• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
The Brain Health Magazine
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The Brain Health Magazine
No Result
View All Result

The Powerful Way Sleep Cleans Your Brain and Protects You from Dementia

Learn about the easiest way to prevent brain disease

in Brain Function, Self Care, Sleep
May 24, 2021
0
The Powerful Way Sleep Cleans Your Brain and Protects You from Dementia

by Jonathan Chung, DC

Sleep is arguably the most powerful and least expensive treatment we have in our arsenal to help support brain health. We all know this intrinsically, and most of us really do want to get more sleep. For most of us, getting a good night’s sleep helps us feel better throughout the day, but the latest research in neuroscience is showing us that patients who were sleep deprived had 1.68 times the risk for developing cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s Disease.

In order to understand how sleep can impact our risk of dementia, we have to understand an important piece of anatomy called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF is a water-like substance that acts as a cushion inside of our head and serves to protect the brain from the jagged edges inside the skull. CSF also plays a role in the transportation of nutrients and waste that can build up in the brain and spinal cord. From a clinician’s stand point, procedures like spinal taps are an important diagnostic tool because we can see evidence of infection or degeneration that has entered the brain.

The role of CSF in brain disease has gotten stronger recognition in the last decade and more recent neuroscience studies are pointing to a massive role of deep sleep. A groundbreaking study published in 2013 by Xie et al. showed that sleep increases the flow of CSF through a mouse brain, and this increased flow cleaned removed the toxic protein clumps associated with Alzheimer’s disease. This system wasn’t working during the mouse’s awake phase.

Said another way, the system responsible for cleaning our brains of a toxic protein that causes Alzheimer’s Disease works primarily in sleep.

This was a massive finding that changed our understanding of why sleep is a powerful contributor to recovery. But does this effect happen in humans? So far, studies are saying yes. Three major papers corroborate some of the early findings seen in mice:

  1. A PET scan study by Shokri-Kojori et al. on healthy patients showed that just one night of sleep deprivation increased the buildup of beta-amyloid by 5%.
  2. A study by Fultz et al. using functional MRI, EEG, and CSF flow measurements has identified an electrical signal that precedes a rush of increased spinal fluid movement during sleep.
  3. Finally, a longitudinal study by Lucey et al. studied patients with Alzheimer’s disease and used sleep-tracking data. The study showed a strong relationship between loss of deep sleep and greater Alzheimer’s pathology.

So what does this mean for patients with brain injury?

We know a history of brain injury puts some patients at higher risk of neurodegenerative disease. While the big suspicion is that the brain damage itself contributes to the disease process, there’s also a possibility other physiologic processes from brain injury could be drivers of dementia.

A well-known phenomenon after concussion is an increased prevalence of sleep disorders following the injury. Patients with concussion have poorer sleep quality and feel worse on waking than patients without a concussion. A variety of sleep disorders associated with concussion include sleep apnea, insomnia, circadian rhythm disruption, and narcolepsy. No matter what the disorder is, the result is a loss of the healing potential of deep sleep.

This has become such an important issue in my clinic, that if any concussion patients have any reported problems with sleep, I consider referring them for a sleep study right away. Prevention of dementia and neurodegenerative disease is certainly a consideration, but a loss of sleep is also going to impair the results patients can get from post-concussion syndrome.

We can do some amazing things rehabilitating the brain in patients with persistent concussion problems, but there will be barriers to cognition and pain improvement if the patient continues to sleep poorly.

Jonathan Chung, DC is the founder and upper cervical chiropractor at Keystone Chiropractic and Neuroplasticity in Wellington, Florida. Learn more about their cervical vestibular rehabilitation program at www.chiropractickeystone.com.

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare Via EmailPinterest
Next Post
Yoga: Warrior III

Yoga: Warrior III

SIGN UP

BLOG

Yoga: Seated Cobra Pose

Yoga: Seated Cobra Pose

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief Yoga is a powerful tool for neuroplasticity. Contrary to some beliefs, everyone can do yoga — you don’t need to be super flexible, be able to balance, or even be able to stand up. The beauty of yoga is every pose can be modified to accommodate anyone. An important aspect of […]

Read more
Resilience After a Brain Injury

Resilience After a Brain Injury

By Dr. Shane Steadman, DC, DACNB, DCBCN, CNS Recovery after a brain injury can be a long journey. Working hard and hoping to get back to baseline often can be frustrating, and for some, unattainable. With the many doctor visits, exercises, rehab appointments, medications, and supplements, goals can become lost. However, amid recovering from a […]

Read more
The Resiliency of the Human Brain and Body

The Resiliency of the Human Brain and Body

By James A. Heuer, PA As a personal injury attorney for over 45 years, I have witnessed many of my clients successfully recover from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Whether the TBI occurs from a car crash, a slip and fall, or blow to the head, the resiliency of the human body and brain is […]

Read more
Resiliency: Is It Just Personal or Part of Brain Chemistry?

Resiliency: Is It Just Personal or Part of Brain Chemistry?

By Deborah Zelinsky, O.D. The term resiliency encompasses “the range of personal protective factors, environmental supports, and resources, as well as self-regulatory processes, engaged in response to adversity,” according to investigators writing about recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI) for the publication Disability and Rehabilitation. Indeed, author Mike Norton  said it best when he wrote, […]

Read more
Stress Away Essential Oil

Stress Away Essential Oil

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief A complementary tool that can help you achieve a healthy lifestyle, essential oils are easy to use and smell great, with a variety of uses. All oils are not created equal. I personally only trust the Young Living brand because I know they maintain complete control over their product from seed […]

Read more
Resiliency and the Courtroom

Resiliency and the Courtroom

By Jeff Heller Resiliency is one of the greatest attributes anyone can have. From an early age, parents teach their children, “if you get knocked down, you get back up.” Coaches teach their players, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” And one of the cornerstones of the underdog mentality is to “never […]

Read more
The Quality of Resilience

The Quality of Resilience

by Shauna Hahn Sometime in 2019, in the weekly “Healing and Recovery” therapy group I lead, we discussed the topic of the quality of “resilience.” When it came time for a patient to contribute, he said, “I don’t want to be resilient. I get tired of being resilient all the f**king time.” And I heard […]

Read more
Peanut Butter Protein Fluff

Peanut Butter Protein Fluff

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief What You Need: 1 cup (250g) full-fat Greek yogurt 2 tbsp. peanut butter or almond butter 2 tsp. stevia Favorite garnish (banana, granola, blueberries) Add the yogurt, nut butter and stevia into a small mixing bowl and whisk together using a hand mixer, until fluffy. Transfer the mix into a bowl […]

Read more
Arizona Man Overcomes Three Traumatic Brain Injuries and Gives Back By Building Adaptive Recreation & Socialization Program for Survivors

Arizona Man Overcomes Three Traumatic Brain Injuries and Gives Back By Building Adaptive Recreation & Socialization Program for Survivors

By Ed Roth Randy Elston is finally living his best life, which may be an odd thing to say about a Marine Corps veteran with three traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Recently named as the Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona’s new Adaptive Recreation & Activities Coordinator, Randy’s tours of duty in Iraq left him with a […]

Read more

INSTAGRAM

Follow Us!

  • It was such a pleasure to keynote at the @biaofms NeuroTrauma Symposium last Friday. What an amazing group of professionals and survivors. I found some new resources I didn’t even know existed out there!! 

#bia #braininjury #concussion #tbi #pcs #keynote #brainhealth #neuroplasticity
  • Neuro fatigue is beyond tired, it’s when you’re brain says “I’ve had enough” and shuts down everything. It often a sneaks up on you when you least expect it, making it hard to manage. 

If you’ve never experienced it, it’s truly hard to understand. But please believe us when we tell you we’re done and need to rest. And that rest may look different for everyone. Some may need a nap. Some may just need a quiet space. There’s no right or wrong way to rest. 

#braininjury #tbi #pcs #concussion #braininjuryawareness #braininjuryawarenessmonth #TBIsurvivor
  • A traumatic brain injury is the ultimate “invisible injury” as no one can see what’s happening inside your brain. Even imaging doesn’t show a TBI (unless you have bleeding or severe trauma). It’s impossible to explain to others, and even doctors don’t take us seriously or know how to help us. 

It is incredibly frustrating to go through life being told “there’s nothing we can do. You’ll just have to give it more time and see what happens” and even more frustrating when you find out that there are doctors out there who truly DO know how to help us!  Like @integratedbraincenters 

#braininjury #tbi #pcs #concussion #functionalneurology #braininjuryawareness
  • I remember how I would literally need to lay down after taking a shower because it was so exhausting. And something like going to the grocery store and bringing them in and putting them away would require me to do nothing else for the rest of the day. It was a one-chore kind of activity. 

These are normal, every day things we take for granted before brain injury, and afterwards they require soooo much energy and effort. It’s truly hard for someone who hasn’t experienced a brain injury to understand. 💚

#braininjury #tbi #concussion #pcs #braininjuryawareness #TBIsurvivor
  • You totally got this!! 
Is it gonna be easy? Nope. 
Is it gonna be worth it? Absolutely! 

#tbi #braininjury #concussion #pcs #TBIrecovery #TBIsurvivor
  • The Chair Yoga Pocket Guide is trending on Kickstarter! We’re over half-way to our goal! Can you help us get there by pre-ordering an autographed copy of the book?? 

LINK IN BIO 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brainhealthmag/the-chair-yoga-pocket-guide

#chairyoga #accessibleyoga #chairyogateacher #chairyogabook #chairyogaworkshop #accessibilityinyoga #kickstarter @kickstarter #chairyogaauthor #author #mnyoga
  • I remember folks would talk to me and my brain would take forever to process what they were saying. They would be into the next subject and I’d still be trying to decipher their first sentence. It was frustrating and exhausting. 

Friends would tell me to “try harder” and concentrate. But that’s not how it works with brain injury. 

It’s like if you drop your laptop and scramble it’s processor. 

#braininjury #concussion #tbi #pcs #braininjuryawareness #braininjuryawarenessmonth #TBIsurvivor
  • #Repost @integratedbraincenters
Recovery as defined in the dictionary is a return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength. 

Missing from this definition is that recovery is a continuum. We often hear in recovery post surgery that a patient is a percent recovered (Sue is 80% recovered post hip replacement) demonstrating that recovery is not an all or nothing situation but is rather a spectrum. 

Not everyone will make a 100% recovery but most people can move forward in their recovery in some way, even if it is only 10% or 70%. 

To say that recovery is not possible in any capacity is probably untrue. The more severe the injury the more likely you will never be the same person you were prior, but that does not mean that you can’t get back to doing the things you love and contribute to your family and community.

#beaininjury #concussion #tbi #pcs #neuroplasticity #resilience #resiliency #TBIsurvivor
  • No two brain injuries are the same, therefore, no two recoveries are the same. Don’t compare yours against someone else’s, as you never know what they’ve already gone through. 

Focus on YOU and your recovery. What could you try differently? What should you maybe give up? I personally gave up alcohol and gluten and that was huge for me and my inflammation. 

#braininjury #concussion #tbi #pcs #neuroplasticity #functionalneurology #funcneuro #neuronerd

© Copyright 2019 | The Brain Health Magazine

  • Advertise With Us
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Contact Us

DISCLAIMER: THIS MAGAZINE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE - View PDF

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.