Longevity on Ultrahuman Blog

How an inconsistent sleep schedule takes its toll on your body

Wed, 06 May 2026 18:42:23 +0000

Most sleep advice obsesses over eight hours, but a growing body of research suggests that when you sleep is just as important as the duration.

New data from 103,490 Ultrahuman Ring AIR users backs that up. The research carried out by Ultrahuman’s Science team found that the least consistent sleepers had overnight resting heart rates 2–4 bpm higher than the most consistent ones.

It sounds like a small number, but an elevated overnight heart rate points to a higher physiological load – the body running warmer, working harder, and recovering less, even while you sleep.

Complete blood count (CBC) markers explained

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 19:51:30 +0000

A complete blood count (CBC) is one of the most accessible, affordable, and insightful tests in modern medicine — and it’s a core part of Ultrahuman’s Blood Vision panel .

The CBC is a fundamental diagnostic tool, and provides valuable information about your overall health. It can help to diagnose a wide range of conditions, including anemia, infections, and certain cancers.

With a single blood draw, it helps assess everything from oxygen delivery and fatigue risk to immune readiness and recovery status.

Heart rate variability (HRV): What's normal – and how to increase it

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 12:01:32 +0000

Heart rate variability (HRV) has become a huge focus of wearable devices, and is the underlying marker for tracking wellness, recovery, and stress.

HRV is a measurement of the time between heartbeats. A high variance between heartbeats is a sign that your body is well adjusted and prepared to handle whatever life has in store.

But a low variation in beats indicates poor readiness, which can be a signal that you need to check in with your body.

Biphasic glucose curve: Multiple spikes after eating explained

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 12:39:12 +0000

Biphasic glucose spikes after a meal refer to two distinct rises in blood sugar. The first is a quick spike from rapid carbohydrate absorption; the second, slower rise may result from delayed digestion (e.g., due to fat or protein) or continued glucose release from the liver.

It often signals a mixed meal and normal metabolic response, but exaggerated patterns can suggest impaired glucose regulation.

This article was first published in 2021. It has been medically checked and updated with new studies, and for readability.

What is metabolic age? Understand and improve this key health metric

Wed, 28 May 2025 21:36:15 +0000

While your chronological age is simply the number of years you’ve been alive, your metabolic age offers deeper insight into how well your body is functioning behind the scenes.

Metabolic age reflects how efficiently your body burns energy at rest — essentially, the speed and health of your metabolism.

A higher metabolic age suggests your body is burning fewer calories than expected for your age group, which can be linked to lower muscle mass, a slower metabolism, and increased risk of chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes.

Why naps are the secret to living stronger, smarter, and longer

Thu, 22 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Imagine a longevity technique, proven by NASA to supercharge your body, immune system, and cognitive performance – and available to everyone. No, it’s not creatine or cold plunge – it’s a simple 30-minute nap.

This week, we deep dive into one of the most underrated power-ups in human performance: the nap.

Because here’s the truth: if you’re skipping naps, you’re leaving a major chunk of your performance, recovery, and resilience potential untapped.
This newsletter will change your perspective on naps forever.

Your circadian rhythm and sleep-wake cycle explained

Fri, 16 May 2025 19:41:30 +0000

Humans have evolved to live in sync with Earth’s 24-hour day-and-night cycle. As a result, nearly every cell in the human body operates according to a daily fluctuating schedule, called a circadian rhythm.1

Circadian rhythms affect our sleep-wake cycle, energy levels, food metabolism, and general health. Living in tune with our circadian rhythm can lead to increased energy and alertness and is linked to longevity. Living out of sync with that cycle is interpreted as a “disruption” by the body and is linked to a host of negative cardiovascular and metabolic health outcomes .

What do your blood markers mean about your health?

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 10:43:35 +0000

When it comes to health, we often jump straight into crafting a new workout routine or revamping our diet—a seemingly simple fix. Yet, the truth is, our bodies are wonderfully unique, and while exercise and good nutrition are beneficial, the key to truly optimizing your health lies in a more personalized approach.

Understanding your body’s specific needs begins with knowing where you currently stand health-wise, uncovering the internal workings of your body, and then customizing your health strategies to suit your requirements. This preventive approach is precisely where the value of blood markers lies.

Self-Determination Theory: Part Two

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 16:01:00 +0000

Read Self-Determination Theory: Part One

Part two of the series on motivation in sport moves past the preparation and dives into the challenges our specific team faced during the running of the speed project and how we stayed driven and focused through adversity in a race to the finish. Our initial route was planned for 295 miles of top-end speed. But the best-laid plans, according to legend, often go awry. Predicting our original finish somewhere around the 32-hour mark, our ranking at the top of the field slowly slipped away. As we added on time, it seemed as though we never chipped away at the remaining distance. We finished in 42 hours and some minutes. We traversed nearly 400 miles.

Your Visceral Fat May Affect How Long You Live

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 15:09:00 +0000

Visceral fat refers to the fat that surrounds our visceral organs (heart, liver, pancreas, kidneys, intestines) located in the abdominal region. Unlike subcutaneous fat, which lies under our skin, visceral fat cannot be seen from the outside as it lies deep within the body. This type of fat is highly metabolically active, which means that it is constantly releasing free fatty acids (or FFA) into the bloodstream.

Highlights

Significant factors that affect longevity or life expectancy include gender, genetics, nutrition, physical activity and lifestyle,
A growing body of evidence and a number of studies have implicated visceral fat as a major factor for type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular disease, which are ultimately threats to longevity.

Visceral fat and proinflammatory cytokines

Visceral fat also releases proinflammatory cytokines that stimulate the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, which plays a significant role in the body’s response to stress.

Forest Bathing: Is the Japanese ‘Health Trend’ Science-backed?

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 14:11:00 +0000

By 2050, projections suggest that over two-thirds of the world population will live in cities. Many aspects of urban living and modern technology contribute to our levels of stress and a number of pathologies. Thanks to the pandemic, people are spending most of their time indoors. “Nature-deficit disorder is not a medical diagnosis, but a useful metaphor to describe what many of us believe are the human costs of alienation from nature: diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses, a rising rate of myopia, child and adult obesity, vitamin D deficiency, and other maladies,” says Richard Louv, author of ‘Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder.’

Men’s Health Month: Five Things To Learn About Prostate Cancer

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 12:31:00 +0000

Introduction

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, in 2018, there were 18.1 million new cancer cases and 9.5 million deaths worldwide. By 2040, it is estimated that these numbers will rise to 29.5 million and 16.4 million, respectively.

Each year, 1.4 million people are diagnosed with prostate cancer (PC) and over 350,000 die from the disease. PC is one of the most common forms of cancer, and other than melanoma (skin cancer), is the most prevalent cancer in American men.

7 Things Mindful People Do Differently

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 12:13:00 +0000

The intention of being more present in our lives is inspiring many people around me. I never would have imagined some of them practising mindfulness but they now sit in daily meditation.

When I look at the Seattle Seahawks, and think of our Army Vets or politicians sitting in the “Quiet Caucus” room, I’m filled with a whole lot of hope. When I see an increasing amount of kids and teens being taught mindfulness in their schools, I see possibilities.

Metabolic Health And Ageing – How Are They Related?

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 11:40:00 +0000

Metabolic health is the body’s ability to burn stored fat, glucose, and ketones for energy in a balanced manner. There are many factors that can influence a person’s metabolic health, including age, activity level, stress levels, body composition, genetics and hormonal levels. Impaired metabolic health, known as metabolic syndrome, can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Highlights

Metabolic health can also be defined as having ideal levels of blood sugar, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, blood pressure, and waist circumference, without using medications,
Longevity translates into existence for a long duration. In the context of human life, it refers to how long an individual lives. The term is often synonymous with life expectancy,
Managing blood sugar levels can also help in reducing the influence of AGES that could make us old earlier.

The link between Glucose Fluctuations and Longevity

Longevity research has proposed three major pathways that influence the ways in which our bodies repair themselves on a cellular level - the insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IGF), target of rapamycin (TOR), and germline signalling pathways. Two of them are the same pathways that respond to our daily glucose and insulin levels, which can be easily influenced by a considered diet and exercise. Studies have also shown that calorie restriction can improve blood sugar regulation and extend both lifespan and health span.

6 Things That Could Affect Your Longevity

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 08:05:00 +0000

Introduction

The word longevity means ‘existence for a long duration’. Applied to humans, the term implies how long a person lives. (3) Metabolism—a process of life-sustaining chemical reactions continually occurring in your body that converts what you consume into energy—impacts longevity. When certain readings or biomarkers are within a prescribed range, it implies that one is in good metabolic health, which means having ‘suitable’ levels of blood sugar and blood pressure, cholesterol and a healthy body composition. (4)

Does good metabolism increase longevity?

Sat, 17 Sep 2022 11:12:00 +0000

The tortoise has an average life expectancy of over 100 years. It is not surprising that the genomic composition of the tortoise has sparked interest among many curious researchers attempting to better comprehend the genomic determinants of longevity and metabolism. However, even among humans, these average numbers have been far superseded. In 1997, when France’s Jeanne Calment breathed her last, she was the oldest living person in the world at 122 years old. Currently, 118-year-old Kane Tanaka of Japan is the world’s oldest person alive. Wonder what has kept these record-breaking supercentenarians going?

What is Peripheral vision and six ways to improve it

Sun, 14 Aug 2022 09:13:00 +0000

There are typically two main types of vision in our daily lives to see the world around us. These are, the central vision, which enables us to see what is directly in front of us, or our main line of sight, in precise detail, and the peripheral vision, which is what we can see from the corners of our eyes without having to turn our head or neck.

Highlights

Humans have a limited peripheral view compared to animals, especially in distinguishing colour and shape,
Peripheral vision is poor, even in young people with normal vision, it’s just how our biological set-up is,
In sports, peripheral awareness is vital and is a crucial visual skill for athletes, which is why it is important for them to improve it.

Why is core body temperature a big deal?

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 12:12:00 +0000

Why does a hot cup of tea feel so good after you’ve been drenched in the rain? Or when it’s hot outside, all you want is a refreshing cold beverage?

Knowingly or unknowingly, we are always trying to make ourselves comfortable by regulating our body temperature. But the need to maintain a certain body temperature is also about keeping healthy and fit.

Your body temperature can reveal a lot of things about your body—whether you have an illness, stress, sleep issues, compromised metabolism and more. Let’s further our understanding of our body temperature and learn more.

Cellular determinants: The molecular mechanisms of Longevity

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 15:54:00 +0000

Longevity is commonly defined as ‘a greater duration of life’. The etymology of the word longevity is derived from the Latin word ‘longaevitās’ which is a combination of the words ‘longus’ (which means long) and ‘aevum’ (which means age). However, the concept of longevity is comparative in nature and relative to the average lifespan of a species.

Highlights

Longevity is commonly defined as a greater duration of life. The concept of longevity is comparative in nature and relative to the average lifespan of a species,
Ageing is a series of multiple processes. These processes result in the familiar signs of ageing and ultimately to the development of age-related diseases,
Longevity/ageing in humans depends on multiple factors such as mitochondrial DNA damage/oxidative stress, glycation, telomere shortening, cell senescence, inflammation and the mTor protein.

Ageing is a series of multiple processes. These processes result in the familiar signs of ageing and ultimately to the development of age-related diseases that could affect lifespan. These processes include:

How does dopamine impact blood glucose?

Tue, 22 Mar 2022 15:30:00 +0000

When you run a marathon, complete a task or eat a slice of chocolate cake, your brain produces a chemical called dopamine in response, giving you feelings of satisfaction. It is human nature to want to replicate this feeling, so you seek out more of the behaviour that led to the dopamine production. But an excess of any of these things will eventually catch up to us. For instance, overdoing slices of cake elevates the risk of diabetes in the long run, which affects over 500 million adults globally. Integral to preventing or managing diabetes is maintaining healthy blood sugar levels.

Eye Health and blood glucose

Sun, 20 Mar 2022 08:39:00 +0000

Did you know that eating too many cupcakes could not only spike your blood sugar but also seriously impact your eyesight? Studies suggest that those who experience chronically elevated blood sugar levels are more likely to suffer from eye disease and conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, blurry vision and retinopathy. It’s the leading cause of blindness in adults aged 20–74. Let’s look at how blood glucose levels affect our vision and what we can do about it.

The Science of Morning People & Night Owls

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 12:13:00 +0000

If asked whether you are a night owl or an early bird, you’re likely to answer based on when you fall asleep, when you wake up and when you are most productive.

This natural disposition is powered by a configuration buried within your DNA which can define when you perform at your fullest. This is your chronotype, the impression time leaves upon your day-to-day routine.

Read next: What is circadian rhythm?

Men’s Health Month: Seven Facts You Should Know About Testicular Cancer

Fri, 26 Nov 2021 13:55:00 +0000

Introduction

As we get to the second half of November, let’s talk about men’s health problems. The most common ailments young men have are prostate and testicular cancers and mental health issues, among others. Testicular cancer is an illness that has gained significant traction over the past few years. Here’s what you should look out for to stay vigilant against it.

What is testicular cancer?

Common Traits of Blue Zones

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 10:35:00 +0000

Blue zones are geographic regions of the world where some of the oldest people are known to reside. They have the highest concentration of centenarians and supercentenarians on earth. Epidemiologist Gianni Pes and demographer Michel Poulain first identified blue zones while conducting a study on mortality in Sardinia, Italy. They drew blue concentric circles on a map, highlighting areas associated with longevity. In collaboration with National Geographic, they went on to identify four more blue zones across the globe. In this piece we will uncover the secrets behind the longevity of the residents of these blue zones.

Biomarkers to track metabolic health

Sun, 10 Oct 2021 12:49:00 +0000

We often visit our doctors for check-ups and get lab tests done, where they look at some of our innate measurable parameters that provide key insights into the state of our health. These criteria are called biomarkers.

Highlights

Health professionals can make informed decisions regarding the health of their patients by analysing their individual biomarkers,
Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy,
Keeping a check on our individual biomarkers is essential to optimise our metabolic health.

What are Biomarkers?

Health professionals can make informed decisions regarding the health of their patients by analysing their individual biomarkers to identify the prevalence of or susceptibility to any particular disease, their causes, and its effects. It is crucial for individuals to track their biomarkers to ensure the maintenance of an optimal lifestyle.