How do we improve our glymphatic drainage?
improved glymphatic drainage can remove a... - Cure Parkinson's
improved glymphatic drainage can remove alpha synuclein
Glymphatic System and CNS DisordersThe disruption of the brain (g)lymphatic system plays a crucial role in age-related changes of brain functions, as well as in the pathogenesis of neurovascular, neurodegenerative, neuro-inflammatory diseases, brain injury and tumors
"Revitalizing the glymphatic system
Fortunately, it may be possible to slow the glymphatic system’s deterioration.
In a 2018 study, Kipnis and colleagues demonstrated that they could rejuvenate the system by bolstering the meningeal lymphatic vessels of old mice. The researchers used gene therapy to raise levels of VEGF-C, a growth factor that maintains lymphatic vessels and that becomes scarce with age. “If we provide VEGF-C, we can increase the coverage and function of vessels about to the level of young mice,” Kipnis says.
Boosting VEGF-C levels might also work in humans, although researchers still need to test the safety of this approach. Other approaches may also be feasible. Many of the steps that doctors routinely recommend for preserving our health as we age may also benefit the glymphatic system. For instance, because CSF circulation relies on arterial pulsations, maintaining cardiovascular health is important, says Nedergaaard. The best way of protecting the glymphatic system “is probably a lot of exercise,” she says." simonsfoundation.org/2020/1...
The goal of the project is to develop technology that can improve the clearance of waste even without improving the amount or quality of a person's sleep.
"Whether it is psychological stress, trauma, sleep apnea, weight- or heart disease-associated concerns or the natural aging process that tends to make us lighter sleepers, the end result is the same — metabolites accumulate and cause problems for the body and the brain," says Dr. Britz. "We are developing this cap to try and bypass the need for eight hours of high-quality sleep so that even people who sleep poorly can get rid of their waste products efficiently."
Sleeping with both the head and feet elevated is said to increase glymphatic drainage. Hammock? But laying on the right shoulder. That is an interesting position to attempt.
Inconclusive
“While the research supports a correlation between good sleep and a healthy brain, there is no evidence that inclined sleep directly improves this detoxification process. Rather, inclined sleep could help you detoxify simply by allowing you to get better sleep.”
sleepadvisor.org/inclined-b...
Searching for a better source.
“Inclined sleeping helps improve glymphatic drainage. Lying horizontally for 7-8 hours a night distributes cerebrospinal fluid more or less evenly across your brain, because you’re perfectly flat. That even distribution of fluid increases intracranial pressure (pressure inside your skull), decreasing your brain’s ability to clear cellular waste and recover while you sleep. Raising your bed height a few inches tips gravity in your favor, restoring your body’s natural orientation and promoting glymphatic drainage.”
bulletproof.com/sleep/sleep...
CONCLUSION: based on this and additional info , I think that sleeping at an incline is likely to improve glymphatic drainage
Can Clonazepam increase glymphatic drainage?
Someone on this forum claims it can but has provided no links to info so I’m attempting to determine if it does. (I’m scared of it bc I know of people , family, who have had very bad experiences with it and a meta analysis I posted elsewhere stated that the claim it increases dementia is likely not just correlational)
But given that it’s claimed to increase glymphatic drainage, I’m curious. (I think it should be a last resort if one has exhausted everything else bc it is addictive and causes dependence and has a lot of potential side affects. IMHO)
From what I’ve read, glymphatic drainage / activity mostly occurs in the N3 stage of sleep which follows stage 1 & 2 but precedes REM.
N3 is synonymous with SWS (I think)
“participants. After long-term therapy with clonazepam, wakefulness after sleep onset was decreased together with an increase in both slow-wave sleep (SWS) and sleep stage 2, in which the latter reached statistical significance; sleep stages 1 and 2 instability significantly decreased and the duration of EEG transients also slightly but significantly decreased. Finally, chin tone was not modified by clonazepam.”
Based on the above quote, I think Clonazepam increase stage 2 to clinical significance but stage N3 or SWS is not mentioned as having increased to the level of clinical significance. (Or I’m just not understanding)
“indicates that the slow and steady brain and cardiopulmonary activity associated with deep non-REM sleep are optimal for the function of the glymphatic system, the brain's unique process of removing waste. “
DEEP NON REM SLEEP = SWS = N 3 (I think)
“After long-term therapy with clonazepam, wakefulness after sleep onset was decreased together with an increase in both slow-wave sleep (SWS) and sleep stage 2, in which the latter reached statistical significance; sleep stages 1 and 2 instability “
I think it’s SWS that needs to be increased to increase glymphatic drainage and clonazepam does not increase SWS / N3 sleep to the point of statistical significance.
That’s a big bummer. There are a LOT of concerns about clonazepam but it could be worth it IF it increased the phase of sleep that increases glymphatic drainage but I think that is not the case.
I would love to be wrong on this! Can someone help me clarify and understand this?
(Not the hostile individual , PLEASE who made the claim in the first place and provided no links)
SWS is when the most glymphatic drainage occurs “Factors that have shown to increase slow-wave sleep in the sleep period that follows them include intense prolonged exercise and body heating, such as immersion in a sauna or hot tub.”
So body heating before bed maybe?
Low carbohydrate diet was also mentioned.
By means of improving sleep, can tryptophan improve glymphatic drainage?
“Tryptophan, at a dose of 1 gram taken 45 minutes before bedtime, will decrease the time taken to fall asleep in those with mild insomnia and in those with a long sleep latency. At this dose, it has no effect on sleep architecture, and no effects on alertness the next day have been detected.”
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the Tryptophan Metabolism & Kynurenine pathway
“sleep deprivation, tryptophan (TRP) and kynurenine (KYN) are increased in plasma.56,57 These peripheral tryptophan and kynurenine are taken up into the brain and used as extra substrate resulting in an overproduction of Kynurenic acid (KYNA) in the presynaptic neurons of hypothalamus, hippocampus, and cerebral cortex “
“mediators activate IDO which metabolizes tryptophan to kynurenine “.
Tryptophan metabolizes to kynurenine
“Sleep Deprivation and Serotonin
Tryptophan is the unique precursor for the biosynthesis of serotonin and melatonin which both play key regulating roles on the sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin and its analogs have been used ”
So tryptophan is a precursor to both melatonin and seratonin.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
This article just left me with more questions but there it is
Can one get SWS during daytime naps?
sciencedirect.com/science/a...
This article referred to the longer 60 minute naps as naps having SWS. Do they know this or are they assuming this?
“ Take into account that sleep becomes deeper the longer you sleep, reaching the deepest level (slow-wave sleep) in about 1 hour”
Okay, so a nap with a minimum of 1 hour sleep should have SWS
Research in to the development of device(s) for increasing glymphatic flow are in development. How exciting! A trial device from this company was able to increase SWS by 13%. That is significant!
Hormone replacement therapy can improve non REM sleep therefore improving glymphatic function. The main part of HRT is estrogen, to treat symptoms caused by estrogen deficiency. However, for sleep disturbance, the addition of progesterone may have an added benefit and has been shown to be associated with increased non REM 3 sleep.Sep