New Blog Series coming on Sleep called "The Night Shift"
I wanted to share this with you as as a preview of a blog series being published in March. I know a lot of us suffer through sleep and this is my effort to help. It will be a 4 part series and if you like it, I'll keep sharing as early previews for you with additional strategies. Would love the feedback...
The "Night Shift": Why your brain needs a dishwasher (and why menopause broke it).
If you have ever walked into a room and forgotten why you were there, or struggled to find a simple word in a meeting, you know the panic.
It is that specific, "dirty glass" feeling where your brain just feels... clogged.
Most women quietly fear this is early dementia. Your doctor might tell you it’s "just aging" or "stress."
I am here to tell you the clinical truth: It is neither.
It is a plumbing issue.
For decades, we thought the brain was the only organ in the body that didn't clean itself. We were wrong. In 2012, researchers discovered the Glymphatic System - a macroscopic waste clearance pathway that acts like a nightly "power wash" for your brain.
But here is what the research also shows: Menopause unplugs the machine.
In this series, "The Night Shift," we are going to explore exactly what happens to your brain at night, and how to turn the cleaning crew back on.
The Science: The Brain’s Dishwasher
During the day, your brain is busy processing information, firing neurons, and keeping you alive. This activity creates metabolic waste - specifically sticky proteins called Amyloid-Beta and Tau. Think of this like the food stuck to the plates after a dinner party.
When you enter Deep Sleep, a fascinating shift happens. Your brain cells (glial cells) actually shrink by 60%, creating space between them.
This allows your Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) to rush in, power-wash the plaque and toxins away, and drain them out through the lymph nodes in your neck.
This is why you wake up feeling refreshed. The dishes are done. The kitchen is clean.
The Menopause "Power Outage"
So, why does this system falter in midlife? Why does the "brain fog" roll in?
The answer is Estrogen.
We used to think Estrogen was just a reproductive hormone. We now know it is a Master Neuro-Regulator.
Inside your brain, you have tiny water channels called Aquaporin-4 (AQP4). These channels are the "nozzles" of your dishwasher. They direct the fluid where it needs to go.
Research shows that Estrogen is the anchor that holds these nozzles in place.
When Estrogen leaves the building in perimenopause, these channels lose their structure. They become "depolarized."
- The Result: The water pressure drops. The fluid can’t rush in.
- The Symptom: The "trash" (adenosine and amyloid) isn't cleared out. You wake up with it still in your system.
That "fog" you feel? It is literally metabolic waste that wasn't washed away last night.
The Solution: Medicine 3.0 (Proactive versus Reactive solutions)
We can't always just replace the Estrogen (though HRT can help). We have to manually assist the cleaning crew.
If your internal "pump" is sluggish, we have to use physics and chemistry to help it out.
Here are 3 "Bio-Hacks" to support Glymphatic Clearance tonight:
1. Sleep on Your Right Side
Rodent studies and MRI imaging have shown that glymphatic transport is most efficient when sleeping on the lateral (side) position compared to your back or stomach. Specifically, the Right Side aligns your stomach for better emptying (reducing vagal stress) and optimizes the gravity for venous drainage from the brain.
2. Thermal Regulation (Trigger the Delta Waves)
The cleaning cycle only happens during Deep (Slow Wave) Sleep. Deep sleep is triggered by a drop in core body temperature.
- The Protocol: Keep your room between 60-65°F. If you have hot flashes, use a cooling mattress pad. If you are hot, the cleaning crew cannot work.
3. Grease the Gears (Omega-3s)
Since you have less Estrogen to stabilize those AQP4 water channels, you need to support the cell membranes with DHA. High-quality Fish Oil acts as a structural anchor for these channels, helping them stay open even in a low-estrogen environment.
The Takeaway
You aren't losing your mind. You are just operating with a clogged filter.
We cannot stop the hormonal shift, but we can change the protocol. Tonight, turn down the thermostat, roll onto your right side, and visualize that "Night Shift" getting to work.
To Your Best Nights Sleep,
Rebecca
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New Blog Series coming on Sleep called "The Night Shift"
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