5 Ways To Boost Brain Health By Optimizing The Glymphatic System

Here, I offer some insight into how the glymphatic system works and how you can optimize it with simple dietary and lifestyle changes—boosting cognition and reducing your risk for neurodegenerative diseases in the process.

But why exactly would the brain need a waste removal mechanism? The brain, as with our other organs, produces waste as part of a natural activation of biochemical pathways. All enzymatic reactions within the body can produce waste compounds (e.g., proteins, reactive oxygen species, excessive ions, and others) that are not necessarily needed for other functions and are therefore compounded and degraded. Indeed, neurodegenerative diseases are very commonly associated with a buildup of these by-products of cellular metabolism that are not appropriately packaged and excreted. 

Research has shown that the glymphatic system is more efficient and robust when our hearts are pumping, our blood is flowing, our bodies are moving, and our brains are getting regular restorative sleep. In fact, the glymphatic system is most active during reparative sleep stages, clearing out inflammatory mediators and allowing for necessary restoration and rejuvenation to take place.

A healthy functioning glymphatic system can help keep us healthy for years to come, protect our cognition, and may even reduce the risk of neurodegenerative disease. After adopting these five simple strategies, I see patients experience fewer headaches, more mental clarity, increased energy, increased ability to focus, less anxiety and sadness, and decreased overall pain. Small changes can sometimes have exponential positive effects.

The volume of fluid within our vessels helps to support cerebral blood flow. Blood has to pump from the heart to the brain against gravity. When we are dehydrated or have consumed too many not-hydrating beverages such as coffee or alcohol, we can have impaired cerebral blood flow. This can lead to fatigue, dizziness, and poor waste removal. The use of occasional electrolyte powders in your water can be useful to maintain intravascular volume.

My advice: Go to sleep at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning. This applies to weekdays and weekends! A few ways to make sure this actually happens: Get morning light before 10 a.m. to support your body's natural sleep-wake cycles, exercise every day, and eat your meals at regular times if possible. Our brains are circadian organs and thrive on rhythm (it's why babies and toddlers develop well with a regular routine), so the more we can simulate a circadian rhythm, the better chance we have of good sleep. Can't seem to get to sleep? Try amber or orange-hued glasses that block sleep-disrupting blue light, or consider one of these natural sleep aids.

Exercise gets our heart pumping and our blood moving. It delivers and exchanges nutrients, oxygen, and metabolic by-products so participates in both glymphatic and lymphatic drainage. Delivery of blood supports cellular metabolism so that intracellular debris can be packaged and released and aids efficient clearance.

Foods that support brain health include the vast majority of fruits and vegetables, which contain multitudes of compounds important for combating reactive oxygen species (free radicals) and inflammatory mediators. Be sure to include magnesium-rich foods (nuts and seeds, cooked leafy greens, dark chocolate, and avocado, to name a few) as well since magnesium salts contribute to blood vessel wall health.

Additionally, I often recommend my patients consider additional modalities that can improve oxygenation and decrease inflammation throughout the body such as infrared saunas, hyperbaric oxygen, and cranial-sacral massage therapies.