12 Ways To Fix A Leaky Brain

Our brain, just like our gut, is protected by a membrane (the blood-brain barrier) that is very selective in deciding what can get in and get out.

Also just like our gut, this membrane can be damaged and created a leaky brain, where just like leaky gut, inflammatory particles and toxins start to pass back and forward across this membrane. As you can imagine, this leads to a whole host of problems!

So how do we keep our blood brain barrier healthy? Author Ben Greenfield, in his amazing book "Boundless", shares 12 simple ways to help correct this leaky brain phenomenon:

1. Get More Sleep - Sleep loss impairs the immune system and keeps us suck in a fight/flight response which limits the ability of the cells that make up the blood-brain barrier to repair and heal. If you struggle with sleep try taking melatonin for a short period of time.
2. Limit Your Alcohol Intake - High amounts of ethanol (alcohol) break down into acetaldehyde which can cross the barrier and wreak havoc.
3. Control Blood Pressure - High blood pressure increases the permeability of the blood-brain barrier, so do whatever you can (hopefully naturally) to decrease it - magnesium, potassium, dark chocolate, garlic, meditating, exercise. There's small studies that show a decrease in blood pressure after a series of chiropractic adjustments too! Just don't ever go off blood pressure medication without medical supervision.
4. Be Careful With High Fat Diets - We love high-fat diets, but the clean variety meaning far more plants than meats. Good quality meat provides a lot of great nutrition, it just shouldn't be the foundation of a diet. We need high fats along with the fiber and micronutrients that come with plants, and then smaller portions of meat.
5. Drink Coffee And Tea - Caffeine is a known protector of the blood brain barrier, but be careful with too much as it can cause other health issues. Green tea is the safest source but any good quality coffee is fine in moderation.
6. Take Supplements - Any supplement, herb, or spice that reduces inflammation will help protect the blood brain barrier.
7. Get More Magnesium - 300-400mg of magnesium per day has been shown to improve blood brain barrier permeability. Even soaking in a magnesium salt bath or applying it topically can help.
8. Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve - Multiple studies have shown that stimulating this nerve helps protect the blood brain barrier. How do we stimulate it? Massage, singing, meditation, deep breathing, and cold showers are some great ways to do so.
9. Avoid Frequent Snacking - There's certain hunger stimulating hormones that can improve the integrity of the blood brain barrier, so make sure you're implementing intermittent fasting.
10. Nourish Your Gut Bacteria - An inflamed gut usually results in an inflamed brain, so protect that gut microbiome at all costs.
11. Decrease Inflammation - Certain inflammatory chemicals can cross the brain barrier so the less of those we have floating around the body, the less chance any cross into the brain and create stress and damage.
12. Cold Thermogenesis - This has been shown to restore blood brain barrier health by causing increased blood flow and nitric oxide delivery to the brain, which helps strengthen the barrier and slow down or even stop degeneration of it. Start by trying 5 minute cold showers where you do 20 seconds cold followed by 10 seconds warm then repeat. Or in the winter stand outside for 30-120 seconds. Anything that safely makes you shiver for a few minutes!