The position you choose to sleep in has an impact on how efficiently your brain can clear toxins and waste products. These lifestyle choices also improve the effectiveness of the system.
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
One of the hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is aggregated and typically misfolded proteins in the brain. A 2022 study1 published in Translational Neurodegeneration discovered a relationship between the system that clears these misfolded proteins and the progression of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
