Your brain has its own cleaning system. It’s called the glymphatic system, and it helps remove waste products from your brain. One of my previous newsletter issues covered this system and how to support it in more detail.

As stated in this past issue, sleep is the most important tool for your glymphatic system. So if you want to protect your brain, your first step is protecting and prioritizing sleep.

But new research suggests something fascinating: Certain breathing patterns may also support glymphatic function while you’re awake.

We’ll cover this in more detail in this issue.

Your brain is doing hard work every day and night, and like every active tissue, it produces waste products along the way.

That’s where the glymphatic system comes in: It’s a fluid-based system that moves waste out of your brain, mainly during sleep.

This cleaning process is essential for brain health because the buildup of certain proteins is associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and glymphatic clearance could play a role in preventing them. (To be super clear: This doesn’t mean “just improve your glymphatic system and you won’t get these diseases.” Brain diseases are complex.)

Supporting the brain’s waste clearance system is a promising way to protect your long-term brain health, and breathwork is emerging as a potential tool to do so.

The blood vessels in and around your brain rhythmically widen and narrow, a process called vasomotion. Vasomotion helps move cerebrospinal fluid through the brain.

During deep sleep, breathing becomes slower and more regular, and the brain also shows slower rhythms in blood flow and cerebrospinal fluid movement. These slow rhythms, especially those below 0.1 Hz (meaning one cycle lasts more than 10 seconds), seem to support glymphatic flow.

And here’s where breathwork comes in: slow breathing may help create similar slow rhythms while you’re awake. In theory, this could support cerebrospinal fluid movement and possibly glymphatic function.

Another potential aspect is that certain breathing patterns change carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels in your body, which also supports glymphatic flow. Here, breathwork techniques where you hold your breath for a few seconds stand out.

Here’s the current state of the evidence:

But let’s be very clear: We do not yet have direct proof that a simple breathwork routine helps clear waste from the human brain. The research is just starting.

Breathwork is a terrific tool and even though we need more research to learn about its effects on the glymphatic system, it does more for you than potentially keep your brain healthy: It helps you calm down and activate your parasympathetic nervous system (the rest-and-digest system).

Especially the techniques where exhales last longer than inhales have an immediate calming effect on your nervous system.

Here are two breathing routines you can try and use daily:

For both, sit or lie down and make yourself comfortable. Try expanding your lower abdomen when you inhale.

Set a timer for 5 minutes for the practice.

One cycle goes as follows:

Repeat until the timer runs out.

Begin with a long exhale to get ready for the practice. Then start cycles of the following steps:

You might feel a little dizzy when you’re first starting. Remember to pause frequently and to avoid doing more than 4-5 cycles at once if you’re a beginner.

This practice includes breath-holds that might potentially support your glymphatic system even more than slow breathing, as discussed above.

Safety note: Do not practice breath-holding while driving, in water, or anywhere dizziness could put you at risk. If you’re pregnant, have cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, panic disorder, epilepsy/seizure history, a history of fainting, or any relevant medical condition, consult a licensed healthcare provider before starting breathwork, especially routines that include breath-holds.

The problem with health advice is rarely that we don’t know enough. It’s implementation.

So here are 2 tips to make a new health practice stick:

The glymphatic system is one of the most exciting discoveries in neuroscience.

And this new research on breathwork adds an interesting possibility: Breathwork may do more than calm your mind. It may also support your brain’s cleaning system.

But also: Breathwork doesn’t replace sleep, and the research on how breathwork could support the glymphatic system is just starting.

Still, it’s a promising field, and I’ll keep you posted about its future advances!

P. S.: Interested in skincare? Then check out the Skin-ny newsletter! Every Thursday, learn about the latest developments in skincare and read honest product reviews (and see whether that $300 serum is really worth it). Subscribe for free here!

That’s it for today!

And now?

Until next time!

Best wishes,

Patricia (Dr. Patricia Schmidt) from creatorschmidt.com

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Disclaimer: 1) This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical or mental health advice and is not a substitute for professional healthcare. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical condition, medications, or supplements, and before making any changes to your health routine. 2) This newsletter may contain recommendations or links to third-party offers and newsletters. The author is not responsible for the content, accuracy, or practices of these external sites. The author might earn a small commission from these recommendations, at no extra cost to you.