In the quest for a longer and healthier life, few people are pushing boundaries quite like Bryan Johnson. The well-known entrepreneur and longevity enthusiast has made waves in the anti-aging world by adopting an extreme, data-driven protocol — one that includes light therapy as a daily habit.
In this article, we’ll explore some of his habits, the results he’s achieved so far, and how red light therapy fits into his broader journey toward optimal health and performance.
First Things First: Who Is Bryan Johnson?
Bryan Johnson is a successful entrepreneur and forward-thinking investor, best known for his ventures in technology and neuroscience.
He’s the founder and CEO of Kernel, a company developing non-invasive brain-computer interfaces. He also launched the OS Fund, which invests in transformative innovations - including diagnostics, synthetic biology, and genomics. Some of these breakthroughs already sound like they belong in a sci-fi movie.
So, we realize that Bryan's life revolves around pushing the boundaries of human potential. He invests in and develops technologies that aim to improve the quality of life, extend human lifespan, and augment human capabilities. Even for me, - who reads quite a lot about current and future medical inventions and biohacking gadgets - the device Johnson’s company at Kernel is developing is quite extraordinary.
So, he’s been on a mission to create breakthrough inventions, while understanding - and even improving - one of our most important organs: the brain. But over time, something shifted. Bryan began to turn the lens inward. Instead of only engineering external technologies, he started applying the same precision and ambition to his own biology.
While his professional life continued to flourish, his personal life began to fall apart. Years of stress, poor sleep, and a fast-paced lifestyle had taken a toll on his health.
The Beginning of a New Mission
For many years, Brian was a hard worker, who ate junk food, had poor sleep and experienced a lot of stress. Clearly, he burnt himself down in this period of time and compromised his own health. Sounds similar to many of the “successful” start-upper stories, right?
As he writes in his post:
“I overate, gained more than fifty pounds, fueling relentless shame, guilt and malaise.”
He was in a bad shape, was depressed, and even though he worked on exciting projects he didn’t enjoy the process anymore. His divorce even made his life more difficult and miserable. After this "last" call however, he began transforming his lifestyle completely.
Since then, his focus has been on longevity. In 2021, he announced his new company, called Project Blueprint, with the aim of reversing the aging process of his organs.
Project Blueprint requires a very ambitious and expensive effort to make Bryan' organs function like those of an 18-year-old. This protocol involves taking pills, following a strict diet, doing daily hour-long workouts, sticking to a specific sleep routine, while being monitored by a team of over 30 doctors. Besides, Bryan also uses the latest technologies to enhance his results even further.
And he’s been doing it pretty well, as you’ll see.
First Thing After Waking Up: Light Therapy with Lux Lamp
One of the most notable aspects of Bryan’s daily routine is how much he’s committed to light therapy. Research shows that syncing your circadian rhythm with bright light in the morning can support better sleep, a more stable mood, and higher energy levels throughout the day.
That’s one reason why Bryan uses his Lux Lamp first thing in the morning. He published a post on his Instagram account as he stands in front of a 12-inch, 10,000 lux lamp which functions as a wake up call for his body and mind.
Bryan reportedly gets up at 5:30 a.m., well before natural light is available, and spends around 3–5 minutes bathing in this intense, full-spectrum light. He bought the panel on Amazon - proving you don’t necessarily need a high-end setup to benefit from a solid light routine.
So, in a way, his sleep prep starts at sunrise. If we think about this, everyone should go out to get some natural light. And when it's not possible, use an artificial lamp instead. Now, let’s be honest: you probably can’t fully mimic the complexity of natural sunlight. But as far as artificial light hacks go, this one still gets the job done.
Bryan Johnson’s Red and Infrared Light Therapy Protocol
As he’s shared publicly, he not only uses light to mimic natural sunlight but also incorporates red and near-infrared light to accelerate healing and slow the aging process - which remains his ultimate goal.
Among other benefits, red light therapy may support:
- Improved mitochondrial function
- Reduced inflammation
- Enhanced collagen production
These mechanisms are often linked to better skin, faster recovery, and improved energy and cognitive clarity - all things Bryan Johnson openly claims to have experienced.
He reports:
- Increased energy levels
- Improved skin texture
- Enhanced mental clarity
Now, of course, you might be thinking: Sure, but he’s doing a million other things, too. That’s fair. But what makes his case interesting is that he tests every device, meal, and movement in his routine. If something doesn’t work, it’s out. The fact that red light therapy is still part of his protocol speaks for itself.
As stated earlier, Bryan uses red light therapy for accelerated healing, skin health, for mood and sleep quality improvement. He’s been trying out several different brands and manufacturers, but what we can tell from his Instagram post is that his current panel is from RedDot Led, straight from China.
The panel emits 630 nm and 830 nm wavelengths and there’s a pulsing mode ranging from continuous pulse up to 40 Hz.
The claimed power output is 200 mW/cm² at 6 inches, though real-world irradiance often falls short of these figures (something users should keep in mind when evaluating panels).
Compared to recommendations from other red light therapy brands, Bryan doesn't suggest to do red light therapy every day, but only 3 times a week for a length of 12 minutes. It’s a powerful, full body panel, so it's more effective than a smaller, portable panel.
In addition to the RedDot device, Bryan also uses:
- FlexBeam, a wearable red light device he applies to small injuries and even post-blood draw vein healing.
- Celluma Light, a flexible panel he previously used in the mornings, often paired with meditation (though it’s unclear if this is still part of his routine).
Daily Routine Beyond Light Therapy
While light therapy plays a key role in Bryan Johnson's routine, it's just one piece of a much bigger longevity puzzle.
Clean Eating & Intermittent Fasting
Bryan follows a holistic lifestyle, encompassing clean eating, regular exercise, meditation, and other practices designed to optimize his mental and physical health.
As for the diet part, he’s vegan. Each morning he has his morning drink, named "The Green Giant,", then he eats a “Super Veggie” bowl and a “Nutty pudding”, and finally another meal around noon which is also based on veggies and salads.
In addition to his repetitive diet, Bryan takes dozens of supplements - including creatine, vitamin D3, ashwagandha, a B-complex, zinc, and many others.
Daily Full-Body Workout
Exercise is another non-negotiable part of his daily blueprint. Every morning, Bryan performs a full-body strength and mobility routine — the same set of exercises every single day. To this, he adds high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions for cardiovascular conditioning and metabolic support.
His fitness philosophy emphasizes consistency, muscle memory, and mental engagement through repetition.
Testing & Fine-Tuning Everything
One thing that sets Bryan apart is how obsessively he tracks the effectiveness of everything he does.
His professional team is constantly looking for new possibilities that could foster his mission. They dive deep into research papers and collect evidence of how that particular activity can improve his longevity.
As he also stated in an interview:
“We would gather all the evidence, we would create clinical guidelines, and then we'd implement the protocols. My daily lifestyle is a result of that process.”
And you won’t be surprised by the fact that measuring the effectiveness of any of his activity or habit is non-questionable.
Before adding anything new to his routine — whether it’s a supplement, device, or behavior - it’s tested, measured, and monitored. Bryan undergoes frequent blood work and wears a WHOOP band 24/7 to track biometrics like stress, sleep, and recovery.
Just a Few of the Metrics He Tracks:
- Body composition: weight, body fat %, muscle mass, water levels, BMI
- Sleep: HR, HRV, REM, deep sleep, respiration, body temperature
- Metabolic health: blood glucose
- Imaging: full-body MRI and ultrasound
- Biofluids: blood, stool, urine, saliva
- Fitness metrics: via WHOOP and Polar devices
- Ocular health: eye imaging and diagnostics
So testing is key. Now it's unclear how he measures the affects of red light therapy specifically. But the fact that he continues doing it suggests that it likely contributes positively to enhancing his overall well-being.
Getting Younger Every Day: His Results Up Until Now With The Blueprint Protocol
After 3 years on the Blueprint protocol, Bryan Johnson has reported some pretty remarkable changes — not just in how he feels, but in measurable aspects of his biology.
Here are just a few of the results he claims:
- Slowed aging (based on biological age tests)
- Improved clinical biomarkers
- Reduced gray hair
- Enhanced brain health
- Better sleep quality
Fascinating, right?
Of course, these outcomes are the result of his entire protocol — not just red light therapy. His diet, supplements, workouts, tech stack, and sleep schedule all work together in a tightly controlled system.
That said, red light therapy has remained a constant part of his routine. I’ve even reached out to Bryan to ask how much of his progress he attributes to it specifically. Hopefully we’ll get a clearer answer soon - and when we do, I’ll update this article.
So stay tuned.
Light Therapy Is Helping Reducing Bryan's Biological Age
While light therapy appears to be a key part of Bryan Johnson’s strategy for reducing his biological age, it’s likely just one piece of the puzzle. His results are almost certainly the outcome of a holistic, highly disciplined lifestyle — one that includes a strict diet, daily exercise, meditation, and continuous data tracking.
It’s the combination of all these elements that likely drives the outcomes he reports.
That said, his commitment to testing new tools, exploring emerging science, and fully embracing his protocol is undeniably inspiring — especially for those interested in biohacking and longevity.
But it’s worth remembering: Bryan has a full medical team supporting his journey. If you’re considering trying something similar, do so mindfully. Every body is different, and what works for one person might not work for another.
🛠️ Tools Mentioned in This Article:
- Carex Day-Light Classic (Lux lamp)
- RedDot RDPRO6000 (full-body red light panel)
- FlexBeam (wearable red light therapy)
- Celluma Light (flexible panel used for skin, mood, and pain)
