Should you be optimising your health?

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing.

In this episode, they discuss the growing drive to optimise our health. We have more data about our bodies than ever before - wearables, apps and trackers that measure our sleep, diet, exercise, body temperature, oxygen levels and more, all in the hope of hitting the right numbers. But what does optimisation really mean? Should we always strive to be more efficient? Or is there a more helpful way to think about the complex system that is our health?

To help answer these questions, the Docs are joined by Jack Naylor, Head of First Team Sports Science at Everton Football Club.

If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk.

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Jack Nayler
Producer: Rami Tzabar
Assistant Producer and researcher: Dr Samara Linton
Editor: Jo Rowntree
Visual Producer: Leon Gower
Technical Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby

At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4