top 8 ways you can biohack your body and mind to improve your overall health and wellbeing!

1Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy is a practice that exposes the body to extremely cold temperatures. You can either localize cryotherapy by applying ice to an area, or by practicing cryotherapy in a specific chamber that immerses the entire body.

Cryotherapy chambers are typically around -200°F and each session lasts 2-4 minutes.

Cryotherapy improves the circulatory system, reduces blood pressure, and improves cardiovascular function. It can also reduce depression and anxiety by promoting the release of adrenaline and endorphins.

Related: Best ice bathes

2Red Light Therapy

Red light therapy exposes your skin to red and near-infrared light. You can either You can use a red light or infrared sauna, face mask, or lamp to receive the benefits of this light.

Both types of light promote the body's healing and provide various other health benefits, such as boosting the immune system, reducing pain, improving cognitive function, repairing muscles, and rejuvenating the skin.

3Sleep Hygiene

Getting good sleep is an essential part of biohacking your way to better health and happiness.

While we sleep, the immune system improves healing processes, hormones are released, the nervous system relaxes, and muscle recovery is enhanced.

You can improve your quality of sleep by reducing your exposure to blue light before bed, by supplementing with adaptogenic herbs, supporting your circadian rhythm, and by using meditation and relaxation practices.

Of course, you can only improve your sleep if you know how good it is in the first place. This is why I use the Oura ring to measure and track my sleep each day.

4Practice Gratitude

Gratitude can help you improve your cognitive function and reduce mental health conditions such as anxiety.

Gratitude directly impacts anxiety and the brain by increasing positive emotions and supporting the regulation of the sympathetic nervous system.

You can practice gratitude in a number of ways, from doing gratitude journaling and gratitude meditations to actively showing appreciation to those around you and realizing how abundant your life already is.

5Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is a type of diet that allows you to eat only in certain time periods.

The most commonly done intermittent fasting diets are 16/8 fasting (meaning you don’t eat for 16 hours and then you eat within an 8 hour period) and the 5:2 diet (meaning you eat completely normally for 5 days and then reduce your calories drastically on the other 2 days).

Benefits of intermittent fasting include improved energy, faster cell repair, lower insulin, and weight loss.

Although intermittent fasting isn’t right for everyone, it can be beneficial for a number of people. I have tried numerous IM protocols, even trying a two-day fast with mixed results!

However, you may want to check with your doctor or a medical professional before doing intermittent fasting if you suffer from a medical condition or take medication.

6Elimination Diet

One of the best biohacking practices is the elimination diet – this can help you understand exactly which foods are triggering to you, completely reduce symptoms of gut conditions, improve energy levels, and improve the appearance of your skin.

For around 4 weeks, remove foods that have the potential to irritate your gut (such as dairy, gluten, nuts, soy, etc), and then slowly reintroduce these foods you’ve removed back into your diet one by one.

When you reintroduce these foods into your diet, take note of how you feel, mentally and physically.

This should help you pinpoint which foods in your diet are causing you issues and allow you to improve your gut health!

7Drink Caffeine

Although caffeine often has a bad rap for causing anxiety and jitters, as long as you use caffeine in the right way, it can be incredibly beneficial.

Caffeine can boost energy, improve alertness, and boost mood, making it a great thing to consume when you’re trying to biohacking your mind!

However, you need to use caffeine correctly to benefit from it.

Consume coffee when you truly need it, don’t drink more than 4 cups of coffee per day, take your coffee black or use Bulletproof coffee (it contains MCTs), and stop consuming coffee after 2 pm to ensure you’re not jeopardizing your quality of

8Forest Bathing

Forest bathing, also known as shinrin yoku in Japanese, is simply the practice of being quiet whilst being amongst trees, spending time in nature in a calm state, and breathing deeply whilst out in the open.

Practicing forest bathing can lower stress levels, improve mood, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, improve cognitive function, and improve the immune system.

You can practice forest bathing by going into a quiet area of nature and sitting or standing in complete silence for 20 minutes or more. During this time, you should focus on what you can hear, see, and feel.

Can You Take Supplements For Biohacking?

There are specific supplements that are used for biohacking, those of which are called nootropics! Nootropic supplements are cognitive enhancing supplements.

These types of supplements can go from the safest and most natural type of supplements (such as herbal and adaptogen supplements), right to the most concerning and dangerous type (such as prescription drugs like amphetamine).

Safe nootropics can be incredibly beneficial in not only boosting your cognitive function but improving your bodily health too. So, we’re going to take a look at a few of the best nootropic, or biohacking, supplements on the market.

The Best Biohacking Supplements Out There

1Mind Lab Pro

Mind Lab Pro provides 11 powerful nootropic ingredients in each serving, all of which are fully disclosed.

This capsule supplement is produced by UK based company, Opti-Nutra Limited, and has grown to be one of the most popular nootropic supplements globally since the company was launched in 2015.

Mind Lab Pro has been shown in clinical trials to optimize and boost cognition, which means that all of the ingredients within the formula are likely to be sufficiently dosed and provide benefits to the consumer!

The supplement is supposed to improve focus, clarity, memory and mood, whilst also providing long-term cognitive benefits.

1-months supply of Mind Lab Pro, $65, meaning the cost per serving is a little high, at $2.17.

Check out my Mind Lab Pro review.

2Onnit Alpha Brain

Onnit Alpha Brain is a popular nootropic supplement that is supposed to help heighten focus, improve memory function, reduce stress, and optimize brain waves.

Onnit, founded by famous author, vlogger, and coach, Aubrey Marcus, is a well-known brand and Alpha Brain is one of the brand’s best-sellers!

The formula contains a wide range of powerful nootropic ingredients that may provide benefits, but unfortunately, the formula does contain proprietary blends and therefore, it’s unclear how much of each ingredient exists within the formula, which is a shame!

One 30 serving bottle of Alpha Brain costs $34.95, meaning the cost per serving works out at $1.17. This is a fairly reasonable price for such a popular nootropic supplement!

Check out my ONNIT Alpha Brain review.

3Qualia Mind

Qualia Mind is produced by Neurohacker Collective, a nootropic-focused supplement brand that’s known globally.

The supplement is supposed to relieve brain fog, boost energy and focus, and improve mental clarity.

This supplement list contains more than 25 individual ingredients, and amazingly, each of these ingredients is fully disclosed. Therefore, it’s clear to see how much of each ingredient exists within the formula.

However, some of the ingredients may not be fully disclosed or scientifically backed up and therefore it may not provide benefits in the way that the brand claims it will.

With a one-off purchase price of $139 for just 22 servings, this supplement is extremely expensive – the cost per serving works out at $6.32.

Check out my Qualia Mind review.

4NeuroFuel (Formerly Known As CILTEP) By Natural Stacks

NeuroFuel is a capsule supplement produced by Natural Stacks and is a formula that’s supposed to boost concentration, improve focus, and increase memory function.

The formula is an up-and-coming supplement on the nootropic market, but it’s becoming exponentially more popular.

There are only 5 ingredients within the NeuroFuel formula, but the ingredients label is fully disclosed which means it’s possible to see how much of each ingredient exists within the formula.

The formula contains fairly sufficient doses of all the ingredients within the formula, meaning it may provide the benefits associated with it!

One bottle of 45 veg caps, providing 15 servings, costs $29.95, meaning the cost per serving works out at $2.00.

Check out my NeuroFuel review.

5Super Green TONIK

Although Super Green TONIK isn’t specifically a nootropic supplement, it contains six powerful nootropic ingredients, – Ashwagandha Root Extract, Bacopa Monnieri, Rhodiola Rosea, L-Theanine, Ginkgo Biloba, and L-Tyrosine.

The amounts of each of these ingredients can be seen due to the fact that the formula has a fully disclosed ingredients label, and the doses of these ingredients are actually much higher than the doses in other nootropic-specific supplements on the market.

The formula has a cost per serving of between $2.17 – $2.90 per day.

Check out my Supergreen TONIK review.

The Bottom Line – Biohacking Can Be Wonderful When Done Right!

Biohacking is certainly an interesting topic and you can definitely learn a lot from listening to biohacker teachers and leaders online.

You can also definitely improve your health, both physical and mental, with biohacking. However, you do need to be careful!

As long as you biohack with caution, you’ll find great success!