I reversed my age by 30 years—and you can copy my daily routine
Dr. Alka Patel, a longevity doctor, says she reversed 30 years of aging—and she believes you can copy her routine. For years she pushed herself to the limit: long hours, the occasional biscuit to keep going, and sleep rarely more than four hours. Then a fever climbed to 42°C and sent her into multi-organ failure. After emergency abdominal surgery found nothing wrong, she spent a month in hospital. The wake‑up call was brutal. Today, at 53, she says her biological age is that of a healthy 20-year-old.
In This Article:
From burnout to near-death: the crisis that forced change
As a GP with three children and a demanding career, she rarely slowed down. She says the resilience that kept her going hid the warning signs. A fever rose above 38°C and climbed to 42°C, triggering organ failure. Doctors rushed her to hospital; they suspected an abdominal abscess but found nothing. After a month of recovery, she faced a stark realization: years of burnout had taken a toll, and change was essential.
A scientific reset: biological age, autophagy, and accessible biohacking
Fourteen years on, Dr. Patel—now 53—reports a biological age of about 20. “Strange as it sounds, science shows we can bring our age down in measurable ways,” she says. Biohacking isn’t only for the wealthy tech elite; many of the techniques she uses with clients are free, quick, and can add decades to life. She began tracking blood sugar, sleep, and heart rate to turn back her clock. Your biological age is a health forecast, not an ego metric, she adds.
Night-to-day routine that slows ageing
Her nightly ritual starts with a 9:30 p.m. alarm to signal a screen curfew, followed by getting into bed about an hour later. Blue light from screens suppresses melatonin, so reducing evening exposure helps the body wind down. Between turning off the TV and placing the phone on Do Not Disturb, she creates a calm wind‑down window for restorative sleep. She reads a book and aims for eight hours of sleep. In the morning, she begins with five stretches, 50 seconds each, including balance work like calf raises while brushing her teeth. A study of 17,000 people aged 50–75 found that those who couldn’t stand on one leg for 10 seconds had an 84% higher risk of death over seven years. Dr. Patel uses a 1–10 hack system, ranking her most-used biohacks from 1 to 10 and pairing them with simple actions, making 60 seconds of effort feel doable.
What you can try today: simple, real-life steps to add decades
Her approach isn’t about gadgets or gimmicks. The key is small, repeatable actions across sleep, food, movement, and mindset. She advocates habit stacking—calf raises while brushing teeth, keeping dumbbells under the standing desk, and changing posture every 90 minutes to boost circulation. Hydration matters: she starts with a minute of natural sunlight, then 10 seconds to set an intention, followed by three sips of water, repeated every 30 minutes. She eats within an eight-hour window and finishes dinner early to support digestion and autophagy. After meals, she walks or runs and does a quick dumbbell set to keep blood sugar steady. She practices gratitude, a short silence every 70 minutes, and pays compliments to boost oxytocin. The takeaway: you don’t need expensive tech—start with one 60-second habit today.
