The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka
154. 5 Zero-Cost Biohacks: Sleep, Breath, Sun, Cold & Fasting
Thu, 03 Apr 2025
What if I told you the most powerful upgrades to your body and mind cost absolutely nothing? This isn’t hype. It’s hard science. In this episode, I’ll share with you the exact biohacking strategies I’ve used with world-class athletes, peak performers, and celebrities. Practice these biohacking techniques consistently, and the results will speak for themselves: better sleep, sharper focus, a bulletproof immune system, and sustained energy levels. And once you experience the transformation, you’ll wonder why nobody told you sooner. Join the Ultimate Human VIP community and gain exclusive access to Gary Brecka's proven wellness protocols today!: https://bit.ly/4ai0Xwg Thank you to our partners: H2TABS - USE CODE “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4hMNdgg BODYHEALTH - USE CODE “ULTIMATE20” FOR 20% OFF: http://bit.ly/4e5IjsV BAJA GOLD - USE CODE "ULTIMATE10" FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3WSBqUa EIGHT SLEEP - SAVE $350 ON THE POD 4 ULTRA WITH CODE “GARY”: https://bit.ly/3WkLd6E COLD LIFE - THE ULTIMATE HUMAN PLUNGE: https://bit.ly/4eULUKp WHOOP - GET 1 FREE MONTH WHEN YOU JOIN!: https://bit.ly/3VQ0nzW MASA CHIPS - GET 20% OFF YOUR FIRST $50+ ORDER: https://bit.ly/40LVY4y VANDY - USE CODE “ULTIMATE20” FOR 20% OFF: https://bit.ly/49Qr7WE AION - USE CODE “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4h6KHAD HAPBEE - FEEL BETTER & PERFORM AT YOUR BEST: https://bit.ly/4a6glfo CARAWAY - USE CODE “ULTIMATE” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3Q1VmkC HEALF - GET 10% OFF YOUR ORDER: https://bit.ly/41HJg6S BIOPTIMIZERS - USE CODE “ULTIMATE” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4inFfd7 RHO NUTRITION - USE CODE “ULTIMATE15” FOR 15% OFF: https://bit.ly/44fFza0 Watch the “Ultimate Human Podcast” every Tuesday & Thursday at 9 AM EST: YouTube: https://bit.ly/3RPQYX8 Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3RQftU0 Connect with Gary Brecka: Instagram: https://bit.ly/3RPpnFs TikTok: https://bit.ly/4coJ8fo X.com: https://bit.ly/3Opc8tf Facebook: https://bit.ly/464VA1H LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4hH7Ri2 Website: https://bit.ly/4eLDbdU Merch: https://bit.ly/4aBpOM1 Newsletter: https://bit.ly/47ejrws Ask Gary: https://bit.ly/3PEAJuG Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:10 Top 5 Free Biohacks 02:21 Mastering Your Sleep Hygiene 06:15 Harnessing the Power of Breath Work 10:04 Morning Sunlight Exposure 12:41 Cold Exposure 16:09 Intermittent Fasting and Time-Restricted Eating 19:58 Recap The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka Podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The Content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What are the top zero-cost biohacks for health?
What if I told you the most powerful upgrades to your body and your mind cost nothing at all? This isn't hype, it's hard science. Imagine 30 days from now, you bounce out of bed clear-headed, you're leaner, you're stronger, your mood's upbeat, and you haven't even had a sniffle while people around you are catching colds.
I'm talking about better sleep, sharper focus, a boosted immune system, and sky-high energy levels. No fluff, just the biological truth. I'm gonna hand you the top five free biohacks that anyone can implement starting today. In a world obsessed with expensive supplements and gadgets, you already possess the tools for radical improvement.
Your body is begging for these hacks, and once you deploy them, the results will speak for themselves. These are the same strategies I use with world-class athletes, peak performers, and let me be clear, these hacks are for everyone. You don't need permission or fancy equipment to begin. You just need the commitment to yourself. Let's start off with...
Hey guys, welcome back to the Ultimate Human Podcast. I'm starting a series on my favorite free biohacks. So here's five free biohacks that you need to know right now. What if I told you the most powerful upgrades to your body and your mind cost nothing at all? This isn't hype. It's hard science.
In the next 20 minutes, I'm going to hand you the top five free biohacks that anyone can implement starting today. These are the same strategies I use with world-class athletes, peak performers, celebrities, A-listers. And let me be clear, each hack is completely free. It's backed by research and so efficient, it's almost criminal for me not to share it.
So stick with me because at the end of this podcast, you'll have a blueprint to elevate your energy, focus, and longevity without spending a dime. Why does this matter? Because in a world obsessed with expensive supplements and gadgets, you already possess the tools for radical improvement. Your body is begging for these hacks. And once you deploy them, the results will speak for themselves.
I'm talking about better sleep, sharper focus, a boosted immune system, and sky-high energy levels. No fluff, just the biological truth. Are you ready? All right, let's dive in here on the top five free biohacks ranked by public interest and proven by science. Your transformation starts right now. So let's start off with number five, optimizing your sleep by mastering your sleep hygiene.
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Chapter 2: How can you optimize sleep hygiene for better health?
You always hear me say sleep is our human superpower and that's because it is. Seven hours of high quality sleep isn't a luxury, it's a biological necessity for peak mental and physical performance. If you're skipping sleep, you're sabotaging your potential.
Studies show that people who sleep less than six hours a night are four times more likely to catch a cold compared to those getting seven plus hours. Chronic short sleep disrupts your immune system and ramps up stress hormones. We know that sleep deprivation is even a form of torture. It's not just about avoiding illness. Your brain literally cleans itself during deep sleep.
It flushes out toxins and it solidifies your memories. Research found that about seven hours per night is the sweet spot for cognitive function and mental health in adults. Anything less or much more correlates with impaired focus, mood swings, and even long-term risk of cognitive decline. So how do we hack our sleep for free? Create a sleep fortress. Start by keeping your room cool.
And by cool, I mean 67 to 69 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep it very dark. Surgically remove all of the light from your room. And when I say surgically, kind of put your curtains together, throw a towel over your alarm clock, even take a piece of tape and put it over that little annoying light that's on your fire alarm. Get your room as dark as you can possibly get it.
Science shows that it takes very little candle wattage coming through our eyelids to raise our cortisol levels. And quiet the signals in your brain to let your brain know it's time to shut down. The second thing you need to do for sleep is set a consistent bedtime. All of the research, including what was recently published by Whoop, says that consistent sleep aligns your natural circadian rhythm.
So this doesn't cost you a dime, but it allows you to keep your promises to yourself about putting yourself to bed. We think about setting alarms to wake up. I want you to begin to set an alarm to go to sleep. Avoid screen time for one hour before bed.
If you have to use screen time in bed, find the red light setting on your phone so the blue light is not as ambient at night, rising your cortisol level and causing you to wake up. Before bed, the blue light is like an anti-sleep drug, tricking your brain into daytime mode. Instead, dim the lights and maybe do some light reading or meditation.
And by honoring a nightly wind-down routine, you're going to start to train your body's melatonin on cue, leading to faster sleep onset and deeper rest. The result? You're going to wake up feeling recharged with higher alertness and a stronger immune defense. So tonight, aim for seven to eight hours. Cut off electronics 60 minutes before bed. Stop eating two hours before bed.
Your future self, energized and illness resistant, will thank you. My final tip for sleep is once you're in bed, if you don't have a sleep mask, I want you to do this easy breath work technique. Long, slow inhale through your nose. Followed by a three to five second pause and out through a straw.
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Chapter 3: What role does breathwork play in reducing stress?
A recent meta-analysis and scientific reports found that practicing breathing exercise significantly decreased stress and improved overall mental health. Deep, slow breathing can trigger your vagus nerve, which in turn lowers your heart rate and your blood pressure. Think of the vagus nerve as a tree in your head that drops these roots down and spreads them all throughout your gut.
It can lower blood pressure and pull you out of anxiety's grip. In fact, daily sessions of deep diaphragmatic breathing have been shown to reduce resting blood pressure levels and cortisol levels, combating hypertension and stress at their core.
I know so many of you are suffering from anxiousness, anxiety, racing thoughts, ruminating thoughts, or just a really active mind, and drawing your attention to your breath is one of the best ways to hack your biology for free. How does it work? Think of breathwork as the remote control for your nervous system. When you take slow, deep breaths,
Let's say inhaling for four seconds, holding for four, and exhaling for six to eight seconds, you activate your parasympathetic rest and digest response. Sometimes these breathwork techniques are referred to as natural Xanax. They're that powerful. This floods your system with a sense of calm and focus.
A study from 2023 confirmed that even brief daily breath work can boost your mood and reduce anxiety more effectively than just mindfulness and meditation. The beauty is you can do this anywhere. It's portable, anytime, in your car, at your desk, lying in bed. I do not suggest you do it while you're driving or you're standing.
I prefer that you're sitting in a parked car or laying in bed or sitting or resting comfortably. For beginners, I recommend the 4-7-8 technique. Inhale through the nose for a count of four. Hold for seven seconds. And exhale slowly through the mouth for eight. Make a straw-like pursing your lips. Repeat this for a few cycles. Get off of your phone.
Preferably look outside into nature as far out on the horizon as you can. Even if it's too cold to go outside, just gaze outside into nature. And within minutes, you'll feel a tangible shift, a loosened neck, unclenched jaw, and a clear centered mind. Tomorrow morning before grabbing your phone, spend five minutes on deep breathing. Try belly breaths or the 4-7-8 method.
You'll carry steady calm into your day and with practice, you'll become virtually unshakable under pressure and your body will begin to clue into this type of breath work as a way to relax. Number three, morning sunlight exposure. Activating your circadian rhythm. Guys, the science is in, it's clear.
We no longer think that waking with the sun and consistent bedtimes does not have an effect on your cellular biology. It absolutely does. We are circadian creatures. We are creatures of habit. Our bodies crave routine. So the moment you wake up, one of the most powerful things you can do is step outside and embrace the natural sunlight.
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Chapter 4: How does morning sunlight exposure benefit your circadian rhythm?
If you want to put this on steroids, take a short walk or just enjoy your coffee by a bright window. Do this for a week and note the surge in your daytime energy and how much better you sleep as a result. The sun is nature's original biohack. Let's use it. Number two, cold exposure. Ignite your body's revival mode. Ready for a wake-up call?
Cold exposure is the biohack that will snap you awake, turbocharge your mood, and harden your resilience. This is one of the best hormetic stresses we can introduce to the body, all in under three minutes. cold showers, ice baths, or a brisk water swim, you can choose your own adventure. You don't need to invest in an expensive cold plunge. You can take a cold shower.
If you have a tub, you can put Tupperware containers in your freezer full of water and the next day take them out, drop these ice blocks in your bathtub, and you will have a cold plunge for free that doesn't cost you a dime and will last you three days. It's not just about toughening up. When your body hits cold water, massive physiological magic happens.
Adrenaline spikes, circulation surges, and your brain floods with neurotransmitters. One study found that immersion in 14 degrees Celsius water boosted norepinephrine by 530% and dopamine by 250% above baseline. I will link the studies below. Dopamine is your motivation and your pleasure chemical. A 250% increase is like a natural high.
translating into sharpened focus and an elevated mood lasting for hours after cold exposure. That's why so many swear by cold shower each morning to feel alert and optimistic. But the benefits don't stop at mood. Cold exposure can dramatically strengthen your immune system. It can also reduce inflammation.
And in a large randomized clinical trial at the Netherlands showed that people who entered their daily showers with a cold blast Just 30 to 90 seconds called in sick to work 29% less than those who didn't. Think about that. Nearly a third reduction in illness-related absenteeism just from a cold rinse. The cold essentially trains your blood vessels and your immune cells.
Initially, it triggers a spike in inflammatory markers. That's your body mounting an immune defense. But over time, it leads to a reduction in chronic inflammation and increase in circulating immune cells. Athletes have used ice bath for years to reduce muscle soreness, and now we know it also builds resilience at a cellular level.
Plus, cold exposure stimulates brown fat, a type of fat that burns calories to generate heat, thereby boosting your metabolism and your insulin sensitivity, so it's a one-two punch. You burn more fat, and you train your body to handle stress better. Now, I'm not saying it's easy. I'm saying it's worth it. If you're new to this, start small. Finish your warm shower with 30 seconds of cold water.
Breathe through it. Slow, deep, intentional breath. Let the water hit you and just deal with it. You'll go from... to I got this in a matter of days. As you adapt, try a full minute or an ice bath on the weekends. Feel that invigoration? That's the rush of endorphins and anti-inflammatory proteins lighting you up. Tomorrow morning, take your usual shower, but end it on cold.
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Chapter 5: What are the benefits of cold exposure for health?
Research in animals shows lifespan extension with fasting and emerging human studies hint at improvements in biomarkers of heart health, cholesterol, and inflammation when intermittent fasting is practiced consistently. Harvard Medical School notes that intermittent fasting can improve blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and even reduce inflammation in the body.
There's even evidence that it boosts brain health, possibly increasing BDNF, brain-derived neurotropic factor, a growth factor that helps create new neurons and synapses in the brain, enhancing your learning and your memory. No pill can do all that, and you're doing it for free. The beauty of intermittent fasting is flexibility. A popular beginner approach is the 16-8 method.
You fast for 16 hours, including sleep, and you eat meals within an eight-hour window. For example, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., then water, black tea, coffee, until the next day at noon. During the fasting period, you're allowed water, black coffee, or teas, just no calories.
At first, you might feel a little hungry or cranky as your body adapts to that normal break in the frequent eating cycle, but by week two or three, most people feel a surge in sustained energy and clearer headspace. No more 3pm crashes because your metabolism has learned to smoothly tap into the fat stores as fuel.
One study in cell metabolism showed that early time-restricted eating, like an earlier dinner, improved metabolic health in pre-diabetic men. The key is consistency, guys. Pick a schedule that suits your lifestyle and stick to it. Even a 14-hour fast, say 7pm to 9am, can confer benefits if 16 feels too hard. Tonight, Finish your last meal by, let's say, 7 or 8 p.m.
Then don't consume any calories until breakfast a bit later tomorrow. Aim for 12 to 14 hours of a fast to get yourself started. Do this a few times a week. Pay attention to your body, and within days, You'll notice less bloating, steadier energy, and that light yet focused feeling indicating your body is running cleaner. Intermittent fasting is a tool.
Use it wisely and you can fundamentally upgrade your biology. You've just been harmed with five of the most potent zero-cost biohacks on the planet. But knowledge means nothing without action, guys. I challenge you starting today to incorporate these habits into your life. Drink in the morning sun, breathe with intention, embrace the cold, prioritize your sleep, and try a new fasting window.
Your body is incredibly adaptable and wants to heal and deserves to thrive. When you give it the right stimuli, the changes can be almost miraculous. And remember, these hacks are for everyone. Men, women, young or old, midlife, busy, parent, college student, you don't need permission or fancy equipment to begin. You just need the commitment to yourself.
Imagine 30 days from now, you bounce out of bed clear-headed, you're leaner, you're stronger, your mood's upbeat, and you haven't even had a sniffle while people around you are catching colds. That's what's on the table. I see it every day in my clients and I live it myself. Now it's your turn. Pick one of these five and do it tomorrow morning. Experience the change.
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