Biohacking Terms Explained in Plain Language
Biohacking has a lot of jargon. Here is every term you will encounter on PeakLife Africa and across the biohacking world, explained simply and practically for the African professional.
Adaptogen
A natural substance, usually a herb or plant, that helps the body adapt to stress. Adaptogens work by regulating the stress response system. Examples include ashwagandha, rhodiola, and eleuthero. The key requirement for something to be classified as an adaptogen is that it must be non-toxic, produce a non-specific stress response, and help normalise body functions.
Autophagy
The body's cellular self-cleaning process. Autophagy literally means 'self-eating.' When autophagy is activated, cells break down and recycle damaged components, misfolded proteins, and dysfunctional organelles. This process is strongly linked to longevity, cancer prevention, and brain health. Fasting, exercise, and caloric restriction are the most reliable ways to trigger autophagy.
Adenosine
A chemical that builds up in the brain the longer you are awake, creating sleep pressure and the feeling of tiredness. Caffeine works by blocking adenosine receptors, which is why it temporarily reduces the feeling of tiredness but does not actually reduce the underlying adenosine buildup.
Biohacking
The practice of using science, data, technology, and lifestyle interventions to optimise how your body and mind function. Biohacking ranges from simple habits like tracking sleep to advanced techniques like continuous glucose monitoring and peptide therapy. The core principle is self-experimentation guided by measurable data rather than guesswork.
BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor)
Often called 'Miracle-Gro for the brain.' BDNF is a protein that supports the survival of existing neurons and encourages the growth of new ones. Exercise is the most powerful known stimulator of BDNF. Low BDNF is associated with depression, cognitive decline, and poor memory consolidation.
Blood Glucose
The concentration of glucose (sugar) in your blood at any given moment. Stable blood glucose is critical for consistent energy, focus, and metabolic health. Spikes and crashes in blood glucose cause energy crashes, brain fog, cravings, and over time contribute to type 2 diabetes and cognitive decline. Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) allow real-time tracking.
Body Battery
A feature on Garmin devices that estimates your energy reserves on a scale of 0 to 100, based on HRV, sleep quality, activity, and stress data. A high Body Battery reading indicates good recovery and readiness for demanding tasks. A low reading suggests the body is under stress and needs recovery.
Circadian Rhythm
Your body's internal 24-hour biological clock that regulates sleep-wake cycles, hormone release, metabolism, immune function, and dozens of other processes. The circadian rhythm is primarily set by light exposure, particularly morning sunlight and evening darkness. Disrupting your circadian rhythm through shift work, late nights, or inconsistent schedules has serious health consequences.
Cold Exposure (Cold Therapy)
The deliberate practice of exposing the body to cold temperatures through cold showers, ice baths, or cold water immersion. Benefits include reduced inflammation, improved recovery, activation of brown fat (which burns calories for heat), improved mood through norepinephrine release, and improved insulin sensitivity. Effective exposure typically requires 3 to 11 minutes at cold temperatures per week.
Cortisol
The primary stress hormone, produced by the adrenal glands. Cortisol is essential and not inherently harmful. In healthy amounts it helps regulate blood sugar, reduce inflammation, and manage the sleep-wake cycle. Chronic elevated cortisol, from sustained stress, causes weight gain, disrupted sleep, immune suppression, cognitive impairment, and accelerated ageing.
CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor)
A small sensor worn on the skin that tracks blood glucose levels in real time. CGMs allow you to see how specific foods, exercise, stress, and sleep affect your blood sugar. Useful for optimising nutrition, avoiding energy crashes, and understanding your metabolic health without finger-prick blood tests.
Deep Sleep (Slow-Wave Sleep)
The most physically restorative phase of sleep, dominated by slow delta brain waves. During deep sleep, growth hormone is released, muscle repair occurs, the immune system is strengthened, and memories are consolidated. Most deep sleep occurs in the first half of the night. Alcohol, late meals, and inconsistent sleep timing all reduce deep sleep.
Epigenetics
The study of how your behaviours and environment can cause changes in the way your genes work. Unlike genetic mutations, epigenetic changes are reversible. Sleep, exercise, nutrition, stress, and environmental exposures all affect gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms. This is the scientific basis for why lifestyle changes can profoundly affect health outcomes.
Fasting (Intermittent Fasting)
Deliberately cycling between periods of eating and not eating. The most common approach is 16:8 (16 hours fasting, 8-hour eating window). Benefits include improved insulin sensitivity, reduced inflammation, increased autophagy, simplified eating patterns, and for some people improved mental clarity during the fasting period. Benefits are strongly dependent on what you eat during your eating window.
GHK-Cu
A naturally occurring copper peptide found in human blood, saliva, and urine that declines significantly with age. Research suggests it has wound-healing, anti-inflammatory, and skin regeneration properties. It is studied in the context of anti-ageing and tissue repair.
HRV (Heart Rate Variability)
The variation in time between consecutive heartbeats, measured in milliseconds. Counterintuitively, higher HRV generally indicates better health. A high HRV means your autonomic nervous system is flexible and adaptive. A low HRV indicates physiological stress, poor recovery, or illness. HRV is the most sensitive real-time measure of nervous system health available to consumers, tracked by devices like Oura Ring, Whoop, Garmin, and Apple Watch.
Hormesis
The principle that a low dose of a stressor that would be harmful at high doses actually produces a beneficial adaptive response. Exercise is the classic example: damaging muscle fibres in the short term produces strength over time. Cold exposure, heat stress, fasting, and certain plant compounds work through hormesis.
Homeostasis
The body's natural tendency to maintain internal stability and balance, such as regulating temperature, blood glucose, and pH within narrow ranges. Many biohacking interventions work by challenging homeostasis in controlled ways (hormesis) to trigger adaptive responses that improve long-term resilience.
Insulin Sensitivity
How effectively your cells respond to insulin and absorb glucose from the blood. High insulin sensitivity means you need less insulin to manage blood glucose, which is metabolically healthy. Low insulin sensitivity (insulin resistance) is associated with type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive decline. Exercise, sleep, fasting, and a low ultra-processed food diet all improve insulin sensitivity.
Longevity
In the context of biohacking, longevity refers not just to living longer but to extending healthspan, the period of life spent in good health with full cognitive and physical function. Modern longevity science focuses on understanding and slowing the biological processes of ageing through interventions in sleep, exercise, nutrition, stress management, and targeted supplementation.
Melatonin
A hormone produced by the pineal gland that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin production is triggered by darkness and suppressed by light, particularly blue light. It signals to the body that it is time to sleep. Melatonin supplements at low doses (0.5mg) can help with jet lag and sleep timing but are not primarily a sleep-depth supplement.
Mitochondria
Often called the powerhouses of the cell, mitochondria are organelles that produce ATP, the energy currency your body runs on. Mitochondrial health is central to energy levels, athletic performance, cognitive function, and longevity. Zone 2 cardio is the most powerful known intervention for improving mitochondrial density and function.
NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide)
A coenzyme found in every cell that is essential for energy production, DNA repair, and cellular communication. NAD+ levels decline significantly with age. Precursors like NMN and NR are being studied as supplements to raise NAD+ levels, with the goal of improving cellular energy production and slowing ageing processes.
Nootropics
Substances that improve cognitive function, including memory, focus, creativity, and motivation. The term covers both natural compounds (like lion's mane mushroom, bacopa, and l-theanine) and synthetic ones. The evidence base varies widely. The most evidence-backed natural nootropics include caffeine plus l-theanine, creatine, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Parasympathetic Nervous System
The rest-and-digest branch of the autonomic nervous system. When the parasympathetic system is dominant, your heart rate slows, digestion improves, and recovery occurs. Breathwork, meditation, cold exposure, and sleep all activate the parasympathetic system. High HRV is associated with strong parasympathetic tone.
Presenteeism
Being physically present at work while not fully productive due to health issues, burnout, or low energy. Presenteeism costs organisations significantly more than absenteeism and is the most common form of productivity loss in corporate Africa. It is the primary economic justification for corporate wellness investment.
REM Sleep (Rapid Eye Movement)
The sleep phase associated with dreaming, memory consolidation, emotional processing, and creative thinking. REM sleep is concentrated in the later sleep cycles, meaning that cutting sleep short eliminates disproportionately more REM than deep sleep. Consistent REM deprivation impairs emotional regulation, learning, and creative problem-solving.
Sleep Debt
The cumulative effect of insufficient sleep over time. Sleep debt impairs cognitive function, emotional regulation, immune function, and metabolic health. Research suggests that sleep debt from a week of short nights cannot be fully recovered in a single weekend, though longer recovery periods can reverse most of the impairment.
SpO2 (Blood Oxygen Saturation)
The percentage of haemoglobin in the blood that is carrying oxygen. Normal SpO2 is 95 to 100%. Modern wearables measure SpO2 during sleep, which can reveal episodes of oxygen desaturation caused by sleep apnoea. Sleep apnoea is significantly underdiagnosed in Africa and a major driver of fatigue, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.
Sympathetic Nervous System
The fight-or-flight branch of the autonomic nervous system. When the sympathetic system is dominant, heart rate rises, digestion slows, and the body is mobilised for action. Chronic sympathetic dominance from sustained stress is physiologically costly, accelerates ageing, and is a primary driver of burnout and cardiovascular disease.
VO2 Max
The maximum rate at which your body can consume oxygen during exercise. VO2 max is the single strongest predictor of long-term health and mortality risk across all populations studied. Every decade of adult life without targeted cardiorespiratory training leads to approximately a 10% decline in VO2 max. Zone 2 cardio and high-intensity intervals are the most effective interventions to improve it.
Zone 2 Cardio
Low-intensity aerobic exercise performed at a heart rate where you can maintain a conversation but feel challenged. Typically 60 to 70% of maximum heart rate. Zone 2 training builds mitochondrial density, improves metabolic flexibility, lowers cortisol, and is the foundation of longevity-focused exercise programmes. The recommended dose is 150 to 180 minutes per week.