A day in the life: Longevity expert Dr Mark Mikhail

I wake up naturally at about 7am, although during stressful periods I have been known to wake, bolt upright, at 3am, compelled to finish some work — this is not a hack!

I normally turn on Radio 4 while checking the weather and what my day entails ... I need about an hour of background thinking time to be able to dress myself in matching clothes.

I am routine-light, and forgiving of myself for this, but there are two things I do religiously, because they are excellent: a scoop of ID formulas with a sachet of LOAM fibre. I then stare at my tray of supplements to decide whether I need anything else to wash away yesterday’s antics.

“My philosophy? Balance and be kind to yourself. The quest for health should not come at the cost of living your life”

I don’t have coffee until about 10am, as I prefer to wait for total adenosine clearance. I don’t tend to have breakfast, but cook as much as my social calendar will allow. My trusty Killa Vanilla stick helps me with sugar craving control.

I cycle to work daily, but to engage in exercise I need it to be scheduled, otherwise life takes over. I need accountability to someone else.

“Inhaling molecular hydrogen, a potent antioxidant, gives me clarity of thought and sets me up for the day”

Being the medical director at Sael Spa means I can get into the sauna and cold plunge whenever I am in the clubhouse. Sitting in a sauna overlooking nature is something I never thought was possible in London.

When it comes to wearables and health tech I have tried them all at some point. When my discipline drops, I find that seeing improvements in my HRV and sleep scores can encourage me to get back on track — otherwise, I would prefer we all got better at understanding our bodies intuitively again.

If I get down to Sael in time to do my morning emails I will plug in the hydrogen machine and inhale molecular hydrogen — a potent antioxidant that mops up reactive oxygen species. I feel more clarity of thought and it sets me up for the day.

It’s geeky but I set up a cooking agent in Claude code that I trained in cooking science and our preferences — it plans inventory, weekly shops and batch cooking.

I am pretty resilient to stress, having run a start-up for four years. I think it’s natural to feel overwhelmed at times, but realising you are not alone in this is encouraging. I only make major decisions when I am feeling at my most mentally powerful.

In terms of mindfulness practices, breath coach Rob Rea once told me to start with just one breath a day that I actually focus on — so I start with a 4-7-8 breath and that normally leads to a few more.

My relationship with screen time? This is probably my only consistently good area. I don’t really use social media, so I rarely scroll, but I do check the news frequently and run much of my life through my phone.

“The quest for health should not come at the cost of living your life”

I typically wind down at 9pm. I may have a sleep tea with some reishi in it and I avoid doing anything too mentally taxing.

I use an Eight Sleep mattress topper for the fluctuating temperature control. White Company linen is necessary for comfort and if I predict a tricky time I will take magnesium, glycine or melatonin, or some combination of them. If I have been drinking, then I take our secret hangover pills.

My philosophy? Balance and be kind to yourself. The quest for health should not come at the cost of living your life.

As told to Rose Beer

Dr Mark Mikhail is the co-founder of 3 Peaks Health and Medical Director at Fulham Pier’s new Sael Spa