Biohacking: What Is It and How Does It Benefit Our Health?
January 24, 2019
Although the term biohacking may seem quite alien and may sound complex, the truth is that everyone would have undertaken some biohacking unbeknownst to them in the past!
Taking cold showers during summer days to cool down body temperature, intaking additional vitamin supplements tablets or even listening to music to take your mind off stressful thoughts are all simple biohacks we undertake, on a regular basis for better adaption and/or health!
What is biohacking?
We most commonly associate “hacking” with accessing and modifying IT systems. Biohacking is not any different, except for the fact that the system being hacked is our own biological system, the human body.
Biohacking is the process of using science and self-experimentation to improve your internal and external for better control and upgrade of your mind and body (Dave Aspley, founder and CEO of Bulletproof, 2019). This process states that following usual approaches to getting healthier may work for one person but may not work for another as every individual’s body is unique and functions differently.
This approach encourages people to experiment and tailor activities such as exercise and diet, their workload and also their environment to help them define and create a healthier atmosphere and prevent illnesses.
What are some things you can biohack in your daily life?
There are diverse number of changes or biohacks you can do in your daily life and they don’t necessarily have to be expensive or complex!
Something as simple as intaking vitamin supplements is a form of biohacking as your body absorbs vitamins neither from your normal diet nor from the environment but in the form of capsules.
- Nutrition
A very popular method to biohack your nutrition is by following a bulletproof diet, which aims to substitute unhealthy fats with healthy ones and incorporating lots of vegetables for healthy weight loss.
- Sleep schedules
Sleep patterns and rituals can be altered with, in order to maximise on rest. A very simple example would be through monitoring sleeping hours or even using technology with warmer or softer tones of brightness before going to bed, which can ensure deeper and calmer sleeps.
- Body temperature
Taking cold showers early morning can wake you up and boost energy levels, consequently contributing to better moods. Furthermore, cold showers on a hot day is also an excellent example of a biohack, where the body temperature can be reduced to adapt better to the warm weather.
- Many more!
And there are many more biohacks as well! Examples include biohacks targeting: physical movement, breathing pattern and even anxiety and depression.
What are some benefits of biohacking?
Although biohacking constantly faces the hurdle of ethics and not being regulated, it is packed with advantages that can aid individuals thrive towards and maintain healthier living for both physical and mental health. Benefits include:
- Various health improvements such as long term memory, increased productivity, increased good feeling, better control of one’s health and many more;
- The possibility to be creative and self-experiment on one’s own lifestyle and diet; and
- Better understanding of one’s body and body processes.
At Ubuntu Medical, we believe strongly in the necessity for innovation in the field of medical health to ensure your utmost well-being.
Our friendly medical staff will happily discuss with you about biohacking and can assist you with positive modifications you could bring to your lifestyle. You can consult our Naturopath, Herbalist and Nutritionist, Andrea Southern, who can provide you with further information.