What are you doing to increase your Brainspan? – Longevity LIVE

These days its easy to feel frazzled and distracted. You may be multi-tasking and not getting enough sleep. Maybe youre anxious. And youre probably not doing enough to help your brain work efficiently. If you want to remain sharp and clear-headed as you age, taking care of your brain should be top of mind, says functional medicine expert Bryce Wylde, author of the newly released book Brainspanners.

Accumulation of toxins is associated with cognitive decline, which makes detoxifying essential.

While the brain is designed to detoxify itself, over time this process may become less efficient. Your brain may also be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of toxins its exposed to from the environment and your diet. Thankfully, there are ways you can support your brains detoxification process, says Wylde. And doing so may increase your Brainspan.

Your lifespan is the number of years youll spend on this planet. Healthspan is the number of years you will live in good health. Brainspan, explains Wylde, is the number of years you will live in good health with the healthiest brain possible.

You probably know how much you weigh, and possibly your cholesterol levels and blood pressure. But Wylde says, most people dont know what their brain is doing. We dont give our brain the attention it deserves. Yet it controls the heart, gut and every organ in the body. We arent taught a lot about how to make it healthier.

Wylde says that some of the more efficient ways to support your brains detox process include: M

While many people only think of folate as a necessary nutrient during pregnancy, it is very active in the brain and central nervous system. It also aids in cellular detoxification. Vitamin B9 is found in many fortified foods, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables including nuts and leafy green vegetables.

Glutathione is the most important detoxification molecule, essential for getting rid of harmful chemicals and metabolic byproducts that are dangerous to the human brain. The body makes glutathione but depending on our genetics, some of us are more efficient than others at making it.

Also, our ability to manufacture glutathione declines with age. Others cant get into the cells. Research has shown that a new compound called Glyteine, now available over the counter as Continual-G, raises the cellular levels of glutathione rapidly, within an hour or two.

Our brains do most of their detoxifying when were in deep, non-REM sleep. Thats when the spaces between the brains cells enlarge, and accumulated waste can be flushed away. This cant happen during waking hours. It would be like a railway crew trying to repair tracks while the trains are running.

Wylde explains that toxins lurk everywhere. These include bleach in the laundry room and chemicals in foods and cosmetics. Youve got to pee, poop, sweat, or breathe out these toxins. When your output is less than your input, your brains health may be compromised.

We spoke to Bryce Wylde about how doing something for your brain, every day, is the best thing you can do to ensure its longevity.

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What are you doing to increase your Brainspan? - Longevity LIVE