🔋How to Maximize Your Brain’s Cleaning System (ATP#33)

Your brain has its own cleaning crew. Not actual workers, of course, but a system that clears out toxins and waste.

It’s called the glymphatic system. It wasn’t discovered until 2012, but it’s definitely one of the most exciting recent findings in neuroscience.

The name combines two concepts:

• Lymph, a fluid that circulates through your body. It carries immune cells, removes waste, and transports substances from one place to another.

• Glia, a type of non-neuronal cells in the brain and spinal cord. They support neurons, and the glymphatic system depends on them.

So, it’s a fluid-based system that moves waste out of the brain’s tissues into cerebrospinal fluid. From there, the waste drains into lymphatic vessels and eventually enters the bloodstream, where it can be removed from the body.

Let’s take a closer look at what it does and how you can support it.

Why do you need this system?

The glymphatic system helps keep your brain healthy. Many brain diseases, such as dementia, involve years of buildup of toxic substances in your brain, which damage your neurons. The glymphatic system helps prevent this buildup.

That’s why supporting it in the best way possible is so crucial.

How to support your glymphatic system

Before we start: The research on the glymphatic system is still in its infancy, so we don’t have that much information about it yet. But research has already revealed a few things you can do to ensure the system functions optimally.

Sleep

Sleep is the #1 way to support your glymphatic system because it’s most active when you’re not. There are so many reasons why sleep should be your top priority, and your glymphatic system is one of them. It operates at a much higher level during sleep than during wakefulness.

Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep every night. I wrote more about the benefits of sleep and how to sleep better in a previous issue.

Sleep position

Research compared the supine (on your back), prone (on your stomach), and lateral (on your side) sleeping positions and found that the glymphatic system worked best in the lateral position.

The evidence so far comes from rodents, and we’ll have to see how far it applies to humans. Until now, we only have evidence of an association between supine sleep and neurodegeneration in humans, but we can’t establish causality yet.

Still, side-sleeping is a reasonable option to try. It’s safe, and early evidence suggests it may support the glymphatic system.

Aerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise has many benefits beyond “just” a fit body. The brain also functions better and ages more slowly with regular aerobic exercise.

Since the discovery of the glymphatic system, research has explored whether it benefits from exercise, and the short answer is: yes. Even though glymphatic clearance is relatively inactive during wakefulness, it can be activated by aerobic exercise, which would be a direct effect of exercise on your brain’s cleaning system.

Researchers are also examining several indirect effects of exercise on glymphatic clearance, most notably a lower blood pressure and reduced resting heart rate in fit individuals, which could improve glymphatic flow overnight.

Diet

The evidence here is still very preliminary, though it’s reasonable to assume that a heart-healthy diet likely supports glymphatic flow.

A recent study analyzed serum concentrations of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate, zinc, ferritin, and iron to determine which could best predict glymphatic system function in humans. They found that zinc serum levels were the best predictor of glymphatic system function.

Still, it’s too early to recommend zinc supplementation because it’s just one study, and the statistical evidence was relatively weak. And, as the authors discuss, excessive zinc accumulation could do more harm than good. A balanced diet should be enough for now.

Lymphatic massage

There are some Manual Lymph Drainage techniques that physiotherapists have used for a long time, and it’s possible to target the head and neck area with these techniques, too. They could potentially support glymphatic system clearance (Study 1, Study 2).

The evidence comes from animal studies until now, and one of these two studies hasn’t yet undergone peer review, so we shouldn’t get too excited about this (yet), but it’s a promising path because it’s a zero-cost method you can apply at home.

In Manual Lymph Drainage, gentle movements applied at strategic spots help move the fluid from your lymph nodes. Important: You have to be VERY gentle with your movements, or you could experience adverse effects.

I found this instructional video from a licensed physiotherapist to be helpful:

Disclaimer: I’m not a medical doctor or physiotherapist, and this isn’t medical advice. If you try it, do so slowly and at your own discretion.

Final thoughts

The glymphatic system is one of the most exciting recent discoveries in neuroscience, and once again, it shows us the importance of sleep to maximize its function. The early findings are promising, and future research will likely reveal even more about how to support the brain’s cleaning system.

What else I’ve been up to:

I published a new article on Medium that explains 10 strategies I use to stay focused in a world built for distraction. I’m linking it below (contains a friend link at the beginning so you can read it for free if you’re not a Medium member)!

That’s it for today!

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Until next time!

Best wishes,

Patricia (Dr. Schmidt) from creatorschmidt.com.