{"id":7713,"date":"2026-04-11T19:51:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T19:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=7713"},"modified":"2026-04-11T19:51:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T19:51:08","slug":"im-55-with-a-biological-age-of-20-everyone-from-joe-rogan-to-kylie-jenner-follows-my-life-extending-tips-heres-how-i-perfected-my-sleep-to-get-the-perfect-nightly-score","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=7713","title":{"rendered":"I&#8217;m 55 with a biological age of 20. Everyone from Joe Rogan to Kylie Jenner follows my life-extending tips&#8230; here&#8217;s how I perfected my sleep to get the perfect nightly score"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">If the benefits of sleep could be put into a pill, it would outsell Ozempic overnight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Yet despite being free &#8211; and one of the best things you can do for your health &#8211; nearly half of us <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_self\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/health\/article-15712257\/Irregular-bedtimes-sleeping-double-risk-heart-attack.html\">fail to get enough sleep<\/a>, falling short of the recommended minimum of seven hours per night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">I understand the struggle as much as anyone. For two decades, I worked the office grind as a mortality researcher in insurance, staying late to file reports and waking up early and bleary-eyed, only to reach straight for the coffee.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Even when I switched to being a longevity expert and biohacker &#8211; whose tips are now followed by\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/tvshowbiz\/kylie_jenner\/index.html\" id=\"mol-586d48a0-3385-11f1-a4c2-89e4bf3b81f8\" class=\"\">Kylie Jenner<\/a>\u00a0and <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/tvshowbiz\/david_beckham\/index.html\" id=\"mol-58496cf0-3385-11f1-a4c2-89e4bf3b81f8\" class=\"\">David Beckham<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; I was still pushing sleep to the side, traveling at odd hours and answering emails late into the night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">But six years ago, I finally decided to prioritize my shut-eye, planning work and travel around bedtimes. The results were dramatic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Today, I have more energy than ever before, and my mind is clearer than ever. I am 55 years old, but biologically, I have the body of a 20-year-old.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">I&#8217;m also spending more time in the most vital stages of sleep: rapid-eye movement (REM), which is essential for consolidating memories, and deep sleep, which is when the body repairs itself and &#8216;locks in&#8217; any fitness gains.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Research suggests this is also slashing my risk of chronic disease. Studies suggest poor sleep is linked to a higher risk of\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and cancer among others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\" style=\"\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-a40a2845f841a2ed\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/04\/11\/20\/106730037-15716843-Gary_Brecka_is_55_with_a_biological_age_of_early_20s_He_shares_h-a-14_1775936630964.jpg\" height=\"800\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Gary Brecka is 55 with a biological age of early 20s. He shares his cheap and simple tips for reversing the clock\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Gary Brecka is 55 with a biological age of early 20s. He shares his cheap and simple tips for reversing the clock\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\" style=\"\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-3222a28e44edd2d4\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/04\/11\/20\/107775709-15716843-Celebrities_including_Kylie_Jenner_and_David_Beckham_follow_Brec-a-15_1775936631161.jpg\" height=\"953\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Celebrities including Kylie Jenner and David Beckham follow Brecka's life-extending tips\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Celebrities including Kylie Jenner and David Beckham follow Brecka&#8217;s life-extending tips<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><iframe data-xpmodule-iframe-resizable=\"\" scrolling=\"no\" name=\"xp-iframe-mnuqugo1218f855ab2n\" class=\"iframe-creator \" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/html_modules\/Annie\/tests\/240905-healthsubheading-finalversion\/index.html\" allow=\"clipboard-write\" height=\"45\" style=\"border: 0; width: 0; min-width: 100%; \" id=\"xp-iframe-mnuqugo1218f855ab2n\"><\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>    <\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">After trying several methods to boost my sleep, I found that just four easy and free tweaks to my routine helped to lock in the most shut-eye.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">My work on sleep and health has already made me an increasingly prominent voice in the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, and I even have the ear of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. In December, I sat down with FDA commissioner Marty Makary to discuss the nation&#8217;s disease crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">I&#8217;m the founder of The Ultimate Human Wellness Clinic, where I give patients advice on how to boost their longevity and live better.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Last month, I <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_self\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/health\/article-15588807\/biohacking-expert-anti-ageing-gary-brecka-joe-rogan.html\">wrote in the Daily Mail <\/a>about my top tips on how to boost your life expectancy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\"><span class=\"mol-style-bold\">Now, here are my four top tips for boosting sleep. I challenge everyone to try them for just a week, and then see how they feel.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mol-para-with-font mol-style-subhead health-ccox\">Don&#8217;t take a book into the bedroom\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Many of us climb into bed with a book, thinking it will help us get to sleep. But I tell my patients that is one of the biggest sleep mistakes that they can make.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Reading, scrolling or working in the bedroom stops your brain from switching off &#8211; and may prevent it from associating the bedroom with actually going to bed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">That&#8217;s why I tell my patients to minimize any distractions in the room, and instead reserve it for just two things: sleep and intimacy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">I am not saying don&#8217;t read before bed, but you should do it in another room so that when you go to bed, you are ready to drift off.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">My advice is based on cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, which teaches people&#8217;s brains to associate certain environments with certain behaviors. For the bedroom, that means teaching the brain to only associate it with sleep.<\/p>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\" style=\"\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-80eb44d776faa7c9\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/04\/11\/20\/106648315-15716843-Brecka_is_shown_above_in_his_bedroom_He_has_minimized_the_presen-a-13_1775936630950.jpg\" height=\"425\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Brecka is shown above in his bedroom. He has minimized the presence of objects and distractions in the room to help him get a good night's sleep\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Brecka is shown above in his bedroom. He has minimized the presence of objects and distractions in the room to help him get a good night&#8217;s sleep<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Other experts agree with my advice. At the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, experts tell people to only use the bedroom for sleep, sex or recovery from illness.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">It can help to remove distracting items from your bedroom. I know that&#8217;s not always possible, but it is best to have no books, television or desk in there.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">In my bedroom, my wife and I only have a bed, two bedside tables, two chairs and a massage table.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mol-para-with-font mol-style-subhead health-ccox\">Set an alarm to go to bed\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">We are always told to set an alarm to wake up, but I tell my patients to do something revolutionary and set an alarm for going to bed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">I tell them to have it go off about 15 minutes before bedtime, to remind them to start getting ready for sleep.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">People&#8217;s routines tend to slip a lot in the evening. We wander around the house, doomscroll or respond to emails that could wait until the morning. All that eats into valuable sleep time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">By setting an alarm to go to bed, I hope to prevent this and ensure people get the most of their bedtime. For me, I go to bed at about 10pm every night and have the alarm set for 9.45pm.<\/p>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\" style=\"\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-964bc44a6f612c19\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/04\/11\/20\/106729979-15716843-Brecka_said_everyone_from_Joe_Rogan_pictured_to_David_Beckham_an-a-11_1775936630877.jpg\" height=\"700\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Brecka said everyone from Joe Rogan (pictured) to David Beckham and Ronaldo takes his tips\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Brecka said everyone from Joe Rogan (pictured) to David Beckham and Ronaldo takes his tips\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">A growing body of research shows that a consistent bedtime helps someone to fall asleep and have better quality sleep.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">This is because it helps sync the body&#8217;s clock, or circadian rhythm, helping someone feel ready to go to bed and ready to wake up at the same times daily.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">It also has numerous health benefits. A paper from Finland released last month tracked 3,200 adults and found that maintaining a consistent bedtime slashed their risk of heart disease.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\"><a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_self\" class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/health\/article-15673749\/11-minutes-sleep-heart-attack-risk.html\">Another study<\/a> that tracked 53,000 adults in Britain, also released last month, found that sleeping for just 11 minutes extra per night reduced their risk of a heart attack by ten percent.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mol-para-with-font mol-style-subhead health-ccox\">You can bring your phone into the bedroom, but keep it on airplane mode<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Many longevity gurus tell people not to bring mobile phones into the bedroom, but I tell my patients they are allowed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">However, the devices must be on airplane mode and should be placed outside of arm&#8217;s reach of the bed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">I would only recommend using them to listen to an app that helps someone fall asleep. In these cases, the sounds should be played through the device&#8217;s speakers, rather than headphones.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">This is to help someone reap the benefits of any apps aimed at helping with relaxation at night, while also ensuring the mobile phone does not become a distraction.<\/p>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\" style=\"\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-8b6339380d9814be\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/04\/11\/20\/107776339-15716843-Brecka_said_people_could_bring_their_mobile_phone_into_the_bedro-a-12_1775936630948.jpg\" height=\"848\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Brecka said people could bring their mobile phone into the bedroom, but that, if they do this, the device should be on airplane mode\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Brecka said people could bring their mobile phone into the bedroom, but that, if they do this, the device should be on airplane mode\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Many users report that meditation apps, such as Calm, improve sleep and help them unwind in the evenings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Many major sleep organizations, however, tell people not to look at screens for at least an hour before bed and to ban mobile phones from the bedroom.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">This is to avoid being exposed to stimulating content, like videos, in the bedroom or receiving a new notification. Both can prompt a rush of adrenaline, making it harder to fall asleep.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Experts have also warned that the devices can emit blue light, which some studies suggest may reduce the release of the body&#8217;s sleep chemical, melatonin.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mol-para-with-font mol-style-subhead health-ccox\">Turn down the temperature and block out the light\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">People are urged to turn their bedroom into a quiet, cool and dark place to help them fall asleep.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">I tell my patients to minimize noise in the bedroom and lower the temperature to 69F (20.5C) for a good night&#8217;s sleep.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Light is also an issue. A <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" class=\"\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC4863221\/\">2016 study<\/a> involving nearly 20,000 people found that those who had light exposure while sleeping got about ten minutes less sleep per night than those who did not.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">But it&#8217;s not enough just to close your eyelids, as they naturally let in some light.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">I recommend closely-fitted blinds for the windows and using electrical tape to cover any other light sources in their room.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">According to the Sleep Foundation, artificial light of any kind can suppress the release of melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">For me, that means putting tape over my light switch, which has an internal light, and the light on my fire alarm.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If the benefits of sleep could be put into a pill, it would outsell Ozempic overnight. Yet despite being free &#8211; and one of the best things you can do for your health &#8211; nearly half of us fail to get enough sleep, falling short of the recommended minimum of seven hours per night. I<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7714,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[520],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7713","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hot"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7713"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7713\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}