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I Biohacked My Way to Better Mood, Sleep and Job Performance — and You Can, Too. Here's How. Biohacking is the next frontier of performance optimization. Discover how to boost your health, creativity and productivity.

By Aytekin Tank Edited by Kara McIntyre

Key Takeaways

  • Biohacking can encompass both extreme measures and accessible everyday techniques that improve physiology and mental performance.
  • Balance and moderation are crucial in biohacking practices, and even CEOs with busy lifestyles can find effective methods to enhance well-being and productivity without going overboard.

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I dipped one toe in the water and a sharp pain shot through my system. Knowing that I'd never be able to ease my way in, I quickly slid the rest of my body into the freezing cold water. I took slow, deep breaths — experts say this signals to your brain that "I'm okay" and prevents you from going into flight or flight mode. But as my mind ran circles around the physical sensations, I felt anything but okay.

Then a funny thing happened: a minute passed, and it felt ever so slightly easier to stay in the water. Thirty seconds later, I emerged with a strange and surprisingly pleasant feeling of calm. I had survived my first cold plunge — and was already wondering when I'd do it again.

Cold plunging is just one example of biohacking. A term borrowed from the "tech hacker" ethos, it's the science of tweaking your physiology and nervous system for optimal performance. Some types of biohacking may seem extreme, exhibitionist even — like when someone plunges a syringe in their hand to inject themselves with a genome-altering substance. But there are also more subtle techniques that anyone can start using today; that I have incorporated into my routine to perform my role as CEO of Jotform to the best of my body's ability — without losing my mind. Here is a closer look at some of those techniques, plus why I've become a believer in biohacking.

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