Our bodies are truly a marvelous creation.  I have always said the more I learn the less I know as new developments and discoveries about our bodies capabilities seem to be infinite!  You have most likely already heard about our lymphatic system.  This system transports and removes toxins, helps distribute nutrients and helps fight infections within our body.  However, did you know the brain has its’ own “drainage” system that removes toxins and helps distribute nutrients within the brain and the spinal cord?  It makes sense since the brain and spinal cord is a closed system trying to protect this vital organ.  The system in the brain is called the Glymphatic system.  The G comes from the word glia which refers to specific cells in the brain and then combine it with lymphatic which is similar to the traditional drainage system.  We have known about the glymph system for awhile but are learning more and more.  The glymph system is tied to sleep, recovery, brain health, neurological conditions like alzheimers/dementia and overall healthy aging.

READ ON to learn 5 key habits you can incorporate that are not only good for your overall health but may help the glymph system work optimally…

  1. Sleep: You already know that sleep is essential for immune function, memory and recovery but sleep also helps the glymph system by supporting glymph movement and clearance.  Even one night of sleep deprivation can impair this system.  Make sleep a priority and if you have sleep apnea – address it!!
  2. Movement: yes, movement helps with cardiovascular health, metabolic function, mood, stress reduction and sleep but it can also help the glymph system.  We are still not sure about the correlation in humans but we do know the positive benefits of movement.  I’m not talking about intense exercise.  Just moving 20-30 minutes a day can make all the difference!
  3. Diet: your food impacts every cell in your body and your brain is no exception.  A Mediterranean diet has so many positive benefits.  All of those omega’s in the diet are very beneficial for the brain.  Staying hydrated also has an impact so don’t just focus on what you eat.
  4. Breathing: Even the simple act of good breath work can favorable impact the glymph system.  Another good reason to focus on your breath.
  5. Posture: In mice the posture and position have been shown to impact the flow with the most efficient position being lying in the lateral position.  This has not been proven in humans yet, though.
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While there are not specific treatment modalities available to help the glymphatic system, we do know that preliminary studies show significant impairment in this system in these conditions:  alzheimers, dementia or cerebrovascular diseases.  One of the core interventions suggested is truly working on the sleep cycle since this helps the glymph system the most.

All of the healthy habits we discuss all the time are “no-brainers” for brain health, too!  Stay tuned.  There continues to be cutting edge research in this area and I am excited to see what we learn in hopefully the near future.

To your health,

Laura