Bryan Johnson’s extreme health routine has drawn renewed criticism after the biohacker cancelled his usual morning workout following a disrupted night’s sleep.
Johnson, 49, has become widely known for his efforts to slow ageing and extend his lifespan. He has also claimed that his biological age is 18. Recently, he relaxed his strict sleep schedule after saying it contributed to a “bedroom divorce” with his girlfriend. He has now also sacrificed gym time after mistakenly drinking caffeinated coffee before bed.
On X, he wrote:
“Wrecked sleep last night. Cafe mistakenly gave me fully caffeinated coffee versus decaf. ”Cancelled my morning dunk training as acute sleep disruption can increase injury risk by 70-130 per cent.”
Although a poor night’s sleep can affect anyone’s performance and increase the risk of injury, Johnson’s decision attracted criticism because of his claims about having the biological age of an 18-year-old.
Bodybuilder Michael Duggan quoted Johnson’s post and wrote:
“Man claims to have a biological age of 18. Cancels workout because he accidentally drank a coffee. ”Meanwhile actual 18 year olds are showing up to the gym hungover after staying out til 4am and doing a dozen shots the night before.”
Johnson later cited health data to support his decision. He said his restorative sleep had fallen by 20 per cent, despite spending an additional two hours in bed.
Bryan Johnson’s autoimmune gastritis diagnosis
Johnson has invested significant amounts of money and time in attempts to make himself feel younger. However, he has also discussed being diagnosed with an incurable stomach condition known as autoimmune gastritis.
“As a kid, I ate sugar cereal, drank sugary soda, and gobbled down fast food. I had a few healthy years in my early 20s but then became a young father of three and began building a business,” he wrote on X.
“Juggling that stress and grind, I let my health slip and gained 40 lbs. Within a few years I’d fallen into a deep, chronic depression.
“Somewhere in that timeline, my body began developing an autoimmune process affecting my thyroid and then my stomach lining.
“It’s called Autoimmune Gastritis (AIG).”
Bryan Johnson’s most controversial longevity experiments
De-ageing his penis
Johnson has conducted a series of experiments focused on sexual health in an attempt to restore what he described as his “22-year-old penis”. His methods have included semen analysis, blood-flow testing, Botox injections and shock-wave therapy.
The biohacker claimed the lengthy routine reduced his “erection age” by more than half. He also said he tracked his own “erection data” and compared it with statistics from his 19-year-old son.
Injecting himself with his son’s blood
Johnson went viral in 2023 after taking part in what he described as “the world’s first multigenerational plasma exchange” with his then-17-year-old son and his 70-year-old father.
The procedure involved removing a litre of Johnson’s blood and separating the plasma before infusing the same amount of his son’s plasma into his veins. After reporting “no benefits”, Johnson said he was “no longer injecting my son’s blood”.
He later said he had “upgraded” to “total plasma exchange”.
Psychedelics
Last year, Johnson documented taking 5g of magic mushrooms. Afterwards, he said he was “happy to be alive” and that the experience had “changed” him, but “probably not as you’d expect”.
He also described the effects of taking 27mg of the “world’s most powerful” hallucinogenic, 5-MeO-DMT, saying it left him “stunned beyond comprehension”.
An extensive morning routine
Johnson has said his morning routine takes four hours and 46 minutes. He recently shared an updated version of the schedule on his website.
“My morning routine is always evolving as we update protocols. This is what I’m experimenting with right now,” he writes on his website.
- Wake up around 5 am
- Oral hygiene
- Light in eyes
- Breath work
- Pre-workout nutrition
- Exercise
- Sauna
- Red/NIR light therapy
- Focused shockwave therapy on joints
- Shower
- Hair growth serum
- Skincare
- Breakfast
