Over the last decade, the WeCroak app has reminded people that they will die with persistence, sending over 150 million reminders around the world. The tech industry, however, has overwhelmingly turned in the other direction toward death denial, funding billions of dollars in start-ups with missions of ending death.
However, inside all the big money, one more scrappy immortality entrepreneur, Bryan Johnson has become the most recognizable face in the movement. Johnson achieved notoriety by turning his life and immortality experiments on himself into an open source spectacle. The whole world gets to follow along and see his biohacking progress, track his sleep and biomarkers as he pursues living forever as his full time job.
His fame is interesting, taking equal parts from provocation and transparency. It’s hard to imagine letting the whole world see every last detail of one’s health data as one ages. That takes courage just as trying to live forever takes delusion.
While my views and his on the subject of death could not be more at odds, here are three takeaways from some recent interviews Johnson gave, especially the in-depth podcast interview with Ross Douthat of the New York Times. Because despite certain failure, there is a lot to learn from watching a grown man try to turn black the clock and reverse aging.
Takeaway 1: Saunas are awesome
I was expecting to hate everything this immortal wannabe says. But I have to give credit where it is due. When asked to give the single best longevity practice if you could only do one, Johnson gives great advice.
Douthat: What’s the best? Again, let’s say I’m the person who says: Bryan, I can only do one thing out of your list of therapies. I’m a busy man. I’ve got a lot of kids. I have a podcast. I’m changing jobs. What do I do?
Johnson: Sauna. I would do dry sauna — that’s not wet, not infrared. Dry sauna between 175 degrees Fahrenheit and 212 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. And I’d do it about four to five times per week.
Physical exercise and saunas are the only two lifestyle health interventions with significant replicable longevity results. The largest study of a sauna practice found that men who participated 4-7 times per week had a 40% lower risk of death from all causes than men who did sauna only once per week. Sauna practice seems best at helping to reduce or prevent cardiovascular and neurological degeneration. So basically, if you don’t want a heart attack or dementia, this is the easiest thing you can do to reduce risk. Great advice.
Considering how much of Bryan Johnsons health regimes are complicated, onerous and unproven, I was impressed that when asked, he knows his stuff. If he were only to do one thing, saunas are an easy and highly effective health intervention.
This research is out there. But if Bryan Johnson wants to use his soapbox from his provocative image of a guy trying to live forever to give simple, trustworthy health advice, maybe he can do some good. The longevity industry is full of snake oil salesmen. One could say, they invented snake oil. But, Johnson does seem to know where the strongest science is and is willing to say so. Good for him.
That being said, saunas do not and cannot defeat death forever. But if you want a chance at a few more years, this simple intervention is up there with the best advice that currently exists.
Takeaway 2: A Good Night’s Sleep is Priceless
When it comes to health, quality of life, happiness and longevity, nothing replaces sleep. It is where the body repairs itself. It’s when the ego finally relaxes into the world of dreams where poetry reigns supreme and the impossible is expected. It is foundational to everything a human being can do during the day that follows.
If you are trying to reverse aging, Johnson’s obsession with sleep is warranted. And obsessing about technological sleep innovations he says,
Johnson: For example, the bed I sleep in automatically adjusts temperature according to my body. It changes my temperature profile about 32 times per night, making sure I stay in deep sleep and REM sleep and I avoid wake events.
Johnson’s discussion of sleep, reminds me of kid’s stories about the princess and the pea where a person can become such a fussy perfectionist that the smallest thing can disturb their sleep. I find myself wondering what happens if he travels. He can’t bring his smart bed to a hotel so if he became dependent on such a complicated set-up to sleep, time away from home could become a trial rather than a treat.
Technological approaches to better sleep are trending. Starting with smart watches tracking sleep quality and moving into complex temperature regulation systems, brainwave relaxation devices, smart mattresses and more. Bryan Johnson is following that sleep tech trend only with a higher degree of complexity and cost than most. The tech approach to sleep has advantages over the chemical route of sleeping pills, which can have infamous side effects.
That said, the tech approach also has its limits. It assumes that sleep is a physical phenomenon best addressed with temperature, brain wave measurements and limiting exposure to certain light wavelengths. While those things surely play a role, I’m skeptical they are the heart of sleep.
It’s been my experience that the best sleep rests on a practice of lived values. Figure out what you value most be it kindness, generosity, friendship or whatever you choose. Then challenge yourself to live up to those values every day. Find opportunities and identify and address the missed opportunities and failures. This kind of life creates an inner peace that rests much easier than a life built on ill-will or bullshit. Remembering that you are mortal and could die any night can help you be honest about what values you care about most when all is said and done and being honest about living up to them.
If you can live that way, you may not need a smart watch sleep tracker at all but there is no harm in using one if you want to. Just remember the heart of sleep isn’t temperature. It’s how easy you can rest with yourself and how you are using your life.
3. Bryan Johnson is Dying
Hopefully he has many more years of health and experimentation ahead of him. However he is dying as everyone is. Just last month he went public with his new diagnosis of autoimmune gastritis. It isn’t a terminal illness. But his experience does underscore that as people age, both time and disease take their toll. The huge efforts he is taking treating longevity and immortality as his full time occupation don’t seem to be changing the trajectory of a mortal life. The most he can hope for is that with luck, he can slow it down a little.
And that’s where Bryan Johnson’s approach to longevity starts to show its great weaknesses. It’s too complicated, inflexible and difficult. When he tracks every single calorie based on science, he can’t enjoy eating at a great restaurant with friends and family. Being so extreme about diet and health regimes can isolate a person from the most joyful and worthwhile social experiences. While I can’t comment on whether Johnson is lonely, I know that the solutions he uses are often very isolating.
Loneliness has its own demerits to longevity. The scientists have said chronic loneliness can be an equivalent demerit to health and longevity as smoking cigarettes. In that way, progress in absolute nutrition can be stolen by backsliding in healthy normal socialization because you won’t share in the birthday cake.
One can have a much more relaxed and enjoyable lifestyle and still land in the same longevity spectrum as the Bryan Johnsons of the world who count every calorie and go to bed at 8 pm on the dot every night on smart mattresses.
In the end, things are still the same as they were for Seneca in ancient Rome. “No man can have a peaceful life who thinks too much about lengthening it.”
The Croak Section
What should this column cover next? Want to ask death a question? Or do you want the column to cover any topic relating to living well, philosophy or impermanence? Send questions or topic ideas to askdeath@wecroak.com
Let’s talk: Maybe it’s time to develop or hone that life philosophy. Or perhaps you could use some support in building a life dream. I’m doing one-on-one conversations over the next couple months to support followers. Book a free first conversation at www.tidepathcoach.com
Hansa
Yes i agree for whatever that's worth. Well presented.