Kyla sits down with Jeanré Van Zyl, a regional biohacker well-versed in the field of wellness and technology to find out his expertise and tips to improve our overall health and well-being.
To Your Left
The very first tip Jeanré gives us is to try sleeping on your left-hand side. It may sound strange at first, but he assures us that there are good reasons for it. The first being overall improved circulation, when sleeping on your left, gravity seems to have less effect which in turn put a little less stain on your heart while you sleep, leading to improved sleep quality.
Along with your heart, Van Zyl says, lymphatic drainage also occurs easier as well on that side of the body, as well as improved digestion. With the stomach naturally being oriented towards the left-hand side of the body, laying on your left-hand sides prevents stomach acid from flowing up to the esophageal valve. This in turn can help immensely with the prevention of acid reflux.
Another benefit to this that it can often help with snoring, so having a partner try this may too improve your sleep quality.
Sleep
It is no secret that sleep is integral to how we human beings function on a day-to-day basis and yet it is very often not very high on most of our priority lists. Jeanré takes a minute to emphasize just how important sleep can be to our overall health.
Sleep is when our bodies take the change to rest and digest, where it takes the opportunity to break up the food we’ve eaten and turn it into the nutrients that we need in order to function.
The body also takes advantage of this time in order to rest and recover damaged muscles tissues whether it be from, just daily movement but this is especially important for those who are athletes, sleep plays a crucial role in the prevention of injuries.
Not only does the body benefit from sleep but the brain as well, using around 25% of the body’s energy, cognitive function suffers greatly when sleep is neglected.
Without the proper rest the body is unable to get rid of waste products and properly intake nutrients, this can often lead to commonly experienced symptoms of brain fog and fatigue.
Thus it’s important to not only get plenty of sleep, but also good quality sleep. It is often recommended to put away all electronics at least an hour before going to bed.
Not only does this help calm down a busy mind, but there’s actual science behind it!
Bluelight shining off of our electronics can create a great deal of disturbance when it come to our body’s naturally sleep processes. Jeanre refers to it as a melatonin blocker, melatonin is a hormone that our bodies use to help it fall asleep and in preventing our bodies from releasing this hormone, it can become quite difficult to fall asleep.
A Biohackers Morning Routine
The first thing Jeanré recommends you don’t do, is drinking a cup of coffee the moment you get up.
When we wake up in the mornings, cortisol levels are at it’s highest, it’s what helps us wake up and get up, coffee will often cause those cortisol levels to sky-rocket, leading to the risk of toxic levels of cortisol that can put a lot of stress on the body.
Jeanre recommends a cold cup of water in the morning and with good reason.
When we sleep throughout the night, we tend to lose a lot of water, through things like aspiration and sweating, so grabbing a cup of water first thing is a great way to replenish any hydration lost throughout the night,
Another thing Jeanré suggests to do in the morning is taking a cold shower! While it might sound like quite the challenge, especially during those cold winter months, there are a number of benefits to reap from it. The first being an increased sense of mental clarity, the shock of cold water can often help wake up a sleepy mind and increase alertness, not only that but studies show an increase of endorphins leading to better mood and energy throughout the day.
Sipping Safely
When asked about possible benefits that alcohol may provide jeanre in short, answers with ‘very little’. He states that you’d only beagle to take 3 small sips – roughly 50 mls- of wine in order to get any any benefit before the the problems associated with alcohol come into play.
So instead Jeanré gives us a few pointers on how to drink in order to minimize the effects of alcohol.
The most important tip he gives is to try and drink as much water as you can in-between your alcohol of choice. When we drink we lose a lot of water, which is the primary reasons we feel so terrible the morning after a night of heavy drinking, so it’s good practice to try and maintain our hydration levels while drinking in order to prevent the hangover the next morning.
As we conclude this exploration into the world of biohacking, remember that the journey to optimal well-being is a personal and evolving adventure. These biohacking tips serve as stepping stones, empowering you to harness the potential within your own biology. Embrace the experimentation, listen to your body, and celebrate the small victories along the way
