Ask HN: What are the best bio-hacking tips for programmers? - xkbd
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rthomas6
Lift heavy weights. Not for strength or physique (though that's nice too), but
because it increases independence and mobility into old age, decreases
likelihood of falls, and increases bone density. Basically it prevents you
from sitting in a recliner slowly dying for 10 years at the end of your life.
Instead you get to live those years doing things. It also improves cognition
and mental health in old age.

Edit: Do squats, deadlifts, bench press, and pullups.

There are a million programs to choose from on /r/fitness, but basically just
start with something you can do and try to increase weight or reps every
session/week/whatever.

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is_true
interesting, do you have any recommended source to read about this?

~~~
hc91
Mark Ripptoe - Starting Strength ;) [https://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-
Mark-Rippetoe-ebook...](https://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-Mark-
Rippetoe-ebook/dp/B006XJR5ZA)

~~~
tjt
Dan John is less dogmatic and a bit more of an essayist. He's got lot's of
great advice and stories about staying in shape as you get older.
[http://danjohn.net/](http://danjohn.net/)

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elasticsearcher
Keep your blood sugar stable: don't eat anything sugary during the day. Simple
sugars cause your blood sugar to fluctuate dramatically, which negatively
impacts your brain's performance. The brain needs a steady supply of fuel to
maintain focus for prolonged periods of time. Eat healthy fats, proteins, and
lots of green leafy vegetables for breakfast and lunch and you'll avoid brain
fog in the afternoon. Snack on nuts throughout the day.

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westonplatter0
Sleep, eat, drink water, exercise, and have meaningful conversations outside
of work.

~~~
gallerdude
Just to add to this - it sounds super trite, so your brain ignores it. But
I've noticed, day after day, these are the things that make my life marginally
better.

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modbait
Not sure if it technically qualifies, but if your vision is fairly bad, get a
pair of "computer glasses" made. These are designed to focus perfectly at the
distance of your monitor. It's like getting a vision upgrade.

~~~
jonhendry18
My eyes went to crap when I passed 40, and I had a hard time getting a
prescription I was really comfortable with. I wound up using "eyejusters"
adjustable-strength reading glasses.
[https://www.eyejusters.com](https://www.eyejusters.com) (Not associated with
the company, just a satisfied customer.)

There's a small knob by each lens which allows adjustment.

That way I can adjust them for reading a book up close, or adjust them for
reading a whiteboard farther away, as needed.

~~~
modbait
Me, too, and I did indeed look at these and similar items. (And probably will
get a pair, just for the sheer nerd value.)

Would still strongly recommend the fixed-focus computer glasses, however. They
only do one thing, but they do it extremely well.

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jballanc
It's funny that programmers (and their ilk) are constantly on the outlook for
new ways to gain an edge by increasing focus, attention, and endurance, when
two of the best substances for doing so have _long_ been known: caffeine and
nicotine. Consider – in both World Wars soldiers rations included coffee and
cigarettes. There was a reason for that (and it wasn't just "comfort").

Now, you might say, what about the significant downsides for each of these?
Well...yes. They are there, and they are fairly well understood.

There is a growing trend in pharmacology to try and get _most_ of the benefits
from some substance without _most_ of the downsides. For example, the list of
"new" antihistamines is long and growing every day. You know what the best
antihistamine is? Benadryl! It just happens to come with a whole host of
undesirable side-effects.

The problem, of course, is that for any "new" pharmaceutical, there's no way
to be _really_ sure of all the potential downsides until after they've been in
use for some time. Take for example: Rofecoxib. Paracetemol (Tylenol) will
destroy your liver, and aspirin and ibuprofen will tear up your stomach.
Rofecoxib was supposed to bring all the benefits of these NSAIDs without the
significant downsides...instead, it caused heart attacks!

So, not really a tip, but more of a caution/word of advice: if you want the
_best_ drugs to improve focus, attention, and endurance have a coffee and a
cig. If you don't like the impact that has on your health, then keep in mind
any alternatives you want to try could have less downsides...or more.

Maybe the best thing would be to get some rest and follow Michael Pollan's
wonderful advice: "Eat food, mostly plants, not too much."

~~~
gremlinsinc
I abbhor cigarette smoke, so not gonna do that... but my mind can't function
without Caffeine, but I find Xenadrine's thermo/caffeine blend works way
better than coffee(gives me the runs) and soda(I still drink a shit ton...but
probably shouldn't....)... Xenadrine also has l-theanine which I think also
might aid in focus some..

~~~
muzani
Just saying, there's vaping and nicotine patches. I don't encourage it but I
know a lot of people who use it as a nootropic. There's also a type of
cigarette which heats it up instead of burning, so you get more flavor and
less smoke/tar.

~~~
qwerty456127
I don't smoke usually but when I do smoke (about a month in a year usually,
when I have to solve a lot of problems quickly) it makes me more alive, awake
(in many senses, incl needing much less sleep and making it much much easier
to get up), productive, confident, reasonably vigorous and masculine in
general behavior (my gf loves this part) by an order of magnitude if not more.
In an instant! Sadly/curiously strong nicotine gum doesn't work this way (I
haven't tried patches so far), only cigars (I inhale the cigar smoke the way
people do with cigarettes although this is not the way cigars are meant to be
smoked actually) do. This makes me think I should be smoking chronically to
improve my whole life but I just don't want to develop a serious addiction
(nor to spread odor around me :-)) so I don't.

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sesteel
Eat healthy and stay active outside of work. It is too easy to get complacent
with deadlines and being sedentary at work all day.

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tristanj
_Many_ programmers have Vitamin D deficiency. It's a really common issue most
people are not aware about. Low Vitamin D has been associated with
cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, and cancer. It is super easy to
treat with a daily pill and you can buy a year's supply off Amazon for $15.

If you have health insurance you can ask your doctor for a free Vitamin D
blood test.

~~~
simonpure
+1 on vitamin d deficiency in general.

Now, I'm not a doctor, but my understanding is that most vitamin d can't be
absorbed through the intake of pills.

The solution is to expose yourself to 15min sunlight daily, preferably with
short sleeves and pants so you have more skin surface to absorb it.

On the plus side, it's cheaper and you get some fresh air!

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stormcode
Hack your mind. Meditate.

Get the Headspace app or pick up a book on meditation and get going. Nothing
will improve your concentration more. It takes consistent practice every day,
but not as much time as you might think. Ten minutes five days a week treats
me pretty well.

And get enough natural sunlight. It will help you sleep better. It will
improve your mood. If you can't go natural, get a sun lamp.

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fao_
For _actual_ biohacking, stay in touch with your GP, an endocrinologist, and
the folks on /r/transdiy.

Beyond that, I would say that most things that aren't melatonin are either not
studied adequately enough (Including the problems with withholding negative
results in the medicine industry), or too addictive to be of much use (See:
nicotine).

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marcofatica
> /r/transdiy

Please don't promote communities like this

~~~
piracy1
I've never heard of it. What makes it so bad? Edit: Ah, it seems to be people
transitioning but doing so without the aid of a doctor. I mean, you shouldn't
do it for obvious safety reasons but if you've decided you're doing it, a
community of like-minded people is marginally better than nothing, at least
you can learn some things that definitely don't work.

~~~
fao_
> Ah, it seems to be people transitioning but doing so without the aid of a
> doctor.

No. The number one piece of advice on the site is to see a GP and endo for
monthy blood testing of certain specific markers to ensure that everything is
fine.

The reason the community exists is because for many people the local (and
usually arbitrary) rules put on transitioning are ridiculous, and even after
fulfilling those points the health service makes them wait typically over
three years for hormone replacement therapy. Given that HRT is a critical
aspect of treatment, and almost completely safe, for many people on
/r/transDIY it's a hopeful alternative to ending it early.

(HRT has ridiculous rates of success compared to other contemporary medical
treatments:
[https://twitter.com/GenderCareDrL/status/820672719473770496](https://twitter.com/GenderCareDrL/status/820672719473770496))

~~~
qwerty456127
> Given that HRT is a critical aspect of treatment, and almost completely safe

Doesn't taking hormones damage the glands that produce them endogenously?

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ropeadopepope
Intermittent fasting causes an increase of catecholamines in the blood. It
increases mental clarity and energy. If you want to time it, the beginning of
the most active catecholamine stage starts at 12 hours. So, if you stop eating
at 8pm, you'll see the most benefit from 8am-noon.

Magnesium deficiency is becoming more and more common in the US. If you think
you might be low, taking 2-3 ZMA 15 minutes before bed can have a dramatic
effect on your daily energy levels. Don't eat anything with calcium within 2-3
hours of taking Magnesium.

If you can, put a weight lifting bar near your work station and do a few
pullups every time you pass under it. Every time you go to the bathroom, do 10
pushups. Every time you get a cup of coffee or water, do 20. It doesn't seem
like so few reps should have much of an effect, but they add up. Keep in mind
this is intended to be an addition to, not a replacement for, a regular
workout routine.

~~~
thecupisblue
Pull-up bar is the best lifehack ever. Just doing a few every hour or two
(even if it's just negative) gets your strength way up, balances out the
regular gymrat chest/front-shoulder focus and makes you look way better in a
short amount of time (lats and bi's).

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kyoob
I call it "fill the tank." Drink a big glass of water every time you use the
restroom. You'll be hydrated, and you'll have a built-in reason to get up out
of your chair once in a while.

~~~
mythrwy
And then you will understand recursion.

~~~
drivingmenuts
And output streams.

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muzani
Your habits define "you" more than your conscious self does.

When you don't take care of your needs (sleep, diet, exercise, hygiene), your
habits take over. Sometimes it's circular - someone could have a habit of
eating fast food, then feeling unhealthy, and not having the willpower to
cook. Or watching porn until late at night, not getting rest, then not being
able to stop.

If you can't take care of your needs, another hack would be to build good
habits so that you'd be able to perform well even when you're on autopilot.

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piracy1
Microdosing LSD. I know some people who say it works wonders for them but it
seems a relatively untested area. There is evidence that LSD increases cross-
talk in the brain which would potentially help you with creative problem-
solving. But there's not much hard evidence regarding anything about it.

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simonpure
A standing desk.

It's been life changing to combat my back pain, feel tired in the evening,
shift around regularly, grab something to drink etc.

Stretching.

Especially the hamstrings and upper body given the long hours on the keyboard.

They can both be combined easily and are also a great fit for hammock driven
development.

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AdamGibbins
Sleep

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Angostura
Get an early night.

