Biohacking is the practice of using science, data, and self-experimentation to optimize body and mind through changes to your biology and your environment.
According to Dr. Melissa Young on the Cleveland Clinic podcast, it’s “the art and science of maximizing human performance by hacking our biology.” It’s simpler than we think — “it’s making intentional changes in lifestyle, our environment, our body, to maximize our mind, body and emotional health.”
Let’s be clear here — we don’t believe in “hacking” anything. Our bodies are sacred, magical, machines that can do wonderful and amazing things. In our effort to redefine biohacking as “body science,” we want to be clear that you are in control of your health.
Dr Young underscores that it’s about finding innovative and cutting edge ways to get to know your body better, and not about cutting corners: “Biohackers are really looking to optimize not only performance, but optimize their health, and are looking for these — they call them hacks — to be able to do that.”
Personal autonomy + tech + curiosity
Biohackers specifically embrace technology as part of the ethos of “self knowledge through numbers” — self-quantification. Many say that self-experimentation should be done safely, and the results documented and shared in order to create an open-source knowledge base of personal medicine:
“Biohacking is a do-it-yourself citizen science merging body modification with technology. The motivations of biohackers include cybernetic exploration, personal data acquisition, and advocating for privacy rights and open-source medicine. The emergence of a biohacking community has influenced discussions of cultural values, medical ethics, safety, and consent in transhumanist technology.”
It’s not about becoming superhuman. It’s about making small, measurable tweaks to improve energy, focus, recovery, sleep, and longevity. Simply so you can feel great every day until the end of your many days.
If you also gain the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound, well, that’s great too!
If you’ve ever tried a fasting app, worn a fitness tracker, adjusted your sleep based on HRV, or swapped coffee for adaptogens, congrats, you’ve biohacked. Or body science-d. Or whatever you want to call it that makes you feel like you understand your body’s behaviors better.
Start here: the biohacker mindset
At its core, biohacking is a mindset. We are naturally curious as humans. We want to understand how their bodies work and how to make them work better. We experiment, collect data, and iterate.
We ask:
- How do I feel today?
- What’s my sleep score?
- Is this food fueling me or fogging me?
Biohackers don’t wait for a diagnosis to care about health. They treat their body like a system and look for ways to optimize it.
Popular goals
Biohacking can look different depending on your priorities. But some common goals include:
- Better sleep: See your time spent in REM and deep sleep with health tracking tools like Oura or WHOOP.
- Stable energy: Using glucose monitors to spot blood sugar crashes.
- Improved mood: Managing light exposure and testing nootropics.
- Longevity: Following biomarkers like VO2 max, resting heart rate, or inflammation levels.
- Physical performance: Customizing recovery, hydration, and supplementation.
Tools
Modern biohackers use a range of tools to measure and adjust their biology:
- Trackers: Wearables like Oura, WHOOP, Garmin, or Fitbit.
- Apps: From fasting timers to sleep analyzers.
- Labs: Blood panels, gut microbiome tests, hormone reports.
- Diets and supplements
There’s no single “biohacking diet,” but there are patterns:
- Intermittent fasting
- Low-glycemic eating
- High-protein meals
- Nootropics and adaptogens
- Targeted supplementation (magnesium, omega-3s, creatine, etc.)
The common thread? Eating for metabolic flexibility, stable energy, and cognitive clarity.
Beginner vs. advanced biohacking
You don’t need to buy a $300 ring to start. Some of the most powerful biohacks are free:
- Going to bed and waking up at the same time
- Morning sunlight exposure
- Breathing techniques for stress regulation
- Cold showers for dopamine and resilience
Advanced biohackers often layer in data-driven protocols, from sleep labs to NAD IVs, but most start with a few habits that stick.
How to build your own biohacking plan
- Pick a goal: Energy, sleep, mood, performance, etc.
- Track a baseline: Use a journal or device to collect data.
- Test one change at a time: New supplement, new bedtime, new meal routine.
- Observe and adjust: Biohacking is a loop. See what works. Toss what doesn’t.
Your body, your lab
Biohacking isn’t about chasing perfection, it’s about paying attention. When you start thinking like a biohacker, every day becomes an experiment. And every experiment gets you closer to the version of yourself you’re working toward.
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