Are You Ready to Biohack Your Way to a Healthy Old Age?

Boost your body with wearable technology.

Have you heard of biohacking? The quantified self movement? Lifelogging?

Or are you old school and techie enough with an Apple Watch or a FitBit?

If a biohacker is — somebody who uses science and technology to make their body function better and more efficiently, according to one of the Merriam-Webster definitions, then I proudly qualify.

I love using technology to improve my health.

Quantified self and lifelogging are other terms for incorporating technology and data acquisition into daily life, improving physical, mental, and emotional performance.

Some people term all these activities body hacking, and I’m surprised not to see more older people using these tools. Now, I do have what one of my younger grandsons call a robot hip made of titanium; I haven’t gotten a neuro link implanted in my brain. Yet.

Smart home devices, referred to by the broad term of the Internet of Things (IoT), provide convenience, comfort, and even safety to older people. For example, your robot vacuum can clean, empty the dirt, and put itself back on the charger. Your voice assistant can turn lights on and off and set reminders to exercise, eat, or remember to take medication. People over 50 years old are adopting these new tools: home assistant use increased from 7% in 2017 to 17% in 2019.

Why aren’t more people using wearable technology?

But I’m most excited about the burgeoning field of wearable technology. It offers numerous benefits that I already enjoy, and I’d happily beta-test anything inventors are cooking up.

Wearable technology, also called wearable devices or simply wearables, refers to any miniaturized electronic device that can be easily put on and off the body.

Alternatively, they can be incorporated into clothing or other body-worn accessories such as the wrist or chest bands used for heart rate monitoring and more.

A Fitbit that can measure and record activities ranging from simple walking to various sports is considered a wearable and hit the market in 2009. The first Apple Watch was available in 2014, but only 16% of folks aged 60–69 use either of them.

An article from Johns Hopkins Medicine states that regular users of fitness trackers walk over a mile more than those who do not use the devices. One of the reasons is that it makes it easier to set goals and track how well we achieve them.

If good sleep is relaxing, why can it be hard to get?

By now, we’ve all heard about the dangers of obstructive sleep apnea or OSA. Untreated, it can lead to heart attacks, among other problems.

Michigan Medicine researchers found that 56% of people ages 65 and older have a high risk of OSA, which causes an interruption in breathing during the night. Yet only 8% of those people had been tested for it.

Numerous other health problems are known to be caused by lack of sleep and poor sleep quality. I suggest reading the article Why is it So Hard to Get a Good Night’s Sleep? And how it can be a matter of life and death, for more information.

I am absolutely convinced of the value of optimal sleep, so when my son showed me his latest wearable, I was a believer.

My favorite wearable is a smart sleep ring.

A sleep or fitness ring is a tiny titanium device that tracks data to visualize what’s happening inside my body.

When used as a sleep tracker, it measures time spent in each sleep stage, how long it takes to fall asleep, and total sleep. The ring also records your heart rate, heart rate variability, breathing rate, skin temperature, and several other metrics included in a readiness rating for each day.

The ring uses tiny sensors inside the ring which read your pulse, temperature, and more directly from the arteries of your finger. Then, it seamlessly connects to your smartphone to display the data it gathers.

The technology is so sensitive and accurate that it detected a .9 degree temperature increase after my COVID vaccine. The app suggested that I might not be feeling well and should consider having a rest day. Only one other time in the two years I’ve been using it detected a temperature increase. I rested and recovered in 24 hours. Without this warning, I know I’d have kept pushing and possibly gotten sicker.

Bottom line: how has the ring improved my health?

Being able to see reliable data every morning has changed my life habits. For each feature, with a simple tap, I can access easy-to-understand information on what the data means and how I can improve that function.

For instance, my sleep quality drastically improved when I changed eating my main meal from 7:00 pm to no later than 4:00 pm. The digestion process keeps my heart rate elevated and prevents my resting heart rate from stabilizing early in the night. That keeps me from getting deep sleep which is so critical for muscle rebuilding.

Without a single doubt, I can see the effect of even one evening glass of wine and choose to abstain rather than feeling sluggish the next day from poor sleep.

When I get the right amount of exercise during the day, which it also tracks, I can see an obvious difference in my sleep and readiness.

I’ve become more in tune with my body.

At first, I was less aware of how I felt when I was well-rested. Now I can wake up and predict what the data will say based on how my body feels. It’s helped me learn to trust my body awareness in a whole new way.

So if biohacking can be described as citizen or do-it-yourselfers making small, incremental diet or lifestyle changes to health and well-being—I’m all in.

According to data on the Oura Ring website, I’m one of the one percent of users over 60 years old or the 8% over 50. So I hope you’ll join me, and let’s boost those numbers.

We only have one body, and it’s got to last. What would you pay for one more year of healthy life? Think about it and invest the time and money to maximize your wellness now.

If you have questions about any of the technology I’ve discussed here, please get in touch.