Famed millionaire biohacker Bryan Johnson, founder of the Don’t Die movement with an aim toward an extremely long life, recently detailed his intense health regimen and use of nighttime erections as a barometer for well-being.
Johnson made headlines in 2023 when he underwent focused shockwave treatment on his genitals to get the erection of an 18-year-old, which he says indicates quality health.
“I have been shocked by the results. I’m now two months in. My subjective experience is as if my penis has gotten 15 years younger,” he said at the time.
Speaking with the Telegraph, Johnson said nighttime erections are a critical function of the body he regularly monitors.
“Sleep is the number-one performance-enhancing drug in the world, and night-time erections are something both males and females experience [clitoral tumescence for females],” he said.
“It’s a natural physiological process, and when the body’s not getting enough sleep it stops having them. If you’re not having night-time erections your body has shut down critical functions,” he added.
In the same interview, Johnson discussed feeling “chronically depressed” after returning from his mission as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. After selling his company for $800 million, he divorced his wife with whom he shared three children and began his journey into the Don’t Die movement. Per the Telegraph:
Raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Johnson served as a missionary for the church at age 19, spending two years in Ecuador. Aged 24, he fell into a deep depression that lasted 10 years and led to him questioning the very religion his life was based around. After selling his payment processing company Braintree to rival PayPal in 2013 for $800 million (£594 million), Johnson left the church and divorced his wife, with whom he has three children.
“I was chronically depressed for a decade. I know what it feels like to not have hope. Every moment just feels awful,” Johnson said.
“The greatest joy in my day is that I don’t feel depressed. Even though I take so much heat in the world, so much hate is pointed in my direction, I feel great, I’m having fun and I enjoy life. So I really appreciate being alive. And that just brings me so much joy,” he added.
Addressing his many critics, Johnson said they are only projecting their frustrations onto him.
“Most people, when they criticise me, are just talking about themselves. People lash out and they want to hurt other people, and I’m out there, so I’m a target,” he said. “They want to project their frustrations and hate onto somebody else. I’m empathetic. So if I’m a vector for that, it really doesn’t bother me.”
“If I wasn’t getting good sleep and feeling healthy, I think it would,” he added.
