Nutrition plays a pivotal role in sustaining your energy levels and cognitive function throughout the workday. How do you typically start your day? Do you have coffee? Do you eat breakfast? Or do you fast? Balancing blood sugar levels is key to maintaining steady energy and focus. This is why so many of the well-known biohackers swear by intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting enhances cognitive abilities related to learning and memory while also providing immense benefits. Adopting strategies like intermittent fasting and ketosis can help regulate blood sugar and enhance mental clarity. But even if you’re not a fan of fasting or if it’s not right for you, incorporating nutrient-dense foods into your diet will help support your energy and focus. While on the contrary, eating foods that are low in nutrient value will often mess with your blood sugar levels, increase hunger cravings, and contribute to the inability to focus or stay awake.  Another biohacker trend especially among students and the tech community is taking brain nootropic supplements. To learn more about using nootropics we recommend checking out Dave Asprey’s (the father of biohacking) guide to nootropics to unlock your true brain.  

Get Adequate Sleep

Sleep is a cornerstone of well-being and productivity. If you’re not well rested, the quality of your work and your health will suffer. According to the The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and Sleep Research Society (SRS), adults should sleep 7 or more hours per night on a regular basis to promote optimal health. Sleeping less than 7 hours per night on a regular basis is associated with adverse health outcomes, including weight gain and obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke, depression, and increased risk of death. Besides the obvious, these side-effects directly affect your work. Optimizing your bedroom environment and understanding your circadian rhythms can lead to better sleep quality. As we’ve talked about before, we’re big fans of utilizing sleep tracking technologies like the Oura Ring to help analyze sleep patterns and make necessary adjustments. Investing in a smart mattress like the Eight Sleep mattress can provide insights into your sleep metrics and it regulates temperature for optimal comfort. One of the easiest, but also, most effective, hacks is to install blackout blinds or curtains. According to a study by Northwestern Medicine, exposure to even moderate ambient lighting during nighttime sleep harms your cardiovascular function during sleep and increases your insulin resistance the following morning. If you’re still not getting good sleep or find yourself drowsy, incorporating power naps during the day can effectively boost your energy and cognitive function.

Reduce Your Stress

Stress is a common factor that affects our work-life balance. According to Gallup’s, State of the Global Workplace: 2023 Report, employee stress has remained at record highs. “Worldwide, 44% of employees said they experienced a lot of stress the previous day.” Adopting simple stress-reduction techniques such as mindfulness, deep breathing exercises, and meditation can promote emotional resilience and mental clarity. Try this next time you’re stressed: take a short inhale followed by a longer, more vigorous, exhale. Do this a few times and you will immediately feel less stressed. It’s so easy that it doesn’t seem believable, but according to Stanford professor, Andrew Huberman from Huberman Lab, biologically this simple breathing technique slows down your heart rate which helps alleviate the symptoms of stress. Go ahead, try it now! Conversely, while too much stress isn’t good, some stress can be good. Introducing hormetic stressors (stress that’s good for you) like exposure to cold and heat can help your body adapt better to other life stressors. This can be as easy as starting your shower every morning on cold. You might not like it at first, but we promise, the benefits outweigh the few seconds of discomfort. 

Move Your Body

Lack of movement can take a toll on your physical and mental well-being. Even with the rising popularity of standup desks, such as our award-winning Tenon Smart Adjustable Desk, we still don’t move enough while we're working. This is why we need to incorporate exercise and movement into our work routines. Integrating active breaks (walking away from your desk) or simple stretches, can improve blood circulation, reduce muscle tension, and boost cognitive function. Engaging in activities that challenge your balance, mobility, and coordination not only enhances physical health but also stimulates brain health and neuroplasticity. We wrote an interesting piece on improving physical balance at work that includes some fun challenges and worthwhile tips. Check it out here. The main point is just to move more. Try taking a call while walking even if that means pacing around your living room. 

Create an Optimal Workspace Using Ergonomics

Your work environment greatly influences your productivity and well-being. Optimizing your desk and workspace through proper ergonomics can have a profound impact on your comfort and efficiency. Ergonomics at work is defined as the science of adjusting a workplace to the user’s needs. Ergonomics aims to increase efficiency, productivity, and employee comfort. Research shows that factors such as lighting, indoor plants, scents, temperature, aesthetics, and air quality can significantly affect your mood and cognitive function. At beflo, all of our products and accessories are designed with ergonomics in mind. This includes everything from our Slant laptop stand that adjusts for height and angle, to our built in Obsidian aroma diffuser. Small hacks, like incorporating more natural light, adding greenery, and calming scents will create a more conducive work atmosphere. Additionally, organizing your workspace for ease of access and reducing clutter can enhance your focus and reduce unnecessary stress.

 

Conclusion

Biohacking offers a pathway to a more rewarding work life, centered around the captivating Flow State. This mental state, where immersion, focus, and creativity intertwine, holds the key to unlocking our greatest potential. The biohacks discussed—optimizing nutrition, prioritizing sleep, curbing stress, embracing movement, and crafting an ergonomic workspace—serve as personalized tools to access this state regularly. By embracing these tailored biohacks, we not only amplify memory, concentration, and decision-making but also synchronize productivity, happiness, and well-being. By embracing these personalized biohacks, we stand equipped to propel ourselves toward more fulfilling work and a more fulfilled life.