Bryan Johnson’s 14-Step Anti-Aging Morning Routine, Including 91 Pills

The early bird gets the worm – but can it also live forever? Bryan Johnson thinks so.

The 47-year-old tech mogul-turned-biohacker is on a quest to cheat death, and his morning routine begins before most of us have had our first cup of coffee.

Johnson powers a meticulous regimen of 91 supplements, multiple meals, and an antiaging regimen that may sound more like a sci-fi plot than reality. And he does it all before the clock strikes noon.

The California-based entrepreneur, who has fostered a cult following with his extreme longevity plan “Project Blueprint,” offered a rare glimpse into his day-to-day life in the new Netflix documentary “Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live”. Forever.â€

Early riser, artificial light

Johnson claims he does more than 100 different things every day to optimize his body’s “ideal condition.” And it all starts at 4:30 in the morning

Like most of us, Johnson starts his day in the bathroom. But that’s where the similarities end.

Since he’s up before dawn, the biohacking enthusiast turns on a special lamp that mimics natural sunlight and lets it wash over him for three or four minutes.

This ritual is based on light therapy, which treats the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder and depression by signaling the brain to regulate the production of hormones such as melatonin and serotonin, which affect mood and sleep respectively.

The practice is also thought to reduce inflammation and stimulate the production of collagen, a protein responsible for younger-looking skin that diminishes with age.

After soaking up some sun, Johnson pulls out three pills that might sound familiar to your medicine cabinet: Vitamin C, essential for tissue growth and repair; and heme and elemental iron, minerals essential to a variety of bodily functions, including transporting oxygen from the lungs to every cell in the body.

Next is a temperature control. In the paper, Johnson uses an inner ear thermometer and registers a chilly 94.9 °F—a mild hypothermic condition that’s well below the average of 98.6 °F.

Stimulation of the vagus nerve

The next step in Johnson’s age-reversal research is heart rate variability therapy. He does this by attaching the Parasym device, which sends targeted electrical impulses through his ear to stimulate the vagus nerve.

The goal is to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and make his body “cooler.”

Studies suggest that stimulating this nerve can decrease inflammation, improve sleep, reduce pain, lower blood pressure and increase heart rate variability, which is a biomarker of improved health.

Complete the madness

Then it’s time for the heavy lifting. Johnson ingests 54 other supplements, including cocoa flavanols (to boost brain and heart health), garlic (for cholesterol and immunity) and ashwagandha (for stress relief and lowering blood pressure).

In the document, Johnson also mentions taking the immunosuppressant rapamycin, which transplant patients take to help prevent organ rejection. However, he removed it from his regimen shortly after filming due to side effects such as skin infections and high blood sugar levels.

At this point, it’s time for breakfast.

The longevity fanatic swallows his Green Giant drink, packed with vitamin and omega-3-rich Chlorella algae, creatine, which helps maintain muscle mass, and spermidine, an anti-cancer and anti-aging agent.

Fighting hair loss

To stave off baldness—yes, even immortality can’t save your hairline—Johnson laces up a red light therapy cap.

This six-minute treatment stimulates hair follicles, promotes blood flow to the scalp and (theoretically) slows graying. One study found that it can increase hair density by 39% when used continuously for 16 weeks.

In the documentary, Johnson says he’s seen significant improvements in changing his hair growth with the hat, telling viewers he must “genetically” be bald while boasting a full head of hair.

Exercise, vegetables and high-tech equipment

Johnson then hits the gym for about an hour, doing a mix of strength, cardio, flexibility and balance exercises. Think: reverse push-ups, pull-ups, squats, bicep curls and 10 minutes of intense HIIT (high-intensity interval training).

By 9am, it’s time for his second meal of the day: “a few kilos of vegetables”. We’re talking a whole head of broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, and “why not? A tablespoon of dark chocolate, among other age-fighting ingredients.

For dessert, he eats his infamous nut pudding.

The longevity fanatic then undergoes 12 minutes of full-body light therapy, which he tells viewers is supposed to “accelerate healing.”

Exposing the body to low wavelengths of red light and near light has been shown to stimulate collagen production, improving skin health and reducing the appearance of wrinkles and age spots. It is also thought to help with pain management, speed wound healing and increase energy levels.

Still not done, Johnson finishes his morning with audio therapy to enhance hearing, followed by his last meal before noon: more vegetables, nuts, seeds and berries.

Notably, Johnson follows a vegan diet, with the exception of collagen peptides. He usually consumes 2250 calories per day, 130 grams of protein, 206 carbohydrates and 101 grams of fat.

Even more pills

Johnson ends up with 34 more pills, bringing his morning total to 91. These include acarbos, to control blood sugar; hyaluronic acid, for skin and joints; and turmeric pepper, for inflammation and digestion.

And this is just before noon. Johnson has a full to-do list throughout the day and an equally impressive bedtime routine before hitting the pillow around 8.30pm – usually falling asleep within just three minutes.

The goal: to reach the lowest possible biological age.

“Like a tree has rings, we all have a signature within our bodies of our age,” Johnson says in the document. “After doing Blueprint for two years now, I have changed my biological age by 5.1 years.

The biohacker says that his aging rate is now only 0.69, meaning that for every 12 months, he only ages 8 months. At the start of Blueprint, his aging rate was 1.03.

“As far as how far that goes,” Johnson says, “it’s open. I want to get my aging rate down to the lowest possible number.”

The ticking of the clock

Want to live forever but worry you’ve done too little, too late? Johnson admits he had bad health habits in his youth. He also battled chronic depression for a decade after burning out from 20 years of building tech companies.

In fact, the anti-aging advocate didn’t launch Project Blueprint until October 2021, when he was 44 years old.

Today, Johnson spends more than $2 million a year on his longevity regimen, which once included a blood exchange with his 17-year-old son.

For those brave enough to follow in his footsteps, Johnson has posted all of his methods online — free of charge. He also sells his supplements and other biohacking tools on his website.