Glymphatic system: the real brain cleaning –

Our brain has a special cleaning service, technically known as the glymphatic system. Glymphatic is the junction of “glia”, a group of cells of the nervous system that work to clean up the piece and protect the neurons, with “lymphatic”, a reference to the network that drains impurities from the body
and maintains and makes available defense cells in the event of a distress call.

Highly organized, it works like a series of tubes that hitch a ride on the brain’s blood vessels, a veritable parallel plumbing system that performs the same function in the brain as the brain.
the lymphatic system does in the rest of the body – draining toxic wastes and excess compounds.

The glymphatic system is a perivascular network that acts by draining toxic residues and metabolites from the CNS (such as β-amyloid protein – which, when accumulated, is related to the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease) and facilitates the cerebral distribution of compounds such as amino acids, glucose and neuromodulators.

As we age, the changes that occur in our body (both physical and metabolic) can contribute to this process malfunctioning.

And where does the nocturnal brain cleaning come in?

Everything leads to believe that he works twice as hard when we are sleeping. Yes!

Research has indicated that this toxin elimination system is only activated during sleep, more specifically at night, for its full functioning to occur.

During sleep, our body regenerates itself, and it would not be different with the glymphatic system, which has its greatest performance during the heaviest sleep.

This is yet another proof of the importance of respecting the rhythms of day and night and not just the act of sleeping, so that our lives work in the best possible way.

So how about taking advantage of the beginning of the year to invest in your sleep hygiene?

BIANCA VILELA is the author of the book Respire, lecturer, master in body physiology exercise by Unifesp (Federal University of São Paulo) and content producer. He has been developing health programs in large companies across the country for almost 20 years. Na talks about health at work, productivity and changing habits.
Be sure to visit Instagram: @biancavilelaoficial