Bio hacking is the science of changing the environment around you and inside you so that your body and biology will do what you want it to. Biohackers want to improve how their mind and body functions through techniques, technologies, supplements and exercises.
I have always been interested in anything that legally helps me get the most out of my mind and body. High performance, achieving extraordinary feats and operating at an optimal level on a daily basis means you will get further in your life goals and dreams.
I know there are treasures in there, in all of us, to overcome many diseases, have better memory, more creativity, a better intellect, to overcome depression, anxiety and stress.
I have chanced upon extraordinary states during the expeditions and races, had glimpses of the miraculous powers within that have enabled me to achieve far more than I can on a day to day basis and this has sent me on a quest to find the best tips, technologies and techniques to get the most out of myself.
I can't here go into detail but this will give you a starting point to find out more if your interest is peaked.
Hack 1. A daily breath focused practice. Diaphragmatic breathing practices have so many benefits for the body and mind that I whole books are written on it. Doing deep belly breathing regularly throughout the day can help relieve stress, help you tap into your parasympathetic nervous system and slow the release of cortisol and adrenaline, the stress hormones and much more. Good breathing techniques can help you control your emotions, your reactions and control your physiological responses to stressors.
Hack 2: A method from Wim Hof, an incredible world record breaking man who uses extreme cold exposure, breathing techniques and mindset practices to achieve extraordinary feats, help overcome diseases and teaches people to control their own autonomic nervous system. He has been studied by top scientists around the world and has 26 world records. He has even climbed Mt Everest in a t’shirt and shorts, survived hours submersed in ice water and much more. Check out his method at https://www.wimhofmethod.com to learn how using exposure to extreme cold temperatures can help your body fight disease and achieve the impossible.
Hack 3: Get the light right. Did you know that fluorescent lights and LED lights can be detrimental to your health. These lights at the wrong time of day especially can disrupt your melatonin levels and stop you sleeping well. Getting red or amber lights for evening can help you avoid this problem and if you are working on screens at night check out F.lux software which changes the light on your computer. https://justgetflux.com/
Hack 4: hyperbaric oxygen therapy - This was so miraculous for my mum after she suffered an aneurysm that we actually opened a clinic in New Plymouth to make sure this incredible therapy is available here. In short hyperbaric hyper oxygenates the body and due to the increased pressure, oxygen molecules are compressed and are able to be dissolved into the plasma where the body can uptake much more of it and because the oxygen molecules are smaller they can permeate into difficult to reach areas where circulation is poor, tissue is inflamed or across the blood/brain barrier. Our website at www.o2plus.net.nz. Also check out the "The Oxygen Revolution" by Dr Paul Harch one of the world's leading experts in this area of medicine and visit his website at www.hbot.com.
Hack 5. Nootropics or smart drugs. This is an extremely interesting and quickly developing area of neuroscience that has seen the development of supplements/drugs that are designed to enhance the function of your brain. I am not endorsing any of these but am currently experimenting with the supplements on myself and am finding them extremely beneficial. They are designed to help your memory, your processing power, to help people who have brain impairments of various sorts function better, to improve memory and executive function and the research is fascinating. A couple worthy of note are the nootropic stacks at www.axonlabs.io and listen to the Smartdrugsmarts podcast www.smartdrugssmart.com
Hack 6: The Halo Sport headset - this is a headset that stimulates the part of your brain responsible for muscle movement. This accelerates training improvements in: strength, endurance, explosiveness and muscle memory. It’s being used on athletes primarily but has applications in stroke rehabilitation and recovery from injury and for musicians.
It uses electrical neurostimulation to the motor cortex to build stronger, more optimised connections between your brain and muscles. This process induces a temporary state of hyper-learning or "hyperplasticity" in the brain, which refines the brain's ability to learn and adapt.
Finding tools and techniques that help us be better and achieve more is an exciting hobby to have and I will have more tricks to hack your body and mind in next months column.