23/07/2025
The Glymphatic System
🧠 Did you know your brain has a lymphatic system called the glymphatic system? It is a recently discovered system in the brain that plays a crucial role in maintaining cognitive health and preventing neurodegenerative diseases. Research has shown that the glymphatic system is more efficient during sleep, especially during the deep sleep cycle and that exercise can improve its function. It's role is to facilitate the exchange of cerebral spinal fluid CSF to remove waste products, including excess proteins and metabolites (beta-amyloid which is linked to Alzheimer's disease) it also flushes out excess fluid and cellular debris.
When the glymphatic system is not working as effectively as it should, potential signs and symptoms could be:
🌿 Puffy or swollen eyes and face
🌿 A feeling of sluggishness and heaviness
🌿 Fatigue and lethargy resulting from an accumulation of toxins in the brain
🌿 Mood disturbances such as anxiety and low mood
🌿 Sleep disturbances including insomnia and daytime slumps in energy
It is essential to note that these symptoms can also be caused by other factors and advise from a healthcare professional is necessary to determine the cause.
So how can you support your glymphatic system?
🌿 Sleep: prioritise good sleep practices to support good glymphatic flow.
🌿 Diet: a low inflammatory diet and plenty of hydration is essential for optimum general health and lymphatic flow.
🌿 Exercise: moving the body every day, especially aerobic exercise can enhance the function of the glymphatic system.
🌿 Stress reduction: practice meditation, mindfulness and deep breathing exercises. Deep belly breathing promotes the movement of lymph through the thoracic duct which is one of the main collecting ducts of the body, creating better flow. It also increases oxygen intake, supporting cellular health and enhancing toxin elimination.
🌿 Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage: a regular lymphatic drainage massage especially around the face, neck, head and chest area can:
👉stimulate the vagus nerve eliciting the relaxation response
👉 remove unwanted toxins, fluid built up and metabolites from the head and neck area
promote better sleep: by promoting relaxation and reducing inflammation, MLD can improve sleep quality which is essential for brain health.
👉 Improve mental clarity: MLD can reduce stress, switch the body into the rest and digest nervous system response improving mental clarity and focus.
If you would like any information or to book a lymphatic drainage massage please reach out to the Remedial Movement Team. We would love to support you in any way that we can. Bookings can be done online or by calling 0466556706.
Yours in Health
Susan Moir
Remedial, Clinical Lymphatic Drainage and Oncology Massage Therapist
References
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor, Riverhead/ penguin Random House, 2020
The Lymphatic Code by Leslyn Keith, gutsy Badger Books, 2021
Bacyinski, A:Xu, M: Wang; Hu, J (2017) The Paravascular Pathway for Brain Waste Clearance: Current Understanding, Significance and Controversy. Frontiers of Neuroanatomy.
Photo credit: TheLancet.com
