I have spent a lot of money on biohacking over the years.
Some of it was worth every dollar. Some of it was expensive placebo. And some of it — the stuff I still use every single week after seven-plus years of self-experimentation — is the focus of this piece.
I approach my health the same way I approached cybersecurity for years. Analytically. Systematically. Defensively. I am not interested in trends or marketing. I am interested in what the data shows and what I actually feel in my body. When those two things align — and they do not always align — I keep the practice. When they don't, I stop.
Here is what survived that filter.
Red Light Therapy — Daily, Non-Negotiable
I use a red light therapy panel every morning for 10 minutes. It is the first biohacking tool I recommend to anyone willing to listen, because the research is both solid and underappreciated by mainstream health culture.
What red light therapy does, specifically:
Mitochondrial support. The photons from red and near-infrared wavelengths are absorbed by cytochrome c oxidase in mitochondria — the organelles responsible for producing cellular energy. This directly enhances ATP production, meaning every cell in your body is operating with more fuel.
Inflammation reduction. Consistent red light exposure reduces inflammatory markers measurably. This matters for recovery, for skin health, for joint function, and for systemic wellbeing.
Skin health and collagen production. This is why my doctor told me I look 15 years younger. The research on red light and skin aging is extensive and consistent.
Sleep quality improvement. Evening red light exposure supports melatonin production without the disruption that blue light causes.
The devices worth investing in are the full-panel units that deliver adequate power density — typically 100mW/cm² or higher. The cheap handheld devices do not have sufficient irradiance to produce meaningful results.
Cost: $300-$600 for a quality panel. Return on investment: extraordinary.
Sauna — Five Times Per Week
If I had to keep only one biohacking practice, it would be this one.
The research on regular sauna use is among the most compelling in the entire longevity and health optimization space. Finnish studies tracking men over decades show dose-dependent reductions in cardiovascular disease, sudden cardiac death, and all-cause mortality with regular sauna use. The more frequently you sauna, the larger the effect.
What specifically happens in the sauna:
Cardiovascular conditioning. A 20-minute sauna session at 175-200°F produces cardiovascular stress equivalent to moderate aerobic exercise. Your heart rate elevates, your blood vessels dilate, your blood volume increases. Over time, this produces measurable improvements in cardiovascular fitness.
Cortisol regulation. Post-sauna, cortisol levels drop significantly. For men under chronic stress — which is most men I know — this is among the most accessible cortisol management tools available.
Growth hormone elevation. Studies show that sauna use can produce growth hormone elevations of 200-300%, with protocols involving repeated heat-cold cycling producing even higher spikes. Growth hormone supports muscle preservation, fat metabolism, and tissue repair.
Deep sleep improvement. The core body temperature drop that follows sauna use triggers the same cascade that initiates deep sleep. I have tracked this directly with my Whoop. Sauna days consistently produce higher deep sleep percentages.
Detoxification. Sweat contains measurable concentrations of heavy metals and environmental toxins. Regular, sustained sweating supports the body's natural elimination pathways.
Protocol: 20 minutes at 180-190°F, 4-5 times per week. Post-workout timing maximizes the growth hormone response.
Cold Plunge — The Most Overrated, Most Underrated Practice
Here is the honest assessment.
Cold plunge and cold exposure are simultaneously the most overhyped and most genuinely useful practices in the biohacking space — depending entirely on how and why you use them.
The hype: most of the internet's cold plunge content is performance. Men dunking in ice baths to post on social media. The mental toughness narrative is real but overemphasized relative to the actual physiological benefits.
The genuine benefits:
Dopamine elevation. Cold exposure produces one of the largest acute dopamine increases of any non-pharmacological intervention — lasting for hours post-exposure. This is not placebo. It is one of the mechanisms behind the improved mood and motivation most people report.
Norepinephrine. Cold exposure produces a 200-300% increase in norepinephrine, which is associated with improved focus, attention, and reduction of pain and inflammation.
Resilience training. The discomfort of cold exposure is real and uncomfortable and you choose to sit with it anyway. This is a daily practice in emotional regulation. The breathing, the deliberate relaxation into discomfort — this transfers.
What I actually use: contrast therapy. Sauna to cold shower, repeated 2-3 cycles. The full ice plunge is not necessary for most of the benefits, particularly if you do not have easy access to a plunge tub.
The Vibration Plate — The One Nobody Talks About
I use this for 10 minutes daily and have for years. It is not glamorous and it is not discussed in the biohacking world the way it deserves to be.
Whole-body vibration at the correct frequencies (25-50Hz) produces:
Lymphatic drainage — the lymphatic system has no pump. It relies on muscle contraction to move. Vibration provides a passive mechanism for this.
Bone density support — particularly relevant for men over 40, where bone loss begins to accelerate
Muscle activation and neuromuscular training
Circulation improvement
At $200-400 for a quality plate, this is one of the highest value biohacking tools per dollar spent.
The Whoop — Data Over Feeling
I do not train by feel. I train by data.
The Whoop tracker monitors heart rate variability, resting heart rate, sleep stages, respiratory rate, and skin temperature. From these inputs it calculates a daily recovery score (0-100) and a strain score.
What this does practically:
On low recovery days, I train with lower intensity and prioritize movement over output
On high recovery days, I push harder without guilt
I can see directly how specific lifestyle choices — alcohol, late sleep, stress, nutrition — affect my recovery metrics the following day
Current Whoop reading: biological age 38 at 45.
What I Left Out — And Why
I have tried: cryotherapy chambers, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, peptides, IV drips, grounding mats, PEMF devices, and a dozen other modalities that the biohacking industry has promoted aggressively.
Some of these have legitimate research behind them. Some are expensive placebo. None of them made the weekly practice list because none of them produced the clear, consistent, measurable return that the five above deliver.
The fundamentals — sleep, training, nutrition, sunlight, stress management — are worth ten times any biohacking device. The devices are accelerants, not foundations. Get the foundations right first. Then optimize on top of them.