STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- The glymphatic system in your brain targets the removal of misfolded proteins that are the hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The system is functional only while we sleep, and animal models reveal it works best in the side-lying position
- Function declines when you get less sleep. Just one night without sleep increases the accumulation of beta-amyloid in regions of the brain implicated in Alzheimer’s disease
- Trans fat foods also increase your risk of dementia significantly as people eating the highest amount in one study had a 74% higher risk of dementia; the largest food contributors were pastries, margarine, candy, croissants and ice cream
- Choices that improve the effectiveness of the glymphatic system are omega-3 fatty acids, longer periods of deep sleep and exercise. You may improve deep sleep through exercise at least three hours before bed, exposure to heat such as in a sauna, cyclical nutritional ketosis, reducing EMF exposure at night, limiting food and eliminating alcohol before bed and sleeping in a cool room
“Amyloid-beta, Tau, alpha-synuclein, TDP-43, or the prion protein, are just a few examples of proteins that can aggregate and contribute to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases with diverse clinical manifestations (Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Pick’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body dementia, multiple system atrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis among the most common).”The featured study,6 published March 15, 2022, looked at the glymphatic system, which is how the brain removes waste products. Removal of these misfolded proteins could help prevent ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases.7
Glymphatic System Targets Misfolded Protein
According to a paper published in Neurochemical Research,8 the recently discovered glymphatic system is a “macroscopic waste clearance system that utilizes a unique system of perivascular channels, formed by astroglial cells, to promote efficient elimination of soluble proteins and metabolites from the central nervous system.”Lifestyle Choices Improve Glymphatic Clearance
In an article in The Conversation,13 David Wright, one of the researchers in the featured study, proposed that sleep position affects glymphatic clearance, which past research has shown is most efficient in a side sleeping position,14 when compared to sleeping on your back or prone. Although the mechanism for this action is not understood, he proposes it may relate to compression, gravity and tissue stretching.15The Rationale for Sleeping on Your Back
“Use it or lose it” is one of the adages that apply to your physical body, both muscles and bones. If you don’t use a joint for a long time, degeneration sets in. As noted by Martone, “your body adapts to the consistent stresses placed on it over a long period of time.”“You give me a side sleep, I’m going to give you a shoulder problem … a hip problem, because you’re starting twisted, and I don’t care how much support you have, I don’t care how much your hips fall into the bed.”In other words, it’s important to consider all your health issues before deciding that side sleeping is best for you.
Lifestyle Choices to Improve Glymphatic Function
There are other lifestyle choices you can make that help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of glymphatic function. Past research17 has demonstrated that omega-3 fatty acids play a unique role in preventing or slowing neurodegenerative diseases by reducing inflammation, improving cell membrane fluidity and intracellular signaling.Sleep Therapies Can Increase Non-REM Sleep
Sleep is separated into two large stages, REM sleep and non-REM sleep.23 REM sleep is the stage that most people associate with dreaming. There are three stages to non-REM sleep. The first two are light sleep, while the third stage is deep sleep.They also suggest that a cyclical low-carbohydrate diet can increase the percentage of slow-wave sleep, which they propose may be linked to fat metabolism. Dr. Dale Bredesen is a professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine and author of “The End of Alzheimer’s: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline.”
Trans Fat Increases Your Risk of Dementia
Researchers have also found a strong link between trans fat consumption and the incidence of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. One study28 published in October 2019 in the journal Neurology included 1,628 Japanese seniors age 60 and older. At the outset of the study, none of the participants had dementia.They were followed for 10 years and serum levels of elaidic acid, which is a biomarker of industrial trans fat, were measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The researchers found that higher serum levels were associated with a greater risk of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
“The study used blood marker levels of trans fats, rather than more traditionally used dietary questionnaires, which increases the scientific validity of the results. This study is important as it builds upon prior evidence that dietary intake of trans fats can increase risk of Alzheimer’s dementia.”This was not the first study to demonstrate a clear link between consuming trans fat and dementia. For example, in 2012,33 Dr. Gene Bowman, assistant professor of neurology at Oregon Health and Science University, reported34 a strong correlation between trans fat and cognitive performance. Participants who had high levels of serum trans fat performed significantly worse in cognitive testing and had reduced brain volume.
Biohacks Help Improve Deep Sleep
Ben Greenfield is one of the top biohackers in the U.S. During our interview in 2018,36 Greenfield discussed several biohacks you can use to improve your deep sleep. When I first began tracking sleep, I was shocked to realize how little deep sleep I was getting.- Eating a high number of calories late at night
- Drinking alcohol before bed
- Sleeping with too many blankets
- Keeping your bedroom too warm
- Exercising with high intensity too close to bedtime (within three hours of bedtime)
- Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) ideally liposomal, or precursors to GABA, such as passionflower extract
- Melatonin in small doses (0.3 to 0.5 milligrams)
- Cannabidiol (CBD) oil
- Pulsed electromagnetic field (PMF) in the range of 3 to 8 hertz can also be helpful and provides effects like those of an earthing or grounding mat
Eliminating EMF during sleep hours is particularly important as this is when the brain detoxifies. Most of the time, the only way to do this is by turning off the electricity in your bedroom at the circuit breaker. If you’re living in a city where building codes require electrical wires to be in a conduit, the best you can do is to unplug the electrical equipment in your bedroom.
Sources and References
- 1, 6 Translational Neurodegeneration, 2022;11(17)
- 2, 7, 10, 12, 13, 24 The Conversation, May 26, 2022
- 3 Bitchute, July 29, 2019
- 4, 27 Reversal of Cognitive Decline: 100 Patients: A Special Interview With Dr. Dale Bredesen
- 5 Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, January 17, 2020
- 8 Neurochemical Research, 2015;40(12)
- 9 Frontiers in Neuroscience, February 9th, 2021
- 11 PNAS, 2018;115(17)
- 14 The Journal of Neuroscience, 2015;35(31)
- 15, 19 The Conversation, May 26, 2022, Subhead 4
- 16 Mercola fileburst transcript. October 31, 2021
- 17 International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2019; 20(17)
- 18 FASEB J, 2017;31(1)
- 20 Scientific Reports, 2018; 8(2246)
- 21, 22 Frontiers in Molecular Science, 2017; 10(144)
- 23 Sleep Foundation, March 11, 2022
- 25 American Sleep Association, Deep Sleep: How to Get More of It
- 26 AHNP Precision Health ReCODE, The Bredesen Protocol
- 28, 30 Neurology October 23, 2019, DOI: 10.1212/WNL. 0000000000008464
- 29, 31, 32 CNN October 24, 2019
- 33 Neurology, 2012; 78(4):241
- 34 HuffPost, December 30, 2011
- 35 PLOS ONE 2015; 10(6): e0128129
- 36 Biohacks with Ben Greenfield
- 37 Biohacks with Ben Greenfield page 7 top 2 paragraphs
- 38 Biohacks with Ben Greenfield page 9
- 39 Biohacks with Ben Greenfield page 14