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The Glymphatic System

February 6, 2023 by mariaamasanti

The other week I wrote about the lymphatic system. To recap briefly, the lymphatic system is a drainage system for the body.

Well, have you heard of the GLYMPHATIC system? In the simplest of terms, the glymphatic system does the same as the lymphatic system, namely to clear waste, but specifically from the brain and spinal cord.

One type of brain cell are the astrocytes. These cells have several functions – of which one is to pump the fluid that circulates through the brain. They have little “pods” on their feet which switch on and increase the fluid around the brain by 60%. At the same time as this happens, the synapses in the brain (these are the connections between neurons) shrink back by nearly 20%. This shrinkage further enhances the flush of the brain fluid by creating even more space. The brain “waste” is then transported to the liver, from where it gets eliminated.

Now, this is the key point to remember: this cleansing and flushing happens during SLEEP.  This is when the glymphatic system ramps up tenfold!

Sleep is crucial for good health. It truly is the time for the body to reset and repair.

Many people struggle with sleep and that is a whole other topic to discuss. However, there are some simple and easy steps one can take to establish good sleep. The cornerstone to good sleep is setting your day/night rhythm – this starts in the morning with exposure to natural light.

Please see my article Night and Day on day/night rhythms for more information on easy steps towards good sleep.

Wishing you all health and happiness,

Dr. Maria

Filed Under: health & well being Tagged With: brain health, glymphatic system, lymph, sleep

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