for its own uses, the glymphatic system takes over the brain
during sleep, causing these ducts to swell up to 60 percent
while the neurons themselves shrink to make way for the
street-cleaning fluid. And in a final coup, the system
commandeers the arteries’ pulsations as a way to massage
the fluid through the system.
I’ve already mentioned amyloid, the mischievous protein
that clumps together and forms plaques in Alzheimer’s
disease. We all generate this protein, and the glymphatic
system helps to dispose of waste and prevent amyloid
accumulation. The system is particularly active during the
deep, slow-wave phase of sleep, but unfortunately, today’s
sleep patterns (and our diets) negatively affect this activity.
Thus, poor sleep is associated with greater amounts of
amyloid plaque in the brain.^5 We theorize that by optimizing
our sleep, we may help these proteins get cleared away
before they ever cause problems.
How might we optimize glymphatic clearance? It’s still a
recently discovered system, and we certainly don’t have all
the answers yet. However, as discussed in chapter 6, fasting
before bed (to reduce circulating insulin) may be one way to
encourage the brain and body’s custodial duties. Omega-3
fatty acids (abundant in the fat of wild fish and grass-fed
beef) were also shown to promote optimal functioning of the
glymphatic system.^6 By following the Genius Plan, you will
be getting optimal amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. At the
end of the day, however, the best way to attain a spotless
brain is just to get good sleep, consistently.
There are myriad factors that affect our sleep quality—
work stress, family duties, and TV binges that take us into