The Glymphatic System: The Hidden Gateway to Better Brain Function
An Overview of the Glymphatic System
The glymphatic system of the brain is a recently discovered waste and debris clearing system that promotes the elimination of soluble proteins and metabolites from the central nervous system. In other words, the glymphatic system is like a fish tank cleaner - it keeps the water of the fish tank in a livable condition. Waste removal from the brain is essential for maintaining brain health throughout life. It’s an ongoing process of supporting this system, one that requires regular tune ups and is not simply a “one time thing.”
Besides waste elimination, the system also facilitates brain-wide distribution of lipids, amino acids, growth factors, glucose, and neuromodulators. It gets nutrients and building blocks for the brain to their end destinations. These nutrients and building blocks are crucial for optimal brain function.
Recent studies indicate that glymphatic system function is suppressed in various diseases and that a failure of glymphatic function is a contributor to pathology in neurodegenerative disorders, brain injuries, as well as stroke. Suppressed glymphatic system function prior to a brain injury can lead to worse outcomes after the brain injury, as the brain injury itself produces metabolic waste from the injury that needs to be cleared. This backup of waste in the brain fuels a neuroinflammatory cycle and interferes with the healing process.
Sleep and The Glymphatic System
The glymphatic system is only active during sleep, meaning without adequate sleep this system cannot function optimally. This explains why you might feel a sense of fogginess or a sense of being hungover after a night of poor sleep. You brain couldn’t detoxify efficiently. A persistent lack of adequate sleep overtime can completely derail the glymphatic system. There’s a reason why sleep is preached to be one of the best things you can do for your brain on a regular basis. Getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night gives your brain regular renewal and regeneration.
When we sleep, the brain shrinks and is flushed with cerebrospinal fluid. The waste that is created from this process is carried through the glymphatic system and into the peripheral lymphatic system, making the lymphatic system a key player in brain detoxification. We’ll talk a little bit more about the lymphatic system here shortly.
These drainage systems of the body and brain are crucial for preventing neurological decline and supporting the brains’ ability to heal after injury. Unfortunately, their function is also extremely delicate and can easily be thrown out of whack, making them important systems to focus on in any effort to reestablish health and optimal brain function.
The Lymphatic System’s Role
Because glymphatic fluid drains into peripheral lymphatic circulation, it is crucial to also make sure that the lymphatic system is moving efficiently and that there aren’t any cervical lymph node blockages. Consider the lymphatic system to be your body’s main “drainage” pathway. It is a network of tissues, vessels and organs that work together to move waste fluids from the body back into the circulatory system for clearance out of the body. The lymphatic system is bigger than the vascular system and moves about twice the amount of fluid daily. It is the body’s defender, moving toxins and waste out of your system through stool, urine, or sweat.
When the lymphatic system is overloaded with toxins (heavy metals, parabens, BPA, environmental toxins, metabolic waste, etc) it can start to build up in the body as these systems struggle to keep up. Unfortunately, the body has an affinity for storing toxins in fatty tissue and seeing as the brain is mostly made of fat it becomes a prime location for toxins to start to accumulate, especially if the glymphatic system is overwhelmed with trying to clear this waste out in the first place.
Toxins backing up into the brain can be just as damaging to the brain as a physical injury to the brain can be. We are all exposed to various toxins and pathogens daily, but not all of them will end up harming us. Each individual person is affected differently due to variables in how the immune system is functioning and how their detoxification organs are functioning. The key is to build up the strength of these systems to ensure that your body can protect itself and co-exist in an ecosystem with other organisms as well as move toxins and unwanted chemicals out of the body.
So, What Can We Do?
Fortunately, there are plenty of lifestyle and dietary strategies for supporting the glymphatic and lymphatic systems at home. They are healthy habits and routines that require consistency to maintain overtime. As with anything, there are no easy Band-Aids to solve the problem overnight.
Supporting these systems all starts with drinking a glass of filtered water with added electrolytes every morning. Your brain shrinks over 60% every single night when you sleep. Drinking pure, electrolyte rich water every morning helps to rehydrate the brain and add clean water to the tank so to speak. I suggest using a Berkey water filter, which removes 200 unsafe contaminants from the water to help lessen the load of toxins that are getting into systemic circulation. Below is a link as well as a discount code to check out some options:
Click here and use code MOOREINTEGRATIVE for 5% off on a Berkey filtration system
I recommend drinking this glass of water first thing in the morning before doing anything else. Having it ready to go on your nightstand before you go to bed at night is a great way to get it into your regular routine.
Click below for a 45 minute deeper discussion on the glymphatic system and the topics within this article:
Lifestyle Habits For A Healthy Glymphatic System
Previously it was thought that the glymphatic system could only be supported by a good night sleep, but a new study shows that exercise can positively affect the function of the glymphatic system. In this study, a group of mice were given access to a running wheel and another group of mice had no access to exercise. After five weeks, the mice that were exercising had a more than two-fold increase in glymphatic flow. So, whether you choose HIIT, yoga, walking, running, tennis, Zumba or any other form of exercise, it can help to increase glymphatic flow and support brain health. One of my favorite modes of exercise to recommend for supporting lymphatic flow is rebounding, which is a glorified term for bouncing on a trampoline.
Although exercise supports glymphatic flow, the system won’t kick into high gear until the brain is asleep. So, exercise won’t move the needle unless it is also paired with sufficient sleep.
The recommended amount of sleep for adults is 7-9 hours every night, but everyone will have varying needs. The brain requires consistent deep sleep for the system to work efficiently – this means sleeping good on a regular basis and not just on the weekends. In today’s fast paced society, it’s easy to think that sleep is a waste of time and that we can “sleep when we’re dead,” but the brain and body are working in overdrive to heal and maintain function while we sleep. When we don’t get enough sleep, the glymphatic system is impaired and waste starts to accumulate leading to neurological symptoms and decline.
Chronic stress is also a major inhibitor of glymphatic system function. I strongly recommend getting into the habit of doing a 10-minute breathing exercise or meditation once a day. For some, a regular practice throughout the day of self-regulating the nervous system is crucial. We all are dealt different stressors as we go through life, and we all simultaneously have different thresholds for the number of stressors we can handle. We have the power to influence our resiliency and threshold to the number of stressors we can handle.
Lastly, no conversation on the glymphatic and lymphatic systems is complete without discussing the role that body work plays in supporting these systems. Manual therapy with an osteopath or chiropractor as well as lymphatic drainage massage monthly is a staple in ongoing maintenance of these systems for many individuals.
Supporting Detoxification Pathways
There are well-defined metabolic pathways in the body that are responsible for converting toxins into chemical compounds, making it easier for the body to eliminate them through urine or stool. This process is what happens after sufficient glymphatic / lymphatic function brings waste to the liver for phase 1 and phase 2 detoxification. Studies on how drugs are metabolized and cleared from the body have established a good understanding of these detoxification processes. Of course, metabolic detoxification is an ongoing process and not a one-time thing. Every day, our organs are working in overdrive to eliminate environmental contaminants that come in from toxic bacteria, pollutants, plastics, and heavy metals to name a few.
An individual’s body burden of toxins is a result of three main factors. First, there is the level of toxicant exposures we each individually face in our environment from both internal and external sources. Second, everyone has a genetic predisposition to produce an efficient amount of detoxification enzymes to clear these compounds on an ongoing basis. This genetic predisposition is inherited. Third, proper nutrition and dietary ingestion of helpful detoxification nutrients or phytonutrients can impact an individual’s capacity to appropriately reduce the presence of toxins and lower the burden of toxins that the body is trying to get rid of.
What you Eat Matters!
The goal of a clinically directed metabolic detoxification protocol is to provide nutritional support for facilitating the pathways involved in the processing and excretion of toxins. A protocol such as this results in improved symptoms and an increased sense of wellbeing for most individuals. Specifically, improvements in pain and fatigue levels, enhanced cognitive function and mood, improved sleep cycles, and weight loss will be noticed.
Protein intake is a nutritional cornerstone of detoxification. We cannot efficiently detoxify our body without having sufficient amino acids from protein to bind to the transformed toxins in the liver to get carried out of the body. Protein also helps to stabilize blood sugar which will help to curb sugar cravings. I recommend consuming protein in every meal for ongoing support of liver detoxification pathways. The daily requirements for most individuals for protein can be calculated at .8-1g/kg of body weight. Good sources of protein include organic, grass-fed meats and poultry, wild caught fish, eggs, tempeh, and tofu.
Legumes such as black beans or edamame are a great food source to get quality protein as well as fiber from. Fiber supports detoxification through the gut as the fiber helps the gut microbiome to thrive. A thriving microbiome supports a thriving immune system.
All nuts, seeds, and their butters are therapeutic foods for detoxification as they provide anti-inflammatory oils, quality protein, and phytonutrient rich compounds like lignans that support detoxification. Lignans in flaxseeds and sesame seeds are especially important for hormone metabolism (fun fact).
The greatest variety of foods for detoxification is found in the non-starchy vegetable category. Vegetables should take up the majority of your meals as they provide the greatest number of phytonutrients in the diet. The goal is to consume at least 8 servings every day to aid in liver detoxification and the elimination of toxins from the gut. Vegetables such as leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, dandelion, brussels sprouts, beets, garlic, onion, radishes, peppers, carrots, and yams are all wonderful options.
Phytonutrient-dense fruits can be helpful for detoxification because of the antioxidant protection they offer. Some specific fruits provide targeted nutrients for liver detoxification. In general, fruits can be helpful when the need for something sweet arises. It’s typically better to eat fruit with a little bit of protein to offset any potential blood sugar spikes. My favorite fruits to consume daily for their health benefits and detoxification supportive properties include berries, green apples, and citrus fruits.
Minimize Intake of Harmful Substances
Harmful toxins in certain foods, food additives, storage containers, and cooking equipment can be avoided to reduce your intake of harmful chemicals that build up and cause this spillover of toxins into the brain. This means choosing lean meats over fatty animal foods, as the body tends to store toxins in fat tissue. Additionally, opting for organically grown animal products and fruits and vegetables significantly limits the amount of toxins entering the body daily.
I recommend avoiding preservatives, food coloring, and artificial sweeteners found in processed foods. Canned food products and plastic water bottles contain a significant amount of endocrine system disrupting particles called BPA, so these are also to be avoided. Lastly, filtering your water as we discussed earlier is also a great step to take in the right direction.
Supplements and Binders to Support the Glymphatic System and Brain Health
I highly recommend working with a trained practitioner to determine which of the below systems and categories of supplementation need the most support. While supplements are generally safe for most individuals, there are times when some of the below nutraceuticals and herbs are contraindicated, such as in pregnancy. It is not ideal to go out and start multiple supplements at one time. A practitioner can help to guide you in the right direction. But with that said, I wanted to provide a general overview of some options I have found to be clinically helpful.
Blood flow and lymph drainage go hand in hand. Your lymphatic and glymphatic systems use blood flow to drain toxins out of your brain to support its ongoing health. There are plenty of nutraceutical and herbal remedies that support optimal blood circulation and oxygenation of the blood. Ginkgo, rosemary, bacopa, Huperzine A, and Vinpocetine are all researched options here. You can access one of my favorite products, Apex Energetics NeurO2, in my online dispensary via the concussion kit links.
Gaba can also assist with glymphatic drainage as it helps to calm the brain down for better sleep in the evening. And as we now know, sleep is crucial for glymphatic system function.
Immune system and liver support play a role in improving the body’s detoxification capacity. Vitamin C, R-Lipoic Acid, Zinc, Glutathione, Curcumin, NAC, and Milk Thistle are some of the top players in the immune system and liver support game. Most of these products are available via the concussion kit links in my online shop as well.
When it comes to cleaning up the terrain of the body and the brain, binders play a key role in escorting toxins out of the body via drainage pathways more efficiently. CellCore Biosciences makes a few different binders, Biotoxin Binder, HM-ET Binder, and ViRadChem Binder that have become some of my go-to’s for maintain brain health. You can access their products HERE. Additionally, chlorella, bentonite clay, and activated charcoal are some good short-term options.
Supporting The Brains Terrain is a Life-Long Journey!
Scientists estimate that the average adult carries within her or his body at least 700 toxins and that a newborn’s body can contain over 200 toxins. Every single day we are exposed to a plethora of toxins in our daily environment. Every toxin that is in the environment will eventually be in our bodies. This is a lot of toxins for the body to deal with.
While there’s no way to completely avoid them, these are the action steps you can take to support and protect your brain long term. I highly recommend working with a trained practitioner in this area to determine what specific area’s you need support in.
References:
Annual Review of Pathology: Mechanisms of Disease. Accessed 8/23/2021. The Glymphatic System in Central Nervous System Health and Disease: Past, Present, and Future (https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-pathol-051217-111018)
Gerentology. Accessed 8/23/2021. The Glymphatic System and Waste Clearance with Brain Aging: A Review. (https://doi.org/10.1159/000490349)
Lymphatic Education & Research network. Accessed 8/23/2021.Facts about the Lymphatic System. (https://lymphaticnetwork.org/living-with-lymphedema/lymphatic-disease)
Neurochemical Research. Accessed 8/23/2021. The Glymphatic System: A Beginner’s Guide. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25947369/)
Neuroscience. Accessed 8/23/2021. Understanding The Glymphatic System. (https://neuronline.sfn.org/scientific-research/understanding-the-glymphatic-system)
Neuroscience Letters. Accessed 8/23/2021. Voluntary Running Enhanced Glymphatic Influx in Awake Behaving, Young Mice. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2017.10.035)